Cadenzaminor ii–V–i · E minor
F♯ø7 – B7(♭9) – Em6
The minor ii–V–i: F♯ø7 (half-diminished), B7(♭9) and Em6 in E 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.
F♯ø7 iiø · shell
1 · ♭3 · ♭7
B7(♭9) V · shell
1 · ♭7 · 3
Em6 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.
F♯ø7 iiø · rootless
♭3 · ♭5 · ♭7 · 1
B7(♭9♭13) V · rootless
♭7 · ♭9 · 3 · ♭13
Em6/9 i · rootless
♭3 · 5 · 6 · 9
Why it works
The ♭5 of F♯ø7 is the same note as the ♭9 of B7(♭9), and it falls to the 5th of Em6; 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.
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