Stumbling Block – Jonny King

This fairly advanced, challenging composition is a good example of Jonny King's specific style. The elegant, lyrical melody ties together many irregularities—perhaps suggested by the title—both harmonic and rhythmic. The main rhythmic "stumbling block" is a meter change: though most of the song is in 4/4, both A and C sections of the 32-measure AABC form go to 3/4 for the fifth and sixth measures. The melodic rhythm of these measures is set up cleverly in the third measure; the melodic phrase here is developed in the 3/4 measures.

Though this song has no key center, the changes have a logic to them. The A section has a rising and falling root motion, "resolving" to F♯ minor at the end despite the lack of dominant chords. The bridge focuses on a D♭ triad over D in the bass.

There is an angular bass countermelody in the first two measures of the A section. The bridge goes to a Latin groove. Solos swing throughout; the solo choruses have a slightly simplified chord progression and stay in 4/4 throughout. The coda vamps and fades on the last chord, repeating the last two notes of the melody.

The melody is a great reference point when soloing on these advanced changes. A soloist can also focus on chord tones that move stepwise through the changes, such as G♭-G-A♭-A for the first four chords.

On the recording, one melody note is different from our lead sheet. In the last measure of the bridge, saxophonist Bill Evans plays an A♭ on the "and" of beat 2; it should be A♮ as the lead sheet shows.