Takin' Care Of Business – Eli "Lucky" Thompson

A riff blues head in a classic swing-to-bop style. Of course, Lucky Thompson's blues are never just another riff head. This one has a clever bit of arrangement: on the repeat of the head, the last phrase is harmonized in contrary motion, with the first and second parts crossing in the middle of the descending and ascending phrase. This song certainly works without the harmonization, but it really adds a hip extra layer. Because the horns play this last phrase in octaves the first time, both the melody and harmony lines are shown in our second parts, in their instruments' respective ranges.

Our audio excerpt starts with a fade in to the head. This recording has a four-measure drum intro followed by two choruses of piano solo in F, modulating to B♭ for the head.

"Thompson Plays For Thomson" was Lucky Thompson's first recording from his three-month visit to Paris in 1956. Lucky was back in Paris from 1957 to 1962. A TV broadcast from 1960 shows another version of Takin' Care Of Business. Recorded in a chordless quartet setting with Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Buddy Catlett on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums, this version has a different ending to the main melody riff; the melody is played in unison throughout without the contrary motion harmonies.