Latin Jazz Solo: Mas Que Nada

[therealting]

Hey folks,

We're doing that fantastic Latin jazz tune "Mas Que Nada" in school soon, and I've started prepping the tune early since I particularly like this style of music.

The guitar solo section is 16 bars long and the structure is the following repeated 8 times:| Fm7 Bb7 | Fm7 Cm7 |
The most obvious way to play this is of course F Dorian since that incorporates all the chord tones in the progression. This pretty much guarantees spot-on "inside" playing throughout the changes.

I've also picked out the chord tones I like the most against each chord and the effect they have on them. At this point, I'm comfortable doing the basic streaming out 8th notes in F Dorian, adding in passing tones by doing semitone slides and the B natural from the F Minor Blues scale, as well as breaking them up into more interesting phrases by inserting "breathing space". So far so good.

What I'd really like to do is to try and incorporate a little bit of outside playing into a few bars of the solo just to show that I've done a little bit of homework and to add tension. The only things that have jumped out at me are to use a few C Superlocrian licks over the Cm7 (pretending that it is an altered C dominant chord) and occasionally shifting into F Phrygian which gives it a bit of an edge.

Any further input and ideas from all you jazz masters very much welcome! :)


Thanks,
Johann

[spencerbk]

Not a master here ... but try some tritone substitutions and you could create some nice arpeggio lines

Fm7 E7 | Ebmaj7 |

Or use Gb7 for the Cm7 to lead back to the Fm7 at the top.

But don't do anything to "show that you've done a little bit of homework" - do it because you think it sounds good!

[therealting]

But don't do anything to "show that you've done a little bit of homework" - do it because you think it sounds good!

To me, the two go hand in hand... I intend to try everything out and see what results, and what sounds good. I consider that my homework. :)

Tritone subs, how could I forget, especially when the Bb dominant there is staring me in the face! The Gb7 in place of the C(m)7 is of course another "forced" tritone sub (over a "pretend" dominant). I'll have a whiz around that tomorrow.

Thanks - keep em coming guys!

[Old Tele man]

...chord-wise you could try "pedaling" the dominant 7th note from the Fm7 into a major 7th note in a EM7 chord (vs E7)

...or, similarly, Fm7 to Bb11, again with a common Eb-note.

[esmiralha]

Latin jazz?
Funny, I´ve always thought it was a "samba/bossa nova" tune... At least, that´s how we play it in Brazil...

[therealting]

Latin jazz?
Funny, I´ve always thought it was a "samba/bossa nova" tune... At least, that´s how we play it in Brazil...

Which it is, of course... I'm just approaching it more for a jazz standpoint technically. :) Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers.

I asked another teacher today and he suggested trying G Superlocrian over everything, leaving out the flat 5th, and looking out for the 13 with a sharp 9. I'll be doing a bit of that tonight. :D

Any more suggestions most welcome.