Chuck-A-Luck – Charles McPherson

Equal parts bebop and funk, Chuck-A-Luck is a song you can really have fun with. The singsong rhythms of the melody give it a very happy sound, enhanced by the 2-feel groove. This song could certainly work with a swing 4-feel, but the funky groove really makes it special. Further interest is provided by two-measure drum breaks at the end of each section of the head, extending these sections to 10 measures.

The form is ABCD, with B having the same changes as A but a different melody (the melodic rhythm is also the same). C is A up a major 3rd in the key of F, while the D section returns to D♭ and is a repeat of the B section. The changes are quite simple, a relative of “rhythm changes” throughout. Solos are on a 32-measure version of the head form, without the drum breaks.

On the recording, the out head is simply A and B, with a vamp and fade replacing the B section drum break. As the B and D sections are the same, the entire head can also work going into the same ending. Our C lead sheet includes piano pickups that set up the C and D sections in the second measure of the drum breaks.

The first phrase of the A section has a very wide range, rising nearly two octaves. Our B♭ trumpet and C bass clef lead sheets have the first four notes an octave higher to keep the rest of the melody in a manageable range for trumpet and trombone.