Blues Of Hope – Robert Watson

For a full description of this song, click on the second album cover; the "Check Cashing Day" version is the source of our lead sheet. A quintet condensed score is available for this earlier, faster live recording showing all the important differences. The piano solos at the start of the intro; the chords flow evenly together here with no breaks, and likewise with the following bass solo section. Instead of the bass, it is the drums that set up tempo while the bass is still soloing. Our audio clip starts at the drum set up which leads to eight measures of 12/8 groove before the head, with the piano playing shifting harmonies over a pedal point with quarter notes in the bass. The bass continues quarter notes through the head; as with the other recording, the piano starts with 1-feel on the head, keeping a similar feel through B. At the "tag" of the B section the piano adds repeated rhythmic figures; on C the piano part is a "stride"-like style but with long quarter notes, alternating bass notes on beats 1 and 3 and chords on 2 and 4. The last three measures in the D section of the coda start at the same tempo and ritard instead of jumping to a slower tempo; there is no break between the first two of the final three chords.

There is one difference in the melody of this version versus the later recording. The repeated triplets at the fifth measure of C change earlier here, anticipating beat 3 and beat 1 of the next measure by one triplet rather than changing on the downbeats.

Though not strictly a blues, this song is well-named in that it combines a blues feeling with a hopeful sound. The bouncy 12/8 groove and a melodic focus on C major triad shapes give this song a bright and upbeat mood despite the underlying key of D minor. Like many Bobby Watson songs, the form is slightly irregular: after an eight-measure A section, the B section starts similarly but with a repeated "tag" starting in the seventh measure that extends this section to 12 measures. The contrasting C section is only seven measures long. The changes stay relatively diatonic to D minor, but the V chord is often A7sus, on both recordings often played with an unexpected natural 9th (B♮). The B section "tag" uses sus chords to resolve back and forth between E♭ major and D minor, while the C section has a similar motion with F major and D minor. The head is played twice in and once out; solos are on the same form as the head.

Our lead sheet reflects this 2013 recording. There is a rubato intro in which the rhythm section holds E♭maj7, A7sus, and Dm7, with a brief pause between each chord, for a soloist to blow over (flute on the recording). Next there is an open bass solo which leads to the bass setting up the 12/8 groove with a two-measure pattern, repeated four times alone and twice more with rhythm section and soloist. Our audio clip starts with the bass setting up the groove. The coda vamps the beginning of the C section, with one or multiple horn soloists. On cue there is a D section which is the same as C, switching to a slower tempo at the fifth measure. The same three chords from the start of the intro are held out, with melody notes, at the end.

Our C treble clef lead sheet also shows the rhythm section arrangement. Though the bass and drums keep up a 12/8 groove through the head (except hits in the last measure), the feel of the piano comping changes several times. The piano enters four measures before the head with a 1-feel—mostly whole notes—switching to rhythmic comping with the 12/8 groove at B. From the "tag" to the end of the head, the piano plays mostly half notes for a 2-feel.

A condensed score is also available for reference for the recorded sextet arrangement. We do not have second or third parts, as there are only a few moments of horn harmonies; the inclusion of flute also makes this arrangement quite range-specific. Apart from a couple of measures with three-part harmony, the flute doubles the trumpet melody either in unison or an octave above. In the coda vamp, the flute repeats the melody from the start of the C section while the alto sax and trumpet improvise together.