When Lights Are Low - Bridge Changes

[Teasing the Korean]

I sometimes hear the bridge played as a series of three ii-V-I progressions before the turnaround to the home key.

But I have also heard it played with the first chord of the bridge as a major 7th chord on the IV, related to the first ii-V-I key if that makes sense. 

So, playing it on the piano in Eb, that could mean the first chord of the bridge is an Abm7 or a B maj. 7.  I kind of like the sound of the latter because it seems a little less expected, but either work.  

Last night, I listened to a very early recording by Benny Carter, and I heard the series of three ii-V-I progressions, but the fidelity wasn't the best.

[medjuck]

I'll ask Ira Nepus who was a friend of Benny's and often played with him.  Miles famously didn't know the bridge.

[Larry Kart]

26 minutes ago, medjuck said:

I'll ask Ira Nepus who was a friend of Benny's and often played with him.  Miles famously didn't know the bridge.

Not sure if Miles altered the bridge to a repeat of the A section in a new key because he didn't know Carter's bridge or because he found his simpler altered version of Carter's bridge to the piece easier/more attractive for him to blow on. He did something very similar to the bridge of Monk's "Well You Needn't" for, I assume, the same reason. In any case, thanks to Miles' popular recordings of those pieces, his altered versions of their bridges came to be commonly used.

[medjuck]

Ira answered as follows (though he also says it good to go with your ears too).

 

I worked with Benny and Jamey Abersold on this before Benny passed.   The first chord of the bridge in this key of Eflat  starts on:  A flat minor going to G flat major in the next bar. Then  B minor to A major to Dminor to C major, to  Cminor to Fminor and then  back to the top. 

[Gheorghe]

11 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Not sure if Miles altered the bridge to a repeat of the A section in a new key because he didn't know Carter's bridge or because he found his simpler altered version of Carter's bridge to the piece easier/more attractive for him to blow on. He did something very similar to the bridge of Monk's "Well You Needn't" for, I assume, the same reason. In any case, thanks to Miles' popular recordings of those pieces, his altered versions of their bridges came to be commonly used.

Miles played it in F and the brigde in Bb. I never had heard the original version since I´m not really familiar with Benny Carter´s work, but didn´t play Miles with Benny Carter in LA in 1946 and decided to stay and record with Bird ? 

Miles´ bridge on "Well You Needn´t " is common ground at jam sessions, but I always ask which bridge they want, since if I play it on my own, I use the Monk bridge, since I´m familiar with Monk´s music. 

[sgcim]

I remember playing that tune with a pianist who had been on the road with Chet baker for 8 months, and was featured on the Woody Herman album "East Meets West>, but had just just received his doctorate in Musical Theory.

He lectured us on how the tune was the most perfect miniaturization of Sonata Form in the history of music. We all just nodded our heads as if we understood what he was talking about.

[Teasing the Korean]

I just listened to Chet Baker's version of this tune, from Chet Baker in New York.  Instead of playing the bridge, they play the A section again, up a perfect fourth, kind of like the bridge in "What's New."

Why on earth would anyone want to cover "When Lights are Low" and delete that amazing bridge?!?

 

[medjuck]

Didn't Miles do the same thing? If so, that explains it. 

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, medjuck said:

Didn't Miles do the same thing? If so, that explains it. 

That may be it.  I rarely listen to Miles from that era, so I didn't immediately make the connection.

[Gheorghe]

On 3/13/2024 at 4:33 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

I just listened to Chet Baker's version of this tune, from Chet Baker in New York.  Instead of playing the bridge, they play the A section again, up a perfect fourth, kind of like the bridge in "What's New."

Why on earth would anyone want to cover "When Lights are Low" and delete that amazing bridge?!?

 

Wonderful ! 

Man, I didn´t know that record, sounds much better than any other early Chet Baker. 

I was astonished to hear that his sound is so similar to the sound of the trumpet player who´s in my band. 

About the bridge: It´s funny, it was my trumpet player who told me there is originally another bridge. 

But until he had mentioned it to me, the only version of that song I have heard in my live was the Miles version on Blue Haze. 
 

But really, I think if all Chet Baker records before the late 70´s would have sounded like this, I might have had some of them. So the only Baker I know is from 1978 on, when I loved him and heard him very often until very short before his death. 

Well, bridges with the fourth up is not unusual in jazz. 

I first of all think about "Good Bait", and "Nutty" , and yeah "What´s New"......

[Chuck Nessa]

My advise is - never change a bridge when lights are low.

Remember to tip your waitress.

[JSngry]

6 minutes ago, Chuck Nessa said:

My advise is - never change a bridge when lights are low.

And keep the Key intact. 

[sgcim]

It even had words:

 

[mhatta]

I knew that When Lights Are Low had an original Benny Carter bridge that was different from Miles' performance (and I too love Chet Baker In New York because of the rare Al Haig appearance in the 60s), but I must confess that I had never heard the original bridge before. I listened to it for the first time, and I must confess that it sounds somewhat old-fashioned.

Speaking of raising the bridge the 4th, so does Bemsha Swing. It seems to be a common feature in many of the songs Miles featured. Maybe because he liked it or because it was easier to play.

[Gheorghe]

5 hours ago, mhatta said:

I knew that When Lights Are Low had an original Benny Carter bridge that was different from Miles' performance (and I too love Chet Baker In New York because of the rare Al Haig appearance in the 60s), but I must confess that I had never heard the original bridge before. I listened to it for the first time, and I must confess that it sounds somewhat old-fashioned.

Speaking of raising the bridge the 4th, so does Bemsha Swing. It seems to be a common feature in many of the songs Miles featured. Maybe because he liked it or because it was easier to play.

That´s interesting because it was the same impression I had. 
I just grew up with the then so called "Modern Jazz" and in my case it was also only the Miles version that I knew or played. 
Yes, raising the bridge the 4th, Bemsha Swing is a good example. Another one would be Good Bait. 

[Teasing the Korean]

On 7/18/2024 at 9:08 PM, mhatta said:

I knew that When Lights Are Low had an original Benny Carter bridge that was different from Miles' performance (and I too love Chet Baker In New York because of the rare Al Haig appearance in the 60s), but I must confess that I had never heard the original bridge before. I listened to it for the first time, and I must confess that it sounds somewhat old-fashioned.

Speaking of raising the bridge the 4th, so does Bemsha Swing. It seems to be a common feature in many of the songs Miles featured. Maybe because he liked it or because it was easier to play.

Could not disagree more.  The original bridge goes through fascinating and atypical changes.  The Miles/Chet versions, by contrast, sound dumbed down to me.  Even great artists can have serious lapses in taste.  

[JSngry]