Reconciliation – Rodgers Grant

Reconciliation is sort of a sequel to another Rodgers Grant song, Morning Star. Both were originally recorded by Hubert Laws; "In The Beginning" (later reissued as "Then There Was Light") was his next studio album after "Morning Star." Rodgers played on one song on this album but does not appear on his own composition.

Some other songs on "In The Beginning" add a string section, like many other CTI albums of this time. This section includes David Nadien on violin, who played on a lot of CTI sessions and was in fact the most recorded violinist at Van Gelder Studio where these were done. David's cousin James Paul Nadien is an rising star drummer on both the New York and New England jazz scenes; he recently recorded his first session at Van Gelder's on an upcoming release by our music editor, saxophonist Elijah Shiffer.

Check out the next album cover, "Kenny Drew, Jr. Plays Solo Piano Arrangements" for details about the arrangement.

"Kenny Drew Jr. Plays Solo Piano Arrangements" was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.

Pianist Kenny Drew, Jr., recorded solo arrangements of two Rodgers Grant songs, Reconciliation and Morning Star - the latter coming soon to jazzleadsheets.com; we already have the arrangement available. These were done at The Van Gelder Recording Studio, the same place that these songs were originally recorded by Hubert Laws in the 1970s.

This arrangement starts rather simply, with the melody over half- and whole-note chords, but in the seventh measure a wild contrary-motion triplet countermelody connects the changes. The last ten measures also feature a countermelody that fills in around the longer melody notes. There are some unusual chord alterations with regards to the original version, for example D♭maj9♯5 instead of D♭7(♭9) in the tenth measure.

The ascending line from the intro of the lead sheet is hidden in the voicings of this arrangement, with a few embellishments and alterations, in the same places where it appears on the original recording. The countermelody in the last ten measures is also a version of this line.

Don Sickler: Rodgers Grant has an incredible and very individual concept of voice leading. He calls the harmonies he hears for his melodies "footballs" (please read our page about his footballs).

I wanted to write a brass background for the Reconciliation melody. The first thing I did was discuss my project with Rodgers. I asked him if he would write out footballs for Reconciliation in the key of B-flat.

I knew, to complete this track the way I wanted to, I'd have to do it over several overdub sessions. I needed to first lay down a track that I could use as the foundation. On that first session, we recorded the entire track with Rodgers playing a piano accompaniment (with bass and drums) for the melody chorus, then just playing his footballs alone for a solo chorus, then back to his melody accompaniment for the melody out chorus. I told the bass & drums that Bobby Porcelli (alto sax) was going to play a solo on a later session and that the final recording would be without piano, just brass accompaniment with their bass and drum tracks.

My soloist, Bobby Porcelli, was not at this first session. Six days later I had a session with just Bobby and Rodgers, where they played several other Rodgers Grant titles together as a duo, including Miedo.)

I asked Bobby to first overdub the introduction, which I had already come up with, but with Rogers playing the harmonies on the hits along with the bass and drums. Then Bobby was to take a complete solo chorus with Rodgers just playing his footballs.

Rodgers and Bobby had been friends and had been playing together for years; they were from the same neighborhood, they played together in Mongo Santamaria's band and other groups. Bobby knew exactly what I wanted. In the Van Gelder Recording Studio, Rodgers was in the piano booth, and Bobby was in Rudy's main room. While listening to the already-recorded bass & drum track, Bobby first recorded the intro, then we skipped ahead and Bobby played an incredible solo, accompanied by Rodgers playing his footballs essentially as written along with the already recorded bass and drums. I went home that night with a copy of the whole track with all the piano removed so I could come up with the brass accompaniment. With Rodgers' football sheet and pencil in hand I started to work.

The third session was me laying down the three flugelhorn tracks. The fourth session we added the trombone and bass trombone.

When writing the arrangement, I used Rodgers' harmonic movement to create the horn backgrounds and my counter melodies.

My intention was always to make a Minus You recording. Therefore the lead sheets available here show most of the horn movement in cue size, for the melody and the solo section: you can see what is going on behind you so you can understand how the melody fits with the background you're hearing.

For the solo section, there's a chord analyzation of the footballs (chord symbols) and I've indicated the horn counter lines (again, cue size) so you'll understand where the brass accompaniment plays. It's a different kind of background: since there's no piano, the horns give you all the harmonic and rhythmic information you need for your solo. The accompaniment is crafted around Bobby's solo, but I feel it will work for anyone else (and you) as well. I was careful not to overshadow the soloist with my backgrounds.

The instrumental lead sheet editions, plus the MP3 files, give you an opportunity to play the melody in and out and take a solo chorus. If you play it with your own quartet, obviously the pianist/guitarist would play off the C treble clef lead sheet, comping any way they want.

I originally wrote this arrangement for vocalist Denise Donatelli, whose key was a step higher than the key Hubert Laws played it in.

Also check out the great voice leading in Rodgers' harmonic rhythm Piano Comping Voicings. We called them footballs.

Exclusive Minus You Track available
Don Sickler's lush brass background to the introduction CLIP provides a perfect way to introduce yourself, then you play the melody.
When it comes time for you to solo, the horns give you great supporting harmony. Our audio clip starts 8 bars before the solo section at D and continues for 16 bars CLIP.