Downtown Sounds – Jim Rotondi

Downtown Sounds has a distinctive groove which we label "rock bossa"—an even-8ths feel somewhere between bossa and boogaloo, as used in some classic later '60s post-bop. This song captures a bit of the funky blues feeling of this style, adding a few unexpected harmonies. The general key center of this song is F, but not specifically major or minor; our score and parts show no key signature. Parts of the song suggest major and others minor (the first chord is Fm7), but the end of the form lands on an open-ended vamp with a suspended sound; essentially the tonic chord is F7sus. In the solo chorus the beginning and end's chord qualities are swapped: F7sus is the opening chord, and the end is on Fm7. The form is 38 measures in total: eight measures each for A, B, and C sections, six-measure D and eight-measure E. C is similar to A but not the same (the blues-scale variation of the A melody at the start of C is particularly hip), while B and D start with similar melodic lines transposed over different changes. Solo changes are similar to the head but simplified with fewer passing chords. The rhythm section vamps a two-measure rhythmic figure through D, which is also used as an eight-measure intro. For the Coda, the D section vamp is an open repeat, with a piano solo over horn backgrounds until an ending cue.

About the arrangement: This song is available as a full score and parts for the recorded sextet arrangement. The first parts could also work as a lead sheet for a quartet setting with one melody instrument. The horns are harmonized nearly throughout; in some places the trumpet 1st part has the melody alone, and at D the 2nd and 3rd parts hold out longer notes below the melody. In some of the head the 2nd part harmonies are above the 3rd part; we preserve this in all parts, and because of the relatively narrow range of the voicings we have a trombone 2nd part and alto sax 3rd part as well as vice versa.