For Bill – David Hazeltine

Hazeltine followed up Bill At Peace, a Bill Evans tribute in 3/4, with this one in 4/4. For Bill has a light touch at a medium-up tempo. The rhythmic feel on the head is generally a loose 2-feel, sometimes more like a 1-feel; important bass rhythms are shown in the lead sheet. Though this song is in a major key, the beginning of the melody has a plaintive sound suggesting the relative minor. The changes cover a lot of ground in terms of tonalities. A modulation to A minor in the fifth measure is followed by minor 7th chords moving stepwise and then resolving to A♭maj7 in the ninth measure (the B section). Another series of stepwise minor chords and II-V7s leads to a delayed resolution in F major on the ninth measure of this section: C7 goes to E7(♯9) and then Fmaj7. There are rhythm section hits in these four measures, which lead back to the tonic creating a 12-measure section. In the last two measures of this B section the melody, which is mostly lyrical, becomes more rhythmic in a descending phrase over a cadence with some tritone substitution.

The C section begins the same as A, but goes to A7sus instead of Am7, developing the opening melodic phrase more than in the A section. Dm7 in the seventh measure of this section begins a long harmonic descent for much of the rest of the form. The D section has a more rhythmic melody which rises mostly in contrary motion to the general harmonic direction, followed by the same descending phrase from the end of the B section. This is harmonized differently and resolves to B7(♯9) at the end of this 10-measure section. It's all there—this composition really captures the sort of post-bop impressionism that is the Bill Evans sound.

The solo changes are mostly simplified, except in the D section. Like some other Hazeltine songs, this one never resolves to the tonic at the end of the chorus; the coda tags the phrase from the last four measures, starting a step higher (not an exact transposition) and resolving in E major.

Our lead sheet shows some countermelodies that David plays to fill in some rests in the head, for example a chromatic line in the fourth measure. David interprets the melody expressively, not playing all the exact rhythms indicated in our lead sheet. Click on the Piano Corner tab for information about the Solo Piano Arrangement.