Chord-Scale Networks in the Music and Improvisations of Wayne Shorter

Garrett Michaelsen
2019
In this article, I examine the nonfunctional harmony of three tunes from the mid-1960s by Wayne Shorter from the perspective of transformational theory. While some transformational approaches to jazz have taken the seventh or ninth chord as the basic unit, I use the more inclusive and abstract concept of a "chord scale" to encompass more of the pitches musicians may draw from when performing a harmony. Using Dmitri Tymoczko's theory of scale networks, I demonstrate how the tunes "E.S.P.,"
more » ... " and "Iris" travel through various chord-scale spaces. I then compare Shorter's solo improvisations to the networks expressed by the tunes, revealing the ways he draws on and departs from them in the process of performance.
doi:10.17613/k9ke-wy07 fatcat:vciytybsufcofakyzfwk4yrozm