Right Thing – Rob Bargad

This song grooves along with a relatively simple, catchy melody—everything an organ-based hard-bop song should be. The harmonic structure is a bit more modern, with a very interesting approach to combining minor and major tonalities. The A section melody is unmistakably in C minor; the first chord, however, is Cmaj7. The melody holds out G, the 5th, which connects the C major chord to other chords from a C minor tonality such as the second chord, A♭maj7. In this section the changes are relatively diatonic with this C "minor-ish major" sound. After two A sections there is a modulation to E for the B section, which has more complex changes starting with E7 under a melody suggesting E minor. The C section is a variation of the B section; the changes here start in A major with a similar E minor melody. These B and C sections have several rhythm section figures and breaks. The whole 32-measure AABC head is repeated twice. The B and C sections' changes are simplified in the solos.

There is no intro. The drum solo is launched by a shout chorus which on the recording is played twice. In this chorus, two A sections of mostly rhythmic figures are followed by eight measures of drums. After the out head once, there is a coda which repeats the A section four times, with a gradual crescendo (on the recording, the guitar solos over this starting the second time), followed by the first phrase of the B section ending on E7.

About the arrangement: Second parts are available for the two-horn arrangement. The tenor sax plays a countermelody that fills in the long notes of the A section melody. In the B and C sections the horns are mostly in unison, with the tenor breaking off to follow some of the rhythm section figures. The shout chorus has the horns voiced in thirds, with occasional passages in unison. On the third and fourth repeats of the coda, the trumpet takes the melody an octave up; this is indicated in our lead sheets as well as the Concert Condensed Score.