I always liked the introduction to the Dizzy Gillespie tune Bebop. A close friend and wonderful alto player Gabe Eaton and I learned this tune back in the early 90’s and played it frequently while living in Japan with our band “Dig”.
The line reminds me of something slightly baroque that Bach or Sonny Stitt might play over a minor progression.
The intro melody basically alternates between a minor triad and a diminished 7th chord a half step below (or the V7b9 seventh chord) and so is fairly easy to hear and grasp theoretically.
I’ve discovered that open minor sections such as those found during So What, Impressions or even Segment, and Softly as in a Morning Sunrise are good opportunities to utilize this Minor to diminished 7th chord schematic.
After becoming comfortable with this Dizzy intro it’s fun to improvise between the triad and the diminished or b9 7th chord freely. Also, adding the natural 6th to the minor triad or the 11th, adds an interesting colors.
Lastly you can try alternating between the diminished 7th chord and a major 7th chord (Bdim7 to C major7).
~Enjoy!
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