The following article appears in Jazz Improv Magazine, Volume 1, Number 2.

Ideas about how these chord progressions can be used to return to a section or the beginning of a song, and to extend improvised solo sections and develop grooves.

Contrary to the understanding of one of my students, a turnaround is not a choreographed animated series of steps and motions where the brass and woodwind players turn left and right, even all the way around as part of their musical performance.

In general, a turnaround is a series of chords that provide a return to the beginning of the song or to the beginning of some section of the song. A turnaround can also be a series of chord changes that is repeated, sometimes for an extended period of time, to extend the improvised solo sections of songs.

Turnarounds to return to a section or beginning of a tune

The first type of "turnaround" is one whose purpose is to lead the music back to the beginning of the song or to the beginning of a section for repeat. This type of "turnaround" is composed of a chord progression, generally two measures in length (in 4/4 time) and generally containing two chords (each having a harmonic rhythm of two beats) in each of the two measures.

When I say that the chord progression in the aforementioned type of "turnaround" is generally two measures in length and generally contains two chords, I'm referring to the overwhelming number of standard and jazz tunes in which this is the case. However, what currently exists and has been the norm or rule in the past does not have to dictate the way you may decide to improvise or compose a turnaround in your own music and performances.

Perhaps the most frequently used "turnarounds" following a V7 chord and leading back to the repeat of a song or section whose first chord is a "I" (tonic) chord is the following progression:

I - vi7 - ii7 - V7

In the chord progression shown above, the "turnaround" includes the naturally-occurring chords in relation to the underlying tonality.

A variation of the "turnaround" shown above is the following chord progression.

I - VI7 - II7 - V7

In the variation shown above, the movement from the VI7 to II7 to V7 moves through the cycle of fourths, leading back to the forthcoming "I" chord, just like in the chord progression described before it. In this case, however, the VI7 chord and the II7 chord are secondary dominant chords (or "borrowed" chords) that do not naturally occur on the sixth and second scale tone degrees in major keys.

The Tadd Dameron "Turnaround"

There are other chord progressions that can be used to provide a "turnaround" or transition back to the "I" chord. The following "turnaround" is sometimes referred to as a Tadd Dameron "turnaround." This "turnaround" is an identifying harmonic element of the composition "Lady Bird" composed sometime in the 1940s by Tadd Dameron, and recorded by Miles Davis and Charlie Parker among others.

I Maj. - bIII Maj. - bVI Maj. - bII Maj.

In the "Tadd Dameron turnaround" the "I" chord ascends a minor third interval to a Major 7th chord built on the flatted third degree of the tonality. The "bIII" Major 7th chord ascends an interval of a perfect fourth to the "bVI" Major 7th chord, and the "bVI" Major 7th chord ascends an interval to the "bII" Major seventh chord.

The "bIII", "bVI" and "bII" chords are tritone substitutions for the "iv7", "ii7" and "V7" chords respectively that compose the basic "iii7-VI7-ii7-V7" basic "turnaround" described earlier.

A "Turnaround" from Joe Henderson's composition "Isotope"

Another "turnaround" features a progression where the chords ascend - each successive chord is a minor third interval below the previous one, ultimately arriving at "I" in the first measure of the forthcoming repeat of the song or section.

I - VI7 - bV7 - bIII7

This particular progression occurs in Joe Henderson's composition "Isotope," which is based on a 12-bar blues.

A variation of the aforementioned progression is where the chords ascend - each successive chord is a minor third interval above the previous one, ultimately arriving at "I."

Turnarounds Resolving To "ii" chords

Not all songs or sections of songs begin with "I" (tonic) chords. Those that do not begin on "I" (Major or dominant) or "i" (minor 7th) chords, may require different chord progressions to create smooth transitions or strong movements back to the "ii" or "II" chord.

In tunes that end on a tonic chord (Major or minor) and begin on a "ii7" (minor 7th chords built on the second scale degree in the tonality) or II7 (Dominant 7th chords built on the second scale degree in the tonality) either of the following two two chord progressions will work effectively.

I - IV - iii7 - VI7 or I - VII7 - bVII7 - VI7

In both of the chord progressions above, the cycle of fourths defines a strong attraction for the "VI7" chord to resolve to the "ii" chord which would be the first chord in the forthcoming repeat of the song or a particular section.

In each of the chord progressions above, the qualities of the chords may be altered. For example, in the second chord progression, where the chords descend chromatically from the "I" chord down to the "VI" chord, each of the four chords may be Major 7th chords, or Dominant 7th chords, or even minor 7th chords, for a change of color.

Songs that begin on the "ii7" chord include "Satin Doll," by Duke Ellington, "Milestones" (First Version) by Miles Davis, "Easy To Love" and "All Of You" by Cole Porter, "Body and Soul" by Johnny Green.

Some of the songs that begin on the "II7" chord include "Our Love Is Here To Stay" and "But Not For Me" by George Gershwin, "If I Were A Bell" by Frank Loesser, "Corcovado" by A.C. Jobim, and "In A Mellow Tone" by Duke Ellington.

"Turnarounds" to extend a song for additional improvisation

The second type of "turnaround" is one whose purpose is (a) to extend either the improvised solo section of the tune, and/or (b) to extend the performance of a given song, after the restatement of its original melody (over the form of the tune), with a section that is generally a four measure phrase, employing a "iii7 - VI7 - ii7 - V7" chord progression (where each chord is one measure long), and which is open for further solo improvisation. Sometimes the "iii7" chord is played as "iiiÃƒÂƒÃ…Åş7" (a minor 7th chord with a flatted 5th, also called a half diminished 7th chord). Using the "iiiÃƒÂƒÃ…Åş7", and the second degree mode of harmonic minor (where the ii chord functions momentarily as the "i" chord in harmonic minor) creates a strong resolution back to the "ii" chord.

The "iii7" chord functions as a substitution for the "I" (Major) or "i" (minor) chord (depending upon whether you are playing in a Major or minor key. The premise is that the "iii7" chord enables the music to temporarily delay resolution to the tonic chord. The progression moves through the cycle of fourths. (Each successive chord in this progression is built upon a scale degree that is a perfect fourth interval higher than the previous one). After the fourth chord in this progression, the dominant 7th chord (or chord built on the fifth scale degree) in relation the underlying tonality, the chordal movement is down a minor third to the "iii7" again, to repeat the four measure turnaround.

By the way, as a method of ending in an unexpected way after improvising over a "iii-V7-ii7-V7" turnaround (as this progression relates to a Major key), you may want to deceptively or unexpectedly resolve to a the tonic chord of the parallel minor key instead. Or if you were improvising over a "iii7-VI7-ii7-V7" in relation to an underlying minor key, you may want to resolve instead to the tonic chord in the parallel major key.

The "iii-VI-ii-V" in Major is slightly different than in minor. In Major the iii and ii chords are minor and the "V7" and "VI7" are dominant chords. In minor, I generally think of harmonic minor and therefore play the "ii7" and "iii7" chords as half diminished chords (or minor 7th chords with a flatted 5th), and the dominant chords as V7 and VI7 with flatted and/or sharp 9ths.

This type of turnaround (the iii7-VI7-ii7-V7 turnaround) or for that matter any "turnaround" or vamp used to extend a performance at the end of a song, may be repeated as often as you like. You may want to repeat a "turnaround" for an extended number of times, each time getting a little softer dynamically. Or, you may want to use this kind of turnaround to get a groove going over what is essentially an uncomplicated chord progression - so that you may focus more on melodic, rhythmic and dynamic ideas while soloing, without the concern of negotiating your way through a more complicated series of changes. The simpler changes of the "turnaround" may enable you to focus more on the groove, rhythmically "locking-in" with the rhythm section, and communication or interaction with other players in the group.

Miles Davis' performances of standard tunes are replete with examples of these "extension turnarounds" both at the end at the beginnings of songs. For example on the performance of "All Of You" composed by Cole Porter, on the CD edition of Friday Night Live At The Blackhawk, recorded in 1961, there is an extended "turnaround" section at the end of each instrumentalist's solo. First, Miles Davis plays the melody, and then proceeds to improvise a solo over the chord changes within the 32 measure song form. After a couple of choruses of soloing over the song form, he solos over a "iii-VI-ii-V7" turnaround. Eventually he moves from the ii-V7 chord progression the last time through to the tonic chord. Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley plays the next solo, following the same procedure. Mobley improvises a solo based on the form of the tune, and then after a few choruses that way, proceeds to improvise over the "iii-V7-ii-V7" turnaround, appropriately accompanied using those chord changes by Wynton Kelly on piano and Paul Chambers on bass.

The"iii-VI7-ii7-V7" turnaround is a turnaround moving through the cycle of fourths, employing the iii chord (the naturally occurring minor 7th chord built on the third degree), the VI7 chord (a chord built on the sixth degree of the tonality, but which is not the naturally occurring sixth degree chord, because a minor 7th chord naturally occurs there), the ii chord (the naturally occurring minor 7th chord built on the second degree of the tonality) and the V7 chord (which is the naturally occurring dominant 7th chord built on the fifth degree of the tonality).

In Eb Major the "iii7-VI7-ii7-V7" turnaround is composed of the following chords:

G minor 7th - C7 - F minor 7th - Bb7

"Turnarounds" can help avoid abrupt endings. I remember playing with one experienced piano player who surprisingly played no introductions or endings to songs, and never used a "turnaround" over which he might solo or extend the song.

"Turnarounds" can help you create new and personalized versions of songs you may include in your improvisational repertoire.

Please feel free to write to Jazz Improv with your questions about any of the ideas in this article or anything else you see in the magazine. You can reach us via snail mail at 491 Old York Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046, or via e-mail at esproteus@netreach.net.

In the next issue, we'll discuss additional ideas about "turnarounds" and "vamps."

Eric Nemeyer
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