At The Crossroads – Robert Watson

This bright-toned medium swinger has a relatively short form—only 20 measures. The melody of At The Crossroads has a distinct rhythmic bounce, contrasted at times with angular rising figures. It's in F major, but our lead sheets have no key signature; the key center is less obvious in the eight-measure A section than in the 12-measure B section. The changes combine II-V7s with less predictable movement; the B section contains a long descending series of resolutions that end in E7(♭9) alternated with Fmaj7 in the 7th through 10th measures.

Most of the head has rhythm section figures that complement the melody, filling in some of the longer notes; the first four measures of B go to a 4-feel. Solos also use a 4-feel, but with the rhythm section figures from the head in the 7th through 10th measures of the B section (D in the solo chorus). Three half notes at the end of the form are used as an extended pickup to the repeat of the head, are also played at the end of the last solo chorus as a pickup to the out head. On the two later recordings, these half notes are also played at the end of each solo as an interlude; this first recording has no such interludes. There is no intro; the ending shortens the form of the out head, taking the pickup to the 9th measure of B up an octave and ends by holding out the first note of the next measure.

Though there are a few subtle differences in the melody between the recordings, our lead sheet essentially works for all three. There is one note in the melody which is different in our lead sheet than on the first two recordings: the "and" of beat 3 in the fourth measure should be concert D, though on both "Just Be Yourself" and "Present Tense" this note is E. The triplet pickup to the 6th measure of B is not played on "Just Be Yourself" but appears in the other two versions. On all recordings, the head is played twice in and twice out.

For a description of the two-horn arrangement, click on the third album cover. This version is very similar, but with a few differences in the arrangement of the B section. The trumpet joins the rhythm section figure in the fifth measure of B, continuing with a harmony part below the alto in the next measure. In the 10th measure, the horns are in octaves (on the other recording they're voiced mostly in fourths), and the voicing of the three half notes at the end of the head is slightly different. Like the later recording, these three half notes are played as an interlude at the end of each solo. The melody note on the "and" of beat 3 in the fourth measure is again E on this recording, not D as in our lead sheets.

Our two-horn arrangement comes from this recording. The trumpet has the melody at the beginning, with the alto sax alternating between following the rhythm section hits and harmonizing with the melody. The harmonies are mostly thirds and fourths with some contrary motion. At the last measure of A, the alto takes over the melody; the trumpet adds a harmony part a sixth below in the fourth and fifth measures. The last six measures of B have trumpet again on the melody, with the same hits/harmony texture as the A section. In places where the horns are playing together and the melody ties over from the "and" of beat 4 into a longer note, which is filled in by rhythm section hits, the alto usually plays a quarter note on beat 4 and then follows the hits. In the second and sixth measures of A, however, the alto plays the "and" of 4 short while the trumpet holds out the melody note. Our first and second parts show where they are playing melody, harmony, or doubling the rhythm section figures. Because this is a high-register melody for alto where it's traded off with the trumpet, our tenor and trombone 2nd parts put the melody sections down an octave.

Rhythm section players might like the Condensed Score or the C lead sheet.