Jazz fusion is one of my favorite styles to listen to and to write. I love fusing jazz with different styles of music, such as hip hop, classical, and even rock. “On the Run” is that blend of jazz and rock that I crave. From the driving beat to the cool sounding chords, the tune offers excitement and something nice to groove to. And here’s how it came to be.
Let’s start with the structure…
The Chords
There’s kind of a funny story how this tune came to be. It was my junior year of college and I was on the way to New Orleans for a jazz festival with the jazz band I played with. Prior to that trip, I contemplated on a tune that I should write. I had been on a big jazz-rock fusion kick, listening to old fusion groups from the 60s and 70s. Thus, I decided to write a jazz-rock fusion tune myself.
I pulled out my notebook of manuscript paper and started coming up with ideas for chords. The key of F minor stood out to me. A lot of older rock-style jazz tunes are in that key; plus I always write in major keys, so writing in a minor one was a nice change.
If there’s anything that the Lord has blessed me with, it’s the ability to quickly come up with a chord progression (whether it’s good or bad). After some quick pondering, I came up with an easy progression and decided to “copy and paste it” over 16 measures. I even threw in a brief 2-measure solo break, before the form repeats. Let’s call this Section A (or the “A” Section as it’s commonly called in jazz).
After the form repeats, the tune dives right into the “bridge” (or “B” section). Just like the “A” section, I came up with a nice four-chord progression and copy-pasted it over sixteen measures (the end of the “bridge” uses slash chords (chords like “F/C”) to ease right back into the “A” section.
The Melody
Throughout the entire tune, you’ll hear nice, funky fast-moving lines that coincide with its “moving-forward” nature. The tune was written for three lead instruments; one high, one low and one that’s somewhere in between. I originally wrote this for trumpet, alto sax, and tenor sax; however, any instruments that have the same range as those would still work.
The first time through the A section, the melody is played in unison (each instrument plays the same part). The second time through the A section, the melody splits into three part harmony. The B section is where things get a little interesting. It begins in unison for four measures. Then breaks into two part harmony for the next four (trumpet on top with alto/tenor sax on the bottom). After that, it breaks into three parts for the remainder of the B section, before heading back into the harmonized A section.
The Rhythm/Beat/Feel
The main rhythm of this tune: grooving rock. Like I mentioned before, it fits perfectly with the fast-moving lines in the melody. It switches to a slick, funk beat in the B section (slightly different, but still has that groove that I’m after). Then, it goes back to that grooving rock beat in the A section.
Coming up with this rhythm was a lot easier than I expected. As I mentioned before, a lot of jazz-rock fusion tunes inspired me. Not only that, but in college, I realized all you have to do is tell the drummer what you want. And 9 times out of 10, they do it. I got what I wanted and the tune turned out great!
Now let’s talk about the title…
So after I wrote the tune, I then had the daunting task of naming it. And anybody that really knows me knows that I tend to struggle with naming my compositions. I struggled a little at first, but I managed to come up with three possible titles for the tune.
The first option was TMI. I can’t remember exactly what was done or said to have made me come up with this title. However, I do remember two members of my big band (both female) discussing….um….feminine issues. I was of course nearby and overheard them. When they realized it, one of them said, “That was TMI (too much information), right Jarohn?” I just laughed and shook my head. They also knew about me writing a tune and suggested that I name the tune “TMI.” We all laughed, but ironically, I kept that name on the table.
My second option for a title was “Do you Dig.” I mentioned it a couple times before, but I was heavily influenced by the 60s and 70s when writing the tune. That apparently included catch phrases too (haha). The vibe of the tune fit the vibe of the title, so I just HAD to keep that title as a possibility.
My third and final option was, of course, “On the Run.” Now, how did I come up with that title? There are a couple ways this happened, but one of them is probably going to make you laugh. On the way to New Orleans, we made a bathroom stop at a convenience store in North Carolina. I looked at the sign and what did it say? On the Run. The name of the store amused me; and then it hit me. That could be the name of my tune! I mean, when you think about it, it kind of makes sense. The tune is an upbeat jazz-rock fusion tune with a fast moving melody. When you think of something or someone being on the run, they’re moving fast and constantly. That was it! I knew that the title was a winner! And so, I made it official!
You guys probably wanna know what this tune sounds like, right? No problem! Check it out here!!
What do you think?? You like??
What do you think of the tune? It’s definitely one of my favorites out of everything that I’ve ever written. Hopefully it satisfied your ears, got your feet tapping, and got your head bopping (or anything else that shows approval). If so, you can download a cool hip hop version of the tune RIGHT HERE on my website. It’s just as hip, if not more hip, but I’ll let you be the judge!
Response Magic