Introduction à Among the Stars

Music Lesson: Among the Stars

Introduction

The first song I'm going to play is called Among the Stars. It's based on Fly Me to the Moon by Bart Howard, which was immortalized by Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie Orchestra on their Live at the Sands album. This is a great record from a Las Vegas nightclub called the Sands in the 1960s.

Structure

This tune is similar to others we've looked at before. It has a 32-bar structure, but rather than following an AABA format, it consists of two halves of 16 bars each:

• A section
• B section

I will play the head and two choruses of the written solo, and then the head to finish.

Chord Sequence

The chord sequence of Among the Stars is diatonic to C major. Once again, I'll switch between my major key and its relative minor.

Root Movement

You should be able to look through the root movement and identify the following progression:

• 6, 2, 5, 1, 4, 7, 3, 6

This progression is not dissimilar to Autumn Sun in that it suggests a major key initially and then modulates to the relative minor.

Two-Five-One Progressions

Throughout the sequence, there are many two-five-ones into C major and A minor.

Expanding Chord Sequences

There's one detail I want to show you to help expand your chord sequences: the treatment of chord VI. Typically, we would expect chord VI to be a minor chord since it is the relative minor of the key; however, it can be expanded into a seventh chord to create a cadence into D minor.

A Section Example

In the A section, the melody does the following:

• In the third line of the melody, I have a 2-5 D minor, G7 progression.
• Following that, I have an E minor, A7 progression.

I'm effectively transforming my sixth chord into a dominant to echo my 2-5-1 upward tone.

Sound Example

Here's what an E minor, A7 would sound like on the piano with the guide tones:

• Make sure to review the Among the Stars progression. Whenever you see the A chord as A6, I've frequently changed it to A7.
• Lines in the solo, such as this, help to bring out more detail on the A chord by incorporating a C sharp and A flat and treating it as a V chord into D minor.

Internal Modulations

Being able to perceive internal modulations within the overall umbrella key of the song (C major, A minor) while occasionally heading into D minor will enrich your understanding of jazz harmony. You'll begin to hear these elements in the players you listen to, as well as in my written solo.

Conclusion

Once again, have a listen to the solo and play through it. Feel free to lift any bits you like, but ultimately use the backing track as a resource for your own performances.

• Play the head
• Perform your own solo
• Close with the head again