Ellington was one of the most important jazz musicians of the 20th century. His work has had a profound and lasting impact on everyone who hears it.
His influence is widespread – his music is often performed and studied in conjunction with other greats, making his legacy more widely known.
His compositions are always quality, never average. His arrangements are legendary – none can ever be compared to his own original music!
The Blue Note club was one of the most famous jazz clubs in Chicago. It was a nightclub that catered to a more upscale audience, having high-quality music and services that were expensive at only $5 during the day.
Duke Ellington would often perform there during evening hours, starting around 6 p.m. The show he gave on this night was titled Take the ‘A’ Train (Live at the Blue Note Club, Chicago).
Main theme
In this classic song, Ellington introduces the concept of the A-Train. The A-Train symbolizes progress and is a famous subway line in New York City.
The A-Train was first introduced in the 1920s as a short line connecting two stations. It was expanded to include additional stations and use more equipment over the years.
Today, there are A-Trains in many cities around the world, including New York City, London, and Seoul. Each one continues the legacy of past A-Trains that were very well designed and implemented.
This updated version of the A-Train is called the L Train and was built between 2010 and 2012 to replace the Second Avenue Subway that connected Manhattan with Brooklyn. The L Train connects Downtown Manhattan with Lower Manhattan and runs above street level on Third Avenue between 42nd and 46th Streets.
C minor blues riff
In an alternate universe, this guitar riff could be played in the key of C minor. In this world, the minor key gives this guitar riff a deeper feel.
The C minor blues is one of the most famous blues riffs of all time. It was used in many popular songs of the past few decades, including Bill Withers’s classic 1980 song “Smokey Joe’s Bar & Grill.”
This piece of music made him one of the most famous guitarists of all time. He was paid a lot of money to use his signature sound on commercials and other content.
His legacy alone proves how powerful this guitar riff can be. With just a few notes, you can give your performance a more sophisticated look and feel.
Breakdown 1
Most people know the Ellington take the ‘A’ Train (Live at the Blue Note Club, Chicago) as a jazz standard. This is a true gem of Ellington’s career, and he pulled out all the stops to bring this performance to stage.
This performance was from 1978, years before Ellington became Duke Ellington again, and he was still known as The Bandleader. This version of ‘The A-T’ wasn’t recorded with an orchestra; it was recorded with a small group of players.
The jazz standard has been adapted for dance, musical theater, and Broadway productions many times since then! This version was done in 1977, when it premiered on television.
Bullet point 2: This performance was from 1978, years before Ellington became Duke Ellington again, and he was still known as The Bandleader.
Breakdown 2
In this breakdown, we will take a look at another one of the Ellington masterpieces: Take the ‘A’ Train (Live at the Blue Note Club, Chicago).
This piece is one of Duke Ellington’s most famous pieces. It was originally released on his 1939 album The Best of Duke Ellington and has been rereleased many times since.
The song was one of Ellington’s early hits and he would go on to change some of the words to songs about half the time. He did this so people could use his music in movies or television shows, since he was very good at writing music that was easily interpreted.
This piece isn’t just for show-offs, though! Many dancers use this breakdance to practice their footwork.
Transition to B7 chord
Now change to a B7 chord. This is more difficult, but not impossible. You can do it!
Now change to an A7 chord. This is more straightforward and easier than the transition chords discussed earlier in this article.
The A7 is the most common minor seventh chord shape. It can be found in most pop and rock songs, making it an easy transition chord to use.
The A7 is the second most common minor seventh chord shape behind the Cmaj Seventh. Like the Cmaj Seventh, the A7 can be found in many songs where it makes a good transition into another chords.
Bridge 1
In the first few bars of this classic Duke Ellington take the ‘A’ train (live at the Blue Note Club, Chicago) vocal edit, we hear a reference to being late for something. This is a subtle way for the song artist to point out that this is a live performance, and that they may not have perfect timing on this performance.
We then hear an announcement that someone will be singing next and taking permission to rap. This is a nice touch as it adds some suspense to the song. Next we hear an unfamiliar female voice introducing herself as the singer and giving her phone number.
Bridge 2
In the final seconds of the song, Ellington re-imagines New York as a neighborhood lined with trees, a children’s playground, and a lively shopping district.
This is an iconic song that has helped to make New York City a recognizable place. It has been used as promotional material for businesses and events, making it more difficult to imagine this city in another setting.
This is a well-known passage from the song that makes this transition more clear. It uses different words that rhyme, and both words describe how fun it is to live in New York.
New Yorkers enjoy walking their dogs in Central Park, enjoying a nice meal at a local restaurant, or just taking some time to explore the city’s neighborhoods. The A train is one of the most popular transportation routes into and out of the city.
C minor blues riff with bridge 1 & 2 over top of it…with a little bit of improvisation thrown in for good measure!
This is one of Duke Ellington’s most famous transitions from one section to the next. In the first part of the song, he transitions from a bluesy riff to a jazz riff. In the second part, he shifts back to the blues style.
The first time you hear this transition, you might be surprised by how quickly it happens. It is one of his secrets to great musicmaking!
You can make this transition on stage as well. If you feel nervous about performing it in front of an audience, you can write it down and have a back-up plan prepared in case something goes wrong.
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The third key change happens right at the end of the song when Ellington switches back to his original sound.
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