In "Take Off Blues" Svend Asmussen uses 3 different versions of the 12-bar Blues-chords.

- 2. The "Take Off Blues" main theme is played in unison, but it is easy to reconstruct the underlying chords.

- The Blues-scale: C - Eb - F - G - Bb - C is used but the notes doesn't conflict with my suggested chords. Listen to a playback: Link to mp3.

- 3. In his improvisations Svend uses a special variation with an E7 in the second bar. This is seen in other Blues-compositions. Remark that bar 5 lands on an F-chord, and in the full versions of the melodies also bar 10 is a G7-chord.

Click on picture for full versions. Click here for Svends Solo mp3, Lionel Hamptons Gladys mp3, and Charlie Parkers Blues for Alice mp3 - all transposed to C for comparison.

(The following soloes on the CD are played over more conventional chords - almost like version 2.. See Score & Parts.)

- 4. The above E7-version of the blues presents a long chord-row from the "Circle of Fifth's": B-E-A-D-G-C to F. In the Introduction to Take Off Blues Svend goes a step further and starts the F#7. It's the first time I have seen that.

- 5. Barry Harris has used a similar (not blues) long Circle of Fifth's in his version of "Yours is my Heart alone".

Click for Mp3 / 0n pict. for full score.

- 6. In "Rhythm Changes" (based on I got Rhythm) are the first 2 vamps sometimes replaced with this chord-progression: // F#7 - B7 / E7 - A7 / D7 - G7 / C7 - F7 / Bb - Bb7 / Eb ....... in Bb of course.

(Ex: Monk: Rhythm-a-ning 1 - & - Rhythm-a-ning 2 - & - Don Byas - Slam Stewart: I got Rhythm )

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