Jazz Changes

Victor Young, music · Ned Washington, lyrics · From the 1944 film The Uninvited

Stella by Starlight

A film theme from 1944 that jazz players adopted for its constantly shifting harmony. It starts on an unstable chord, passes through keys every bar or two, and only settles in B♭ at the end. Learning it teaches you to hear where each chord is heading.

▶ Plays the whole path: 8 recordings in order. Use the player's next button to skip ahead.

  1. 1 Learn the song Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl
  2. 2 Hear the melody decorated Charlie Parker with Joe Lippman
  3. 3 Hear the standard changes Miles Davis Sextet
  4. 4 Stretch the form Miles Davis Quintet
  5. 5 Hear the changes alone Bud Powell
  6. 6 Hear a trio build a long take Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette
  7. 7 Study the chord voicings Bill Evans Trio
  8. 8 Hear the tune today Joe Lovano with Hank Jones, George Mraz, Paul Motian

How the tune works

B♭ majorusual key
32 barsA · B · C · D form
D m · B♭ · E♭ · A♭ · F · G m · C mkeys it moves between

Each block is a key, and each thin line is one bar. The tune rarely stays anywhere for more than two bars: it opens on a half-diminished chord that points toward D minor, passes through E♭, F and C minor, and only settles in B♭ in the last four bars.

The changes as most fake books give them. Players vary the opening bars and the turnarounds.

Key B♭ major
Abars 1–8
D minorEm7♭5
A7
B♭Cm7
F7
E♭ majorFm7
B♭7
E♭maj7
A♭7
Bbars 9–16
B♭B♭maj7
D minorEm7♭5A7
Dm7
A♭B♭m7E♭7
FFmaj7
Em7♭5A7
G minorAm7♭5
D7
Cbars 17–24
C minorG7♯5
G7♯5
Cm7
Cm7
B♭A♭7
A♭7
B♭maj7
B♭maj7
Dbars 25–32
D minorEm7♭5
A7
C minorDm7♭5
G7
home: B♭Cm7♭5
F7
B♭maj7
B♭maj7

Common fake-book changes; recordings vary.

Source: Guitar Composer's Toolbox: Stella By Starlight in B (chord list, one semitone above B♭)

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

The path starts with a sung version so you know the tune, then adds one idea at each step: decoration, the standard changes, a long live form, solo piano, two trio approaches and a recent ballad reading. Each step gives you one thing to hear and one thing to play.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song

    Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl and his Orchestra 1947

    Columbia single

    Sung version

    Listen for
    Sinatra sings the tune close to the way it was written, so this is your reference for the melody itself. Notice the places where the harmony turns away from where you expect it to land.
    Try this
    Sing the first eight bars along with him. Then play only the root of each chord on a piano or bass while you sing the line again.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear the melody decorated

    Charlie Parker with Joe Lippman and his Orchestra 1952

    Original issues: Mercury 11089

    Played with strings

    Listen for
    Parker plays the melody with his own turns and short runs over a string and woodwind arrangement. Compare his line with Sinatra's, bar by bar.
    Try this
    Play the melody once as written. Play it again and fill only the long notes with short runs that stay inside the chord.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear the standard changes

    Miles Davis Sextet 1958

    Jazz Track

    Listen for
    Listen to how Evans voices the opening Em7♭5 to A7 and how the soloists handle the minor ii-V chords that never reach their tonic.
    Try this
    Play only the third and seventh of each chord as whole notes through all 32 bars at a slow tempo, and listen to how the notes connect.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Stretch the form

    Miles Davis Quintet 1964

    My Funny Valentine

    Listen for
    At almost thirteen minutes the 32-bar form comes around many times. Pick one chorus and follow the changes with the chart open.
    Try this
    Follow one solo chorus with the chart and mark each key change as it passes, then count how many choruses the track contains.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear the changes alone

    Bud Powell 1953

    The Bud Powell Trio

    Played alone

    Listen for
    With no bass or drums, every chord change comes from the piano. Pay attention to how his right-hand line connects one chord to the next in the first four bars.
    Try this
    Play the first eight bars of the chart as four-note chords in your left hand, then improvise a line over them with your right.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear a trio build a long take

    Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette 1985

    Standards Live

    Listen for
    A piano, bass and drums trio stretches the tune past eleven minutes. Listen to how the three players hold the form together while the harmony changes every one or two bars.
    Try this
    Loop bars 17 to 24, which run G7♯5 to Cm7 and A♭7 to B♭maj7. Play one chorus of eighth-note lines using only chord tones.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Study the chord voicings

    Bill Evans Trio 1966

    A Simple Matter of Conviction

    Listen for
    Listen to how Evans voices each chord and how the bass and piano react to each other through the key changes.
    Try this
    Play the chords with three notes in the left hand: the third, the seventh and one colour tone. Move each voice by the smallest step to the next chord.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear the tune today

    Joe Lovano with Hank Jones, George Mraz, Paul Motian 2003

    I'm All for You: Ballad Songbook

    Listen for
    At a ballad pace every chord change has room to be heard. Notice how Lovano and Jones let each new chord settle before moving on.
    Try this
    Play the tune at a ballad tempo and put one clear chord tone on every change, so each new chord gets a note of its own.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

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