On Y Va – Jim Rotondi

Though this song feels like a blues variant, it is not really a blues because it lacks a IV chord. The melody has an AAB-like form but without internal repeats; it is played twice in and out. The 16-measure A section alternates between four measures of active melody over a static rhythm section chord and four measures of rhythm section alone, with a simple piano figure over 4-feel in the bass and drums. The melody line is mostly in eighth notes, generally rising and falling but with a convoluted structure that in the 9th through 12th measures moves away from the underlying tonality. (This melody is notably "trumpet-istic" like many Ryan Kisor compositions.)

C7 is the only chord throughout the A section. The B section is 12 measures long and begins with a rhythmic bass figure, answered by the horns; the melody then rises simply and falls more rhythmically, with the changes following the same directions mostly stepwise. There are no V7-I resolutions in the changes, but the last two chords are a slight variation on the classic "jazz deceptive cadence:" Dm7 to D♭maj7.

The solo form is 24 measures long, starting with eight measures of C7 instead of the head's 16, followed by four measures of Emaj7 similar to the beginning of the B section. The remaining 12 measures of the solo changes are the same as the last six measures of the head changes, with each chord held for twice as long.

There is an intro which repeats the piano's "response" figure as in the fifth through eighth measures of the head. A Concert Condensed Score is available: it can be used as a rhythm section part; second parts are available for the quintet arrangement. The horns are harmonized in the B section but play unison in the A section.