Freddie Hubbard - 1962
Pianist Clare Fischer introduced his song ‘Pensativa’ on an album called ‘Bossa Nova Jazz Samba’ with Bud Shank in 1962. In 1964 Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded a Freddie Hubbard arrangement of the song on the album ‘Free for All’. Apparently, Fischer hated and resented Hubbards arrangement saying it was all wrong harmonically, melodically and rhythmically! The two recordings are, in fact, very different. I have included links to both. This transcription is based on the Hubbard arrangement (sorry Mr. Fischer).
Freddie Hubbard was around 26 years old and a rising star when he arranged ‘Pensativa’ for Art Blakey’s Messengers. There are harmonic structures here that were just taking hold at this time, but would become common later. For instance, the chords built on 4ths moving chromatically beginning in bar 9. There is a primer on this type of chord here – Link.
There are a number of “temporary II – V – I” groups here which were not in the original Fischer composition. They are colour coded – red is the “true” tonic the others are temporary.
Hubbard uses a variation on a standard cadence that I have not come across before. He uses it twice for a temporary key centre and once on the “real” tonic. (Example 2). He moves from what serves as a V chord to a tritone substitution for that chord (Link) to the I or temporary I. Its a nice trick because it adds colour and movement to the passage but can be treated like a simple V – I when soloing.
I have also isolated two variations on a temporary II – V – I to D major in Example 2.
