If there was ever a Mount Rushmore for jazz guitar, Kenny Burrell would be Thomas Jefferson. Burrell is the natural link between the blues vocabulary of T-Bone Walker and the more sophisticated jazz lines of Jim Hall. Born in 1931, Burrell soaked up the influences of Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery to create his own style steeped in the blues tradition. “Freight Trane” is the opening track to Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane, which was released on the Prestige label in 1958. Joining Burrell and Coltrane on the session was pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb.

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BLUES AND BEYOND
The chords to “Freight Trane” are based on a variation of the blues form that was popularized by saxophonist Charlie Parker. Referred to as “Bird Blues,” many jazz musicians took the chords and wrote their own melody or “head” on the changes. The most common example of “Bird Blues” is “Blues for Alice” which was written by Parker and has been covered countless times by jazz musicians of all eras.

Pianist Tommy Flanagan wrote “Freight Trane” and took a few liberties by changing the harmony from Parker’s form. Fig. 1 shows the chord progression used in “Freight Trane.” In the original, the IV chord is a dominant 7th (much like a standard blues progression) but here Flanagan uses a major 7th chord so there isn’t a clash with the C natural in the melody. In the next three measures of the form the harmony goes down in half-steps and uses minor 7th chords. Over the head, the rhythm section stays on the minor 7th chord for each measure, but the soloists imply a ii–V sound during the solos.

HEAD
In jazz circles, the head is usually played at the beginning and end of a tune. Here, Burrell and Coltrane play the head together in octaves. Begin the first phrase of the head in the third position with your pinky finger playing the E♭ on the 5th string. In the second measure, use your index finger to play the E natural on beat three and then stretch your pinky to reach the D% on the third string. The fingering for the triplet in measure six can be tricky. Begin with your index finger on the 4th string to play the F at the third fret. Hammeron the A♭ with your pinky and complete the A♭ major triad with your ring and middle fingers. Grab the D♭ on the third string with your pinky to complete the phrase. After the second time through the head, Coltrane begins his solo.

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GUITAR SOLO
After the sax solo, Burrell takes his time and enters in the third measure of the form. Throughout his eight-chorus solo, Burrell demonstrates his mastery of phrasing and command of the jazz language. In the first two choruses, Burrell uses short, rhythmic statements and motifs to set the stage and begins to use longer phrases in the third chorus. The phrase in Fig. 2 begins with a slur into E♭ on beat 1 before descending into a chromatic approach into A♭ on beat 4. The fingering for this phrase can be tricky, so I have given you a slightly different way to play this lick. The big stretch happens at the end of the first measure. Starting with your index finger on the B♭, use your pinky to play the A natural on the 4th string.

This will set you up for the chromatic move down to A♭ and position your hand for the next measure. On the “and” of beat 3 in the next measure, use your index finger for the slide into sixth position on beat 4. Near the end of the fifth chorus Burrell plays yet another finger-twisting lick. This phrase is played over measures 8–10 of the form. In Fig. 3 you can see the suggested fret-hand fingering. Begin in the third position and play the first two pickup notes by barring your pinky finger over the 4th and 3rd strings at the sixth fret. In the first measure on beat 4, there is a grace note hammer-on. Use your middle finger for the B and your ring finger for the C.

An unusual shift happens in the last measure of the example. On beat two, play the F with your pinky finger. This will put your index finger in place for the last three notes of the phrase.

TRADING FOURS
Once all the musicians have had their chance to solo it is not uncommon to split up choruses between instruments. At letter F, Burrell and Coltrane play a syncopated figure over the first four measures of the form. Flanagan takes over and solos over the next four measures and finally Cobb solos over the last four. This pattern repeats before Burrell and Coltrane trade four-measure phrases over the next four choruses before returning to the head. The thing that makes this section work is how each musician hands off the solo and keeps the musical conversation going.

Want more? Check out these cool links at guitaredge.com
• Get jazz guitar tab and video lessons at guitarinstructor.com
• Get the Best of Kenny Burrell tab book at musicdispatch.com
• Download “Freight Trane” on iTunes
• Check out Kenny Burrell online at myspace.com/kennyburrellofficial

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