Diminishing – Joe Gordon

A simple modal song with only four chords—as the title implies, they move up in minor thirds, spelling out a diminished seventh. Each chord (G7, B♭7, D♭7, E7) is held for eight measures. The melody is a simple, snappy riff with plenty of space for the rhythm section to fill around it; this four-measure phrase is repeated throughout the head and rises with the chords.

A concert condensed score and second parts are available for the two-horn arrangement. The horns are harmonized, mostly in thirds, throughout the head. On the recording, the trumpet has the second part below the alto sax melody. Because the two parts are in such a close, high-register harmony, our tenor sax and trombone second parts are an octave lower in some places to keep in those instruments' ranges.