Gift – Renee Rosnes

The Gift combines a lyrical, passionate melody with a dramatic form and colorful changes. The form is 31 measures long: a 16-measure A section, 7-measure B and 8-measure C. The melody soars smoothly over the changes, which begin in an F minor tonality but become more impressionistic by the end of the A section. B starts the same as A, but builds with a crescendo to a climactic B7 chord. The C section starts with a sudden drop in volume and melodic range, repeating a phrase that implies an A♭ minor key center—though the chords are constantly in motion and lead back toward F minor at the end. In several places the melody goes outside the chords, but it's an elegant enough melody that it works—for example, G♮ over Cmaj7♯5 in the fifth measure of A, and C♯ over D7 in the first and fifth measures of C.

In the last four measures of the A section there is a bass figure that fills in around the longer notes of the melody. This is shown on a second staff on our C treble and bass clef lead sheets, while the rhythm is notated below the staff in the B♭ and E♭ lead sheets.

There is a rubato intro, open for a soloist to blow over while the rhythm section holds out five chords: F minor followed by the last four measures of the C section. The ending vamps C, landing on the second to last measure the last time.

The two recordings have different feels and tempos. Our audio excerpt begins with the head; Renee Rosnes solos on the intro. Soprano saxophonist Seamus Blake comes in for the head, which stays rubato for the first 12 measures before settling in a slow swing tempo (quarter note = ca.76). This recording has less of a dynamic contrast between B and C than the later "Ancestors" version; in fact on the out head C has a bit of a boost of intensity relative to B.

A slower, more subdued version of The Gift. Chris Potter solos on the intro, and the head (where our audio clip starts) starts in time but at a ballad tempo (quarter note = ca. 64). Drummer Al Foster starts with brushes, creating quite a different feel from the first recording where Billy Drummond uses sticks throughout. The dynamic profile of the B and C sections is closer to what's shown on our lead sheet. Potter and Rosnes improvise together for a chorus and a half, taking the melody out at B.