Sunset Glow: Composed and Arranged by Benny Carter

Sunset Glow
Composed and arranged

by Benny Carter
Jess Dez Garca

Jazz Compositional Styles
Prof. Bill Kirchner
November 2, 2013
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Analysis
a. Form
b. Melody
c. Harmony
3. Score
10
4. Bibliography
21
Introduction
Benny Carters Kansas City Suite is a suite composed of ten movements and it was
recorded by the Count Basie Big Band in 1960 on Roulette Records. The Basie Band
members were Sonny Cohn, Thad Jones, Snooky Young, Joe Newman, trumpets; Henry
Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell, trombones; Marshall Royal, Frank Wess, Billy Mitchell,
Frank Foster, Charlie Fowlkes, reeds and flutes; Count Basie, piano; Freddie Green, guitar;
Eddie Jones, bass; Sonny Payne, drums. After it went out of print as an LP the Kansas City
Suite recording became rare. It was re-released by Capitol CD in 1990 but had very little
success. The compositions on this album were written specifically for Basies band. With
Kansas City Suite the composer demonstrates his understanding of the Count Basie Bands
unique sound.
The piece being analyzed in this paper is the fifth track Sunset Glow, a ballad
featuring a trombone solo from Henry Coker.
With "Kansas City Suite&" and "The Legend" Benny Carter demonstrated his masterly
grasp of the essential style of the Count Basie band. Both albums consist of Carter
originals written especially for Basie and in almost every case, Carter established the
archetypal Basie approach a smoothly mellifluous riff by the saxophones, which is then
worked over by Basie and his soloists. Some of the music is more typically Basie than
typically Carter, but each track stands up well on its individual merits, notably The Legend,
whose rich, moody, Ellingtonian harmonies are striking. In a fine exhibition of the Basie
style, garnished with the charm and elegance for which Carter was renowned, the band
shows, once again, its sonic wealth and ensemble precision. And, to complete the picture,
there are brilliant soloists like Joe Newman, Frank Foster, Thad Jones, Budd Johnson,
Henry Coker and Marshall Royal (who plays lead alto sax, and gets a sound very much
like Carter's own).
Form
The overall form is constructed in ABA scheme, where the A is the main theme
carried by the trombone melody and the B is a sax chorus. The way Carter writes the sax
chorus is unique to his compositions. The piece starts with a four bar intro. The A part
starts in bar 5 even though the trombone melody starts with the pickup in the fifth bar. The
A part goes from bars 5 to 22 and it is formed by two phrases of eight bars with two extra
bars added on to the last phrase. The sax chorus, or B part, goes from bars 23 to 30. The
last A section of the piece is identical to the first. The piece concludes with an ending from
bars 39 to 42. The symmetry in the form gives the piece a sense of balance and the B part
works as a contrast and functions almost as an interlude and allows the composer to return
to an identical melody without appearing redundant.
Melody
The melody is carried entirely by the first trombone, Henry Coker. The melody is
written in the highest register of the trombone and the range is one-ninth from C3 to D4.
The melody is based on a two bar sequence, bars 5 and 6, which is developed throughout.
This two bar sequence moves descendent a third in bars 7 and 8. In bar 9 the melody starts
again with the same motif a third lower but the sequence varies and develops, jumping in
the fourth part of bar nine with a Major 7 th interval and reaching the highest note in the
melody at the second beat in bar 10.
The melody is repeated twice during the A part.
The use of chromaticism is noticeable in the melody as the trombone
Harmony
The piece is in the key of C during the hole song. The four bars Intro contains the
typical II-/ VI-/ II-/ V. Its noticeable how Carter uses some unusual chords like the F#
maj7b5 on bar 10, but most of the progression keeps around the key center of C. In the A
section the harmonic progression moves to the second grade at bar 2. Bars 3 and 4 works as
a turnaround where Bb- is a passing chord. The second stanza starts at bar 9 and there is a
secondary dominant that resolves in Emaj7. Sounds like a quick temporary modulation to
the key of E but it comes back to C through a II/V that resolves in E minor at bar 11.
Followed by a III- V/II V/V V in bar 12 that restates the key of C again. In this
arrangement, the most interesting aspect of the harmony is the harmonized background of
the saxophones. The lines move beautifully creating counterpoint lines that accompany the
melody. For example in bar 9 (see figure 1) where the first alto and the Baritone move in
contrary motion. The background lines move rhythmically independent from the melody
but at bar 12 the five saxes emphasize the rhythm of the melody. (see figure 2)

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What is the overall form of the piece?

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Sunset Glow

Composed and arranged

Jess Dez Garca

The use of chromaticism is noticeable in the melody as the trombone

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