Body and Soul

Body and Soul – Coleman Hawkins’ solo transcription

Hello again.  Below is a transcription of Coleman Hawkins’ famous 1939 performance of “Body and Soul.”  It’s a classic, for good reason.  Hawkins helped establish the saxophone as a serious jazz instrument and it is easy to see why.  Enjoy!

Body and Soul – John Coltrane reharmonization

Below is my transcription of John Coltrane’s reharmonization of “Body and Soul” off the album Coltrane’s Sound.  Easily one of my favorite Coltrane albums, Coltrane’s Sound also features fantastic tunes like “26-2” (Trane changes over Charlie Parker’s tune “Confirmation”), “Satellite” (Trane changes over “How High The Moon”), “Equinox”, and the great ballad “Central Park West.”  In order to keep the lead sheet to 1 page, the tune stops at the end of the bridge – the last A section has the same changes as the first A, so I figure it’s redundant to include the last A section if it makes the lead sheet spill over into another page.

Mulgrew Miller – Body and Soul Reharmonization

Below is my transcription of Mulgrew Miller’s reharmonization of Body and Soul.  The changes are taken from Mulgrew’s version of “Body and Soul” from the album With Our Own Eyes.  The melody as written is just the standard melody to the tune as this transcription was done for the purpose of learning the chord changes.  The major departure from the standard changes is in bars 5 and 6.  Note that these changes are very similar to Freddie Hubbard’s reharmonization from Freddie’s album “Here to Stay” – the major difference being the #5.  Also, the melody in bars 5 and 6 is written up an octave, for the sake of legibility, as the chords are easier to read in this register (at least they are in my opinion).

Freddie Hubbard – Body and Soul reharmonization

This is my transcription of Freddie Hubbard’s reharmonization of the tune “Body and Soul” off of his album Here To Stay.  This fantastic album also features Cedar Walton, Reggie Workman, Philly Joe Jones, and Wayne Shorter.  Where the chord changes differ significantly from the original (bars 2, 5, and the first 4 bars of the bridge), the melody as played by Freddie has been loosely transcribed.  Otherwise, the stock melody has been inserted, as my main purpose in transcribing the tune is for the chord changes.  I encourage you to check out Mulgrew Miller’s reharmonization of the tune from the album With Our Own Eyes for comparison purposes.  Enjoy!