Just Friends (G) [No Piano] - Medium Up Swing || BACKING TRACK

Head In, Solo x6, Head Out
Medium Up Swing 180 BPM

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Some notes about the composition as found on
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Composer: John Klenner

Lyricist: Sam M. Lewis

Year: 1931

Origin: Introduced by Red McKenzie in 1931.

Style: Introduced at a comfortable medium tempo, it commonly played as an up tempo swing.

Form: A-B1-A-B2 (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Verse: A-B (16 Bars) [8-8]
Very rarely included, it can be heard on Red McKenzie's original recording. Russ Columbo's rendition from the following year also features it.

Key: Most commonly played in G Major.

Harmony/Overview: The harmony of this composition is fairly straightforward, being made up predominantly of II - V's. The song begins on IVMaj7 and can initially give the impression that this is the tonic, especially when the verse is omitted. In the 3rd bar however it becomes clear that this actually the IV of the key when it changes to minor; temporarily borrowing from the sub-dominant minor. It is common to insert a II - V of bIII in bars 3 and 4 as opposed to simply remaining on IVmi. The melody from the first 4 bars is then transposed down a whole step while the harmony moves from IMaj7 to a II - V of bII which does not resolve. The song then continues in a predictable fashion, with functional harmony and a conventional 32 bar form.

Recordings: This song has been recorded over 380 times. It was first recorded by Red McKenzie in 1931, although Russ Columbo's recording from 1932 was largely influential in establishing it as a hit. Charlie Parker recorded it during one of his legendary sessions with strings and he himself stated that this performance was one of his personal favorites from his entire career. It has since been recorded by a wide variety of musicians in many different settings and it continues to be a popular standard.

JGC Top Picks:
Charlie Parker, 1949
Oscar Peterson, Walking the Line, 1970
Wynton Marsalis, Live at the House of Tribes, 2002

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