Proof Of The Pudding – Michael Cochrane

This song has it all—a catchy melody over a fun uptempo samba groove, with an exciting form and satisfying changes to blow on. Though it starts in A minor, the end of each chorus is in A major. The melody is lyrical and flowing at the beginning, but gradually becomes more intricate as the key center shifts.

Fifty measures in total, the form begins with two eight-measure A sections with a clear A minor tonality. B begins melodically similar to A, but with more involved changes; it's extended to 14 measures with a stepwise "walk up" in the last two. This leads to the eight-measure C section, which features a G pedal point. At D, four measures of descending dominant chords lead to an eight-measure vamp on A major. There are some unusual harmonic choices in this song that are sure to inspire creativity in any soloist. The first chord of the A section is Fmaj7(6)/A; a soloist can play over either the A minor or F major sound in this chord. The C section alternates Dm7 and A♭6—a tritone apart—over the G pedal.

There is an intro, which begins with solo piano setting up a rhythmic vamp for four measures. The piano continues for four more measures while the bass and drums give definition with tied-over double whole notes. The coda is particularly exciting, coming in after only three measures of the D section: a break for a two-measure extension of the melody phrase, ending with an upbeat Amaj7 chord hit.