6900 / 18210 · Workshop 51 — “A Night in Tunisia”: Pedal Bass, Phrygian-Dominant Color, Afro-Latin Ostinato, Bebop Contrast, and Switching Musical Worlds Without Losing the Form← prev⊞ allnext →
51.85Apply to “Happy Birthday”
Yes, again—and this version is particularly useful.
Intro
A pedal with B♭ and C♯ tension.
The listener has no obvious connection to the tune yet.
Phrase 1
D-minor melody enters over ostinato.
Phrase 2
more syncopation, perhaps Dorian brightness.
Phrase 3
switch to swing; reharmonize more functionally.
Phrase 4
return to ostinato.
Final dominant:
A7♭9.
Then either:
Dm6/9
or surprising:
D6/9.
Now the melody has moved through two genuinely different improvisational systems.