Jordu
Encyclopedia
"Jordu" is a jazz
standard written by Irving "Duke" Jordan
in 1953. This song was first made popular by Clifford Brown
, but many other jazz musicians have performed or recorded renditions of it, including Stan Getz
, Charlie Byrd
, and Max Roach
.
It has a traditional AABA jazz form
. The A section is composed of two measure patterns, the first being a non-chordal pick-up measure in which the lead player starts a phrase on the "and" of beat 1 and leads right into the second half of the two measure phrase in which the rhythm players and the lead players both hit on 1, 3, and the "and" of 4. The B section is a circle of fifths pattern built on dominant seventh chords. The ending of the song contains a vamp on the last two bars of the A section followed by an alteration of the initial pickup measure ending on a minor-major seventh chord.
Lyrics for this song were written by Karrin Allyson with the title "Life is a groove". She recorded it on her 2006 Footprints CD as a duet with Nancy King.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
standard written by Irving "Duke" Jordan
Duke Jordan
Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's so-called "classic quintet" , featuring Miles Davis...
in 1953. This song was first made popular by Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown , aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings...
, but many other jazz musicians have performed or recorded renditions of it, including Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, Charlie Byrd
Charlie Byrd
Charlie Lee Byrd was a famous and versatile American guitarist born in Suffolk, Virginia. His earliest and strongest musical influence was Django Reinhardt, the famous gypsy guitarist. Byrd became the American guitarist who best understood and played Brazilian music, especially the Bossa Nova genre...
, and Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
.
It has a traditional AABA jazz form
Thirty-two-bar form
The thirty-two-bar form, often called AABA from the musical form or order in which its melodies occur, is common in Tin Pan Alley songs and later popular music including rock, pop and jazz...
. The A section is composed of two measure patterns, the first being a non-chordal pick-up measure in which the lead player starts a phrase on the "and" of beat 1 and leads right into the second half of the two measure phrase in which the rhythm players and the lead players both hit on 1, 3, and the "and" of 4. The B section is a circle of fifths pattern built on dominant seventh chords. The ending of the song contains a vamp on the last two bars of the A section followed by an alteration of the initial pickup measure ending on a minor-major seventh chord.
Lyrics for this song were written by Karrin Allyson with the title "Life is a groove". She recorded it on her 2006 Footprints CD as a duet with Nancy King.