Like A Butterfly – Ronnie Mathews & Judy Niemack

Ronnie Mathews's melody (the instrumental version is titled Jean-Marie in E minor) flutters and glides over a chord progression that moves without heading towards a harmonic goal. The song itself evokes a butterfly with its delicate rhythms and floating harmony. It has a wide range, so it is perfect for a soprano looking to feature her upper register without having to sit there for too long.

This recording starts with a long introduction that begins with the vamp indicated on the lead sheet for eight bars and then transitions to a piano solo over the same changes for 16 bars. Our audio excerpt begins at the top of the head, when Judy comes in and sings in unison with the guitar. The frequent hits in the rhythm section provides a pulse for the piece, but the B section contrasts with a looser swing and no guitar doubling.

On the recording, after the head Michael Cochrane takes a piano solo for one chorus. This is followed by Jeanfrançois Prins on guitar for another full chorus. Then Judy takes a solo for the third chorus. The vamp returns under a brief piano solo for 16 bars before Judy sings the head out. The vamp returns once more at the end, when piano, guitar, and voice all improvise (with Judy using the final lines of her lyric as the basis for her improvisation). Then Judy and the band repeat the last line of the song as a tag before ending on a long C7 chord—a surprise for a piece written in B minor.

Lyric Description: Judy Niemack's lyric describes a young girl's life as seen through the eyes of her parents. Someday, the child may change the world, but for now she's in a safe place, free to be herself.

No-Vocal Version: Our no-vocal version follows the same form as Judy's recording, but has no piano or guitar solo and instead has two open choruses for a vocal solo. This song offers good practice with getting comfortable with the feel of a jazz waltz.

If another key would be better for you, send the key you'd like to Don and we'll post the transposition on the website for purchase. If you're not sure which key is best, send us your range and we'll work with you to figure out the best key.

The instrumental, Jean-Marie, is also available along with Ronnie's solo piano arrangement. It's in the key of E minor.