Cycle – Kansas City Trio

Here’s a pdf and video of a contrafact I wrote over the Sam Rivers tune “Cyclic Episode”. I love working on improvising over this progression because it uses all 12 minor 7th chords; making it a lot of fun to play over and over again. The last 4 bars falls under question often times but I understand this 4 bar phrase as identical to the first 4 bar phrase harmonically, just modulated down one half step and with a D pedal for the first 2 bars (see pdf below). I wrote a simple melodic line over the chords in contrast to the complex 8th note melody Sam Rivers wrote.

The video is of the trio recording the tune in the studio. Marty Morrison on drums and Ben Leifer on bass, two of Kansas City’s great musicians. You can support the project on Band Camp by clicking here.

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Cycle – Kansas City Trio