1000 Rainbows – Buddy Montgomery

Recorded as a 2-front line quintet (2nd parts are also available), this arrangement also works great in a quartet format (with any one of our lead sheets for the melody instrument).

Buddy Montgomery recorded two completely different versions of this song. They are recognizable as the same song in their form (64-measure AABC), harmonic structure, and general melodic direction. Both are built around rhythmic bass lines. This first arrangement's bass line is rhythmically similar to the groove from Ahmad Jamal's classic version of Poinciana, though it's not doubled by the drums. The melody of this version of 1,000 Rainbows is extremely simple and outlines the chord progression; most notes in this melody are at least eight beats long (long hits on beat 4), giving the pianist plenty of space to fill in as Buddy does on the recording. The combination of the pulsating bass line, the long-tone melody, and the drum part, which follows the melody's hits with cymbal rolls, creates a dark, warm, slightly mysterious sound that on the recording influences the solos, even though the groove changes to a half-time funk.

The solo changes are simplified slightly from the head changes, without the pedal point from the A sections of the head. The two hits on the last measure of the bridge are preserved in the solos; these have a clever substitute cadence back to E♭ minor (Fm7 to A♭m7 over C♭). In the intro, the piano sets up the bass line for eight measures; the bass and drums come in for another eight measures. The rhythm section plays a 16-measure coda that essentially tags the last eight measures of the head twice.

About the arrangement: 2nd parts, a bass part and a condensed score are available for the 2-horn arrangement. The horns are harmonized throughout the melody, beginning in 4ths in the A section and 3rds in the bridge; the end of each section is in 5ths.

Click on the Bass Corner tab for details about the bass part. Pianists and drummers should read the Concert Condensed Score.

A complete re-imagining of the melodic and rhythmic material from the first version of this song. The tempo is slower and the feel more laid-back, making room for much more detail in both the melody and bass line. The groove on this version is very specific: a slightly swung 2-feel, with the congas playing even 8th notes against the swing of the ride cymbal. Buddy's ingenious new bass line has slick, slinky syncopations focusing on the "and" of 4 in the second and fourth measures, rather than beat 4 as in the first version. The melody is fleshed out pickups and fills throughout, while mostly keeping the same general direction. There are hits added in the 11th, 12th, and 15th measures of the bridge. The passing chords on these hits give further definition to the harmony; there are more passing chords in the A section on the head, and especially in the solo changes.

There is a 16-measure intro featuring the bass alone, setting up the bass line from the first 16 measures of the head. The coda, which is shown on the C treble clef lead sheet, vamps the same 16 measures and fades out, with piano chords on the "and" of beat 1 that answer and "bounce" off the bass line where it hits on the "and" of 4. Click on Bass Corner for more details on the bass part.

Because the piano melody is in a relatively low register, we have a guitar lead sheet written an octave up. Click on Piano Corner for a description of the piano melody transcription.

Due to the slower tempo, we have chosen to mark the form in eight-measure sections: A and B for the repeated first section, C and D for the bridge, and E and F for the last section.

The fourth and eighth measures of the solo section are written with a whole rest in parentheses, with a piano voicing shown on the C lead sheet. Buddy leaves space in these measures, using the voicings to "answer" his solo lines.

Jim Rotondi's version of 1,000 Rainbows is based on Buddy Montgomery's second recording. Drummer Bill Stewart puts a more contemporary spin on the groove, with a "half-time" backbeat on beat 3 throughout. Instead of setting up the melody with the whole 16-measure bass line, the intro repeats the first four measures of the bass line to set up the melody. The coda vamps the same four-measure pattern; in both, the piano doubles the bass as in the coda of Buddy's version, but with the chords "bouncing" off the bass line on beat 2 rather than the "and" of 1.

In the solos, bassist Barak Mori really plays close to the bass line from the head, rather than the simpler pattern used in the solos on Buddy's recording.

In our lead sheet editions we elected to give you two different ways Buddy played his melody in second and fourth measures of the B and F sections, which are otherwise the same. Jim's arrangement has flugelhorn and vibes together on the melody; he chose to use the same melody at both B and F, which is almost the same as we show for F on the lead sheet.

Again mostly based on Buddy Montgomery's second recording, Isaiah Thompson's version of 1,000 Rainbows adds yet more variations. The intro sets up the 16-measure bass line, with the piano chords as in Buddy's coda, but this time with a swinging 4-feel in the drums (with brushes). The A section switches to an even-8ths Latin groove with a brand-new bass line; B returns to the texture of the intro, with the original bass line. The bass walks on the bridge, until the hits at D. E and F are almost the same as A and B; Isaiah makes the distinction between the B and F sections of the melody shown on our lead sheet.

The solo section starts with a looser bass line, but again in an even-8ths groove; the bridge goes to swing again with walking bass, and stays there for the rest of the solo choruses. The coda is the same as the intro, going to a final chord with no repeat or fade.

This arrangement is further testament to how versatile this song is—and how fun the changes are for soloing; this trio is having a great time especially when they start swinging.