Geni – Bill Hardman

A tender, passionate ballad. The melody has a standard-like quality, very lyrical and logically constructed. The melody of the bridge has a similar direction to that of the A section, but in a higher register while still in the same key. The changes are colorful, with a lot of passing chords and smooth voice leading, though largely diatonic to F major. D minor is visited in the sixth measure of both the A and B sections. The last measure of the first A section includes a brief resolution to G♭ major before returning to F. At the end of the second A section, D♭maj7 is inserted between C7 and the tonic F chord; this also appears in the C section. In the last measure of the bridge, a rising series of chords in eighth notes leads to Dm7 at the beginning of the C section. This section has the same melody as the second A but is harmonized differently, with simpler changes—mostly two chords per measure rather than three or four.

On the recording, there is an intro which reappears as an ending, with a D minor tonality; this is not particularly related to the rest of the song and is not included in our lead sheets.

Geni is the only Bill Hardman song on this album, which contains mostly compositions by bassist Bill Lee. Other songs on "Colors" add Clifford Jordan on tenor sax and Stanley Cowell on piano. At this time, Bill Hardman had rejoined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. The only other recording of Hardman in 1974 is a performance in Cedar Walton's quintet for the Left Bank Jazz Society in Baltimore. "Colors" is also the last recording of trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer.

Strata-East was founded in 1971 by Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell with the release of their first recording "Music Inc." According to Wikipedia, the label released over 50 albums in the 1970s. Many of the label's releases are now hailed as prime examples of 1970s Post-Bop, Spiritual Jazz, and Afro-Jazz.