On Apr 29, 2006, at 12:01 PM, Neal Schermerhorn wrote:
Christopher Smith wrote:
G - F - C - Eb - G - Bb
If I ABSOLUTELY had to name it with a G root, I would go with Gm7(b13
11) with the b13 and 11 stacked, but I wouldn't be happy.
Nor would I. In fact, I'd see this as incredibly confusing, if not
outright
wrong, as b13 is a tension of a dominant-function chord. It could be
seen as
Eb6-9/G as well as Cm7(11)/G. At its essence it's a pentatonic scale
sounded
as a quasi-cluster. What I'd call it would depend entirely on context
- what
are the preceding and following chords? What's the key?
While I would agree with you in a common-practice jazz context, in
modern jazz added b13ths appear on chord qualities other than dominant
more and more frequently these days, starting with Herbie Hancock,
Wayne Shorter, and so on. Furthermore, if this chord resolves to Cm,
then a chord with a G bass IS pretty much functioning as a dominant,
with or without the leading tone, and thus can easily take an Eb.
I also agree with you that the best symbol to use would depend on the
context. Your Eb69/G idea is actually a pretty good one, though as you
said, it would be better to know the context.
So while not actually wrong, I do recognise that the chord as voiced
resolving to Cm is weak, and chord symbols are getting less and less
useful to describe the structures that appear in modern jazz.
Christopher
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