Stumbling Block – Jonny King

This fairly advanced, challenging composition is a good example of Jonny King's specific style. The elegant, lyrical melody ties together many irregularities—perhaps suggested by the title—both harmonic and rhythmic. The main rhythmic "stumbling block" is a meter change: though most of the song is in 4/4, both A and C sections of the 32-measure AABC form go to 3/4 for the fifth and sixth measures. The melodic rhythm of these measures is set up cleverly in the third measure; the melodic phrase here is developed in the 3/4 measures.

Though this song has no key center, the changes have a logic to them. The A section has a rising and falling root motion, "resolving" to F♯ minor at the end despite the lack of dominant chords. The bridge focuses on a D♭ triad over D in the bass.

There is an angular bass countermelody in the first two measures of the A section. The bridge goes to a Latin groove. Solos swing throughout; the solo choruses have a slightly simplified chord progression and stay in 4/4 throughout. The coda vamps and fades on the last chord, repeating the last two notes of the melody.

The melody is a great reference point when soloing on these advanced changes. A soloist can also focus on chord tones that move stepwise through the changes, such as G♭-G-A♭-A for the first four chords.

On the recording, one melody note is different from our lead sheet. In the last measure of the bridge, saxophonist Bill Evans plays an A♭ on the "and" of beat 2; it should be A♮ as the lead sheet shows.

Pianist Mulgrew Miller played on quite a lot of recordings in 1988. The rhythm section heard here appeared together on Kenny Garrett's "Garrett 5" in September of that year. For more from 1988 with Miller check out Ralph Moore's Rejuvenate by Bobby Porcelli and the all-star album "Superblue."

Bassist Charnett Moffett also recorded a lot in 1988, including on albums by pianists Kenny Drew, Jr., Donald Brown and James Williams.