For My Nephews – James Williams

One of the most memorable of James Williams' songs, For My Nephews' soaring melody makes it very versatile. It's simple and lyrical both melodically and harmonically, in a concise 16-measure form. There are a few unexpected passing chords, but the harmonic structure is quite tonal. Our lead sheet is based on James' quartet version from the "Everything I Love" album. It includes a 16-measure intro which is played on many recordings of this song. This intro features a descending line over changes through a circle of fourths, but spiced with one augmented fourth (B♭maj7 to Emaj7). On this recording the piano and bass play these chords rhythmically together. The coda tags the second half of the head two more times, crescendoing into the end and landing on an unexpected D♭ major chord.

Piano and bass parts are available; click on Piano Corner and Bass Corner for details. Our lead sheets include a chromatic piano fill in the fourth measure of the head, as well as piano comping rhythms elsewhere. Many of these rhythms are on the offbeats, "bouncing" off the melody notes on the downbeat; we feel they're an important part of this song's rhythmic feel.

A bit slower than the "Everything I Love" version, this first recording of For My Nephews is interpreted a bit more freely in a piano/bass duo setting. The intro is the same as on our lead sheet, but in the absence of drums, the piano and bass fill in the rhythm with repeated notes. The coda tags the end of the head as in the lead sheet, but goes into a Gm7-C7 vamp afterward, ending on the latter chord.

Note: the lead sheets under each album cover are identical.

This slow, gentle version of For My Nephews has a more involved arrangement than earlier recordings. It starts rubato, with James playing the second half of the head alone. Bassist Richard Davis then plays the melody, arco and still rubato with piano accompaniment. The piano and bass then set up tempo with a new eight-measure intro which alternates E♭7sus and E♭maj7 chords; drums enter on the fifth measure. James then plays the head in time. The coda is essentially the same as on the lead sheet, but with a dramatic ritard and break for the last melody phrase; an extra G minor chord is added at the end.

Saxophonist Clifford Jordan only appears on this song as a soloist, not playing on the in or out heads.
The "intro" on this recording (between the rubato bass melody chorus and James' melody choruses) is the intro in James' solo piano arrangement. Click on the last album cover (Kenny Drew, Jr.) for more details.

A bit slower than the first piano/bass duo recording of this song with Dennis Irwin, this version with Ray Drummond on bass has again a quite different arrangement. It starts with a very free, rubato solo piano interpretation of the second half of the head. This is followed by an eight-measure intro in time, as heard in the "Four Play" version, alternating E♭7sus and E♭maj7. James' phrasing of the head is slightly different at this slower tempo, with a bit more expressive interpretation. The coda here is closest to the version on "Four Play" with a ritard and break on the last melody phrase, but in this version the break leads back into time, with changes in a circle of fourths connecting Gm7 to D♭maj7. Again there is a hold on the D♭maj7 followed by another Gm7.

James Williams' solo piano arrangement features an intro completely different from the one on our lead sheet. It's a pedal intro that alternates E♭7sus and E♭maj7 chords (E♭13sus and E♭maj9(6)), closely related to the intros from the "Four Play" and "Jazz Dialogues: Vol. 2" versions but a bit more embellished. The ending is like the lead sheet but ending on a G minor chord, without an additional D♭ major chord.

Click on Piano Corner for more details.