Style:

Waltz, typically played at brighter tempo.

Form:

A-B-C (48 Bars) [24-8-16]

Arrangements:

Instead of resolving back to the tonic minor after the head out to finish the piece, an extended outro vamp which revolves around the tonic Major is often used to finish the performance.

Key:

B minor

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony of this composition is not entirely conventional as it does not remain in a consistent key center for majority of the piece. It also  has an almost modal quality to it given that many of the chords last for  several bars at a time. The A section begins on the tonic minor and it is then followed by G#mi7b5; it is treated as a minor9b5 chord that is  derived from the Locrian ♮9 scale. This is an example of modal  interchange as the chord scales for the first two chords move from B  Aeolian to B melodic minor. It is then followed by C#7 which completes the minor II - V which resolves to F#mi7 in the 9th bar. It then  continues with D7sus4 before an EMaj7#11 chord that lasts for 8 bars finishes off the section. The B section is only 8 bars long and it revolves entirely around an Ab7 - A7 vamp. The final C section is 16  bars long and it uses several chord inversions to allow for step-wise  root movement in the bass while the chords seamlessly voice lead into one another.

Recordings:

This composition has been recorded over 70 times to date and is one of Chick  Corea's most popular compositions. Chick first recorded it in January  of 1966 on a session led by Mercer Ellington, and he would also record  it later that year on his album Inner Space. Stan Getz' 1967 recording from Sweet Rain features Chick Corea and is also a very inspired performance. One of Chick Corea's best known renditions of the tune would come from his 1968  album Now He Sings, Now He Sobs featuring Roy Haynes on drums and Miroslav Vitouš on bass.

JGC Top Picks:

Chick Corea, Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, 1968

Hubert Laws, Law's Cause, 1969

Mike Stern, Standards (And Other Songs), 1992