White Gardenia – Kenny Drew, Jr.

Though it visits many key centers, this melodic 3/4 composition has no unifying tonality. Several themes hold the song together: smoothly descending melodic lines following an initial upward leap, root motion in descending thirds, and shifting harmonies over pedal points. The 16-measure A section begins in B♭ minor and ends on an E♭ pedal point under alternating E♭ and E major chords. The B section begins the same as the A section a half step higher, but lands on a G pedal rather than the expected E pedal; this is followed by four more measures of a similar alternation over an F♯ pedal, creating a 20-measure section. The chords over this F♯ pedal may not at first appear to be a chromatic alternation, but in fact they are: the A major triad within F♯m7 moves chromatically upward to a B♭ major triad. These pedal-point chromatic shifts continue into the 16-measure C section or bridge, which begins with a more dissonant series of triads over an E♭ pedal and modulates downward with further slash chords and inversions to F minor. An E pedal point follows with a similar melody to the pedal point melodies in the A and B sections. The final D section is essentially the same as the B section, with an unexpected but effective E7sus to modulate back to B♭ minor for the top of the form.

On the C lead sheet, Kenny's melody for the intro is notated; this intro vamps in a B♭ minor tonality. There is an interesting coda that extends each of the two four-measure pedal points at the end of the form to eight measures each. Rhythm section figures in the bridge are notated in the lead sheets. This recording has a 3-"horn" arrangement with trumpet and vibes trading off on the melody, several notable countermelody lines, and backgrounds for the solos (not indicated in the lead sheets).