Sabaku – Lewis Nash

A medium-up bossa with a bright sound. The melody begins rhythmically, launched by stop-time hits, but becomes more flowing and lyrical after the first three measures. This song has an cyclical form; the phrase lengths are also not always easy to define with the constantly flowing melody and changes. The form totals 27 measures; the first phrase is seven measures long, followed by seven more measures of 2-feel bossa before another measure of rhythmic hits. In the head, this latter measure is defined as the start of a five-measure B section, which continues with four more measures of 2-feel (sitting on an E7 chord) setting up the C section, which is eight measures.

Solos are on the same form as the head without hits; in the solo chorus, the 12 measures between the first and last phrases are grouped in four-measure phrases, rather than seven and five as in the head.

The changes are relatively tonal in C major, but with colorful alterations and secondary dominants; some parts of the song suggest C minor or A minor key centers. In the 12th and 13th measures, pianist Mulgrew Miller voices the A♭7sus/C and B♭7sus/C chords in fourths. On the recording, the chord in the 9th measure is Fm7; Lewis Nash's original manuscript has G7 here, so we show both chords with Fm7 below the staff.

In the last eight measures of both the head and solo chorus, the feel changes to a more salsa-like Latin groove, with a tumbao pattern (the "and" of beat 2 and beat 4) in the bass and montuno piano figures. On the recording Lewis Nash plays a funky hi-hat groove here in the head, but a salsa groove in this part of the solo choruses. The bass notes in this section are indicated in our C treble and bass clef lead sheets.

There is a coda which repeats the A section again, with the last seven measures extended to eight measures with another measure of Cmaj7. The final four measures of this section are repeated three times to end. On the recording, percussionist Steve Kroon plays a cuica (friction drum) solo over the rhythm section for the first 14 measures of a chorus (corresponding to A of the head), and the out head is played from B to the coda.