minor ii–V–i · A minor

Bø7 – E7(♭9) – Am6

iiøBø7 · B D F A

VE7(♭9) · E G♯ B D F

iAm6 · A C E F♯

The minor ii–V–i: Bø7 (half-diminished), E7(♭9) and Am6 in A minor. The flattened 9th on the V is the sound of a minor key arriving home — “Autumn Leaves” has this one too, every time it turns to the relative minor.

Shells — the left hand

Root, 3rd and 7th: the three notes that say what a chord is. Every jazz pianist learns these first.

Bø7 iiø · shell

1 · ♭3 · ♭7

E7(♭9) V · shell

1 · ♭7 · 3

Am6 i · shell

1 · ♭3 · 6

Rootless voicings — the ones on the records

No root at all — the bass player has it — and the colour notes added instead. Watch how little the hand moves.

Bø7 iiø · rootless

♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7 · 1

E7(♭9♭13) V · rootless

♭7 · ♭9 · 3 · ♭13

Am6/9 i · rootless

♭3 · 5 · 6 · 9

Why it works

The ♭5 of Bø7 is the same note as the ♭9 of E7(♭9), and it falls to the 5th of Am6; the ♭7s slide to the 3rds exactly as in major. The tonic is written as a minor 6th here — the m7 or m(maj7) are just as common, and the ear accepts all three.

ii–V–i in every key

C minor C♯ minor D minor E♭ minor E minor F minor F♯ minor G minor G♯ minor A minor B♭ minor B minor

More progressions in A

ii–V–I in A major I–V–vi–IV in A major vi–IV–I–V in A major I–vi–IV–V in A major I–IV–V in A major

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