Cherokee (Ray Noble song)
"Cherokee" | |
---|---|
Ray Noble |
"Cherokee" (also known as "Cherokee (Indian Love Song)") is a
Structure
The composition has a 64-bar AABA construction.[1] The A-section harmony is straightforward by the standards of 1930s songs, but the B-section is more sophisticated.[2]: 84 This is because "it cadences (via ii-7–V7–I progressions) into the keys of B Major, A Major and G Major before moving toward the B♭ tonic."[2]: 85
Recordings
"Cherokee" has been recorded over the years by many jazz musicians and singers.
The difficulty of improvising on the harmony of the B-section meant that many early soloists avoided doing so.[2]: 84
Influence
Charlie Parker used this song for the basis of his 1945 composition "Ko-Ko".[1] While playing "Cherokee", he said that "I found that by using the higher intervals of a chord as a melody line and backing them with appropriately related changes, I could play the thing I'd been hearing."[4] He had played that piece so many times that by the end he hated it, but he had mastered the chords perfectly in all 12 keys. "Ko-Ko" has a partially improvised head and the chords are based on "Cherokee".[5]
It also formed the basis of Buddy DeFranco "Swinging the Indian".[1]
A vocalese version (different tune, but based on the same chord sequence), with its own lyrics, was written by Richie Cole and David Lahm in 1983 and is called "Harold's House of Jazz".
Appearances in films
The song was used in
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wilson, Jeremy. "Cherokee (Indian Love Song)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-0472085552.
- All Media Guide.
- ISBN 978-0-486-21726-0
- ISBN 0-306-80069-1