Freedom – Renee Rosnes & Ralph Moore

A medium even-8ths song built around a dialogue between melody and bass. The long notes of the flowing, lyrical melody are filled in by catchy rhythmic bass figures. Freedom is bossa-like but not in a specific Latin style (indicated as "medium even 8ths or Latin"); as shown in the Condensed Score, drummer Billy Drummond plays a groove with cross-stick quarter notes. Like several other Renee Rosnes compositions, there is a vamp intro which reappears at the end of the head. There is really only one section of melody in the head: the melody of the eight-measure A section is repeated almost exactly in the B section over different changes. After this section, which is extended with a sort of "tag" to 14 measures, the soloist improvises over both the 12-measure C section and the eight-measure D section which is the intro again.

The main key center of Freedom is E minor, but there is enough chromaticism in the chord progression that we show no key signature. On the intro/D section vamp, the piano chords alternate F♯m7 and Em7, but soloists can also play Em7 through the whole D section. The A and B section changes feature several descending cycles in half steps, while the "tag" of the B section repeats a sort of tritone-sub II-V7-I (Cm7-B7-Em7). The C section goes to A♭ minor, B minor, and F♯ major before resolving back to E minor. The solo changes are the same as the head changes; on the recording most of the rhythm section figures of the head are also played during the solos. In the condensed score, the solo changes are not shown but indicated as "Solos: from A." For an ending, the D section is vamped at the end of the out head. This leads to a coda on cue which is basically another A section but with an extra measure of descending chords added leading to a final Em11 chord.

About the arrangement Our Condensed Score is also the rhythm section part. It shows the full bass line through the A and B sections, including where the bass plays a 2-feel; some piano rhythms are also shown below the top staff. This song is full of subtle rhythmic interplay in which pickups and anticipations do not always line up with the chords. The third and fourth measures of B are a good example: beat 3 in these measures (as well as beat 1 of the fifth measure) are anticipated in the melody, but the actual chords are played right on the downbeats. At the beginning of A, a similar interplay occurs between piano and bass figures; both are shown below the staff in our lead sheets.