Mosaic – Cedar Walton

For a detailed description of this composition, click on the second album cover. Our lead sheet is based melodically and harmonically on the Clifford Jordan version, which is the first recording. The form in our lead sheet, however, is simpler—close to the Art Blakey version, with a fermata at the end of the intro but no interlude between head and solos.

Clifford Jordan's quintet recording is a little slower than most of the others, with a more subdued, introspective mood. There is more melodic interest than in the Art Blakey version: short phrases are added that break up the long notes of the melody (in the fourth and eighth measures of A and E and also the fourth measures of C and D). By contrast, the melody in the last four measures of B and F holds out one note rather than going with the rhythm section hits as in the other versions. The A section chords alternate a measure each of B minor and C major, similar to most other recordings but not Blakey's. At C and D, the piano and bass pedal together on the roots in the same 3 against 2 pattern as in the Blakey version, both in the head and solos.

The last chord of the 6/8 intro is extended for four measures, making a seven-measure phrase. There is no fermata; the rhythm section goes straight to the 4/4 groove for four measures after this to set up the head. The seven-measure version of the intro also appears as an interlude after the head, as well as after the last solo going straight into the out head. The last soloist (piano on the recording) plays the melody on this final interlude. Only when it reappears as an ending does this intro phrase finish with a fermata.

About the arrangement: First and second horn parts are available for the quintet arrangement. The C treble clef first part is also the rhythm section part. On the recording, tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan improvises fills around the melody in the second A section, the end of both B sections and E; we show the A and E section melody as a cue in the second parts. At the end of F, the second part hits with the rhythm section.

Mosaic is a great example of the Jazz Messengers style—powerful and exciting, with a simple, memorable melody and form. Though this song has been recorded in many other settings, the Messengers version is perhaps the most iconic.

The form of this song is 58 measures, essentially AABC with 14-measure A and C sections and a 16-measure bridge. We split these sections further into ABABCDEF—all 8 measures except for B and F which are 6 measures. Through this long form, the melody is very economical with some notes extending through entire eight-measure sections. The A section has a Latin vamp in B minor, while B goes to swing with a series of rhythmic hits. C vamps on F13(♯11) while D is the same on G♭13(♯11); E and F are the same as A and B. There is a four-measure intro in 6/8, which reappears as a coda.

Each recording of this song has a slightly different melody and arrangement. In the Jazz Messengers version, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard holds out one melody note through the first A section; he improvises on the second A, indicated in our parts as "play freely on repeat." Freddie's rhythmic melody line at E is also shown. C and D (the bridge) have one simple, drawn-out melodic phrase each. In these sections the piano plays chord hits in a "3 against 2" pattern over the bar line in both head and solos; we show the bass line on the in head here which repeats a 3-beat pattern of quarter notes. On the bridge of the out head the bass plays the same rhythm as the piano instead.

The 6/8 intro ends on a fermata; the drums set the tempo with four measures of Latin groove, and then the piano and bass come in for eight measures before the head. The piano figures are shown in our condensed score. On this recording, after the drum solo the piano and bass set up the out head the same way—though this section is 10 measures long, indicated in our parts as "optional vamp on D.S." for the last 4 measures. The piano and bass figures are in turn set up by the drums—Art Blakey plays 12 measures of groove before they come in.

In the A section of this arrangement, there's only one chord symbol, Bm7. There is C♮ in the bass line, and Cedar Walton's comping often implies B Phrygian, though sometimes he plays C♯ as in B Aeolian. Other recordings have a more obvious alternation between B minor and C major chords.
The horns stagger their entrances on the long notes of the C and D section on the recording, and Freddie Hubbard freely interprets the melody here, improvising on the out head. The staggered entrances are not measured, and are different on the in and out heads; we show all three horns starting on the downbeat.

Our Concert Condensed Score is also the rhythm section part. In the three-horn voicings, the trombone plays the middle notes above the tenor sax except at C and D, where the tenor is in the middle with trombone on the bottom. We decided to preserve this switch in our alternate horn parts, with all 2nd parts reflecting the tenor part on the recording and all 3rd parts the trombone part.

Check out the "bridges" in the Jazz Messengers video:
You'll note Blakey takes a more bombastic approach to the bridge "hits," instead of the original even spaced dotted quarter hits over the 16 measure bridge, Blakey starts interjecting his own evenly-spaced hits through the bridge until getting to the break at the end of the bridge.

Don Sickler: "28 years after Cedar's last performance of Mosaic with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Cedar decided to change up a few things to play it with his Eastern Rebellion quartet. This version is Latin throughout and all in 4/4, with the horn melody now very simple—so simple that all horn players should be able to deal with our Concert Condensed Score. Making B♭ and E♭ lead sheets for this arrangement would only confuse, as to Cedar's original lead sheet, because the arrangement is quite different. All horn players will at some point have to read and transpose from concert key parts. If you don't read "concert" changes, check out our lead sheet from Cedar's first recording. If you look at the lead sheet while listening to Cedar's quartet version, you'll readily figure out how this arrangement works."

The intro in this arrangement is adapted rhythmically into 4/4, and the last chord is held out as the drums solo for eight measures. This leads to an eight-measure vamp to set up the head. Compared to the Blakey version, the melody is even further simplified: not only A and E but also C and D have a single stretched-out melody note each. The A section chords again alternate B minor and C major. There are no 3 against 2 hits at C and D; the rhythm section keeps up a Latin groove here instead, but still breaks in the last measure of D.

The entire intro reappears after the head, the same length as before the head with eight measures of drum solo followed by eight measures of vamp setting up the solos. In the solo form, the rhythm section plays a simplified version of the hits in the last four measures of B and F (I and M in the solo chorus). The intro phrase is also used to launch the drum solo; the drums set up the out head with eight measures of groove.

Our Concert Condensed Score shows the piano voicings in the vamp sections that set up the head and solos. Cedar repeats the intro vamp figures behind the A section of the head, but plays different figures at E which are shown on a second staff below the melody. The beginning of Billy Higgins' drum solos in the intro and interlude are shown below the staff, as well as his fills around the hits at B and F.

Full score and parts are available for this septet arrangement by jazzleadsheets.com's Don Sickler. On this arrangement the rehearsal letters are written twice as long (the head is AABC) to better illustrate the form with the solo and background choruses. Though mostly based on the Art Blakey version, the melody and several aspects of the form are closer to the original Clifford Jordan recording. The A section melody is like Jordan's version but going with the rhythm section hits in the last four measures. At the bridge, the melody repeats a four-measure phrase that combines the lines from Jordan's and Blakey's bridges. Note that the third half-note triplet in the second measure of the bridge is tied into the next measure; trumpeter Brian Lynch doesn't tie on the recording but rearticulates the downbeat.

The intro form is like Blakey's, with a fermata at the end of the 6/8 phrase, four measures of drums and eight measures of vamp. Though the 6/8 phrase is played at tempo on the recording, it could be conducted slower or ritard. At the vamp before the head, the horns play the piano line from the Blakey arrangement, with two horns at a time in each two-measure phrase. The alto sax and trombone continue playing the piano comping figure in the A section, which has tenor sax and trumpet on the melody in staggered entrances. At C the trumpet plays the rhythmic melody from this section of the Blakey version, while the tenor returns to the A section melody. The intro phrase is played again after the head, with a fermata and 4 measures of drums going straight into the solos. It's also used to launch the drum solo (with no fermata); the D.S. goes back to the four measures of drums that set up the intro vamp.

Don Sickler: "In my septet arrangement I wrote a full chorus of three-horn backgrounds. My intention was, in case any soloist played more than a one chorus solo, you could cue a background during the second solo chorus. My intention was never to have the full chorus background played behind any soloist. I've indicated three number cues: [2] [3] and [4]. Each can be played separately, or [2] and [3] can be played together." Cues 2 and 3 are the first and second halves of the A section, and 3 is the bridge. On the C section of the background chorus, they are indicated in the parts "2nd time within chorus" as a reminder to play them here as well."

This trio recording of Mosaic is again quite different from the other versions. Cedar interprets his own song very freely, improvising on most of the head and only playing the melody in the B and F sections. Our Concert Condensed Score is also a partial piano melody transcription, showing his lines and right-hand voicings for both A sections and E of the in and out heads. In these sections he plays similar rhythms and voicings to the vamp that sets up the head in the Art Blakey and Eastern Rebellion versions, but here they are different every time. The C and D sections go to 4-feel swing; as shown on the condensed score, Cedar plays the first melody note of each section as in the other versions, and then solos. Like the other versions, there is a break in the last measure of D (end of bridge) on the head.

The drums set up the intro with eight measures of 6/8 groove. This intro is again different, stretched out to twice as long as usual. Like the Blakey version it ends in a fermata; this is followed by solo drums, first a brief open solo then eight measures of groove going straight into the head. Almost the same format is used after the head to set up the solos, but here the intro phrase is the standard four measures. The four-measure intro is also played to set up the drum solo, this time with the last chord held out for four measures as the drums continue in time. Eight more measures of solo drum groove set up the out head. In this version only, in each appearance of the four-measure intro phrase (including as an ending), the downbeat of the second measure is played short.