Here's a breakdown as to what I was thinking with this arrangement:

INTRO

The LH bass line creates a 12/8 Afro-Cuban feel which I just love.  We are using the chord tones (root, 5th, 7th, and octave) of the Gm7 and C7.  Take note that we are in the key of Bb, so it's a vi7 to a II7.  This bass line is pretty much taken verbatim from the Aaron Goldberg version of the tune.  

For the RH, I opted for simple 3-note voicings -- a 735 for the Gm7 and a 379 for C7.  Notice how to move from the Gm7 to C7 you just have to change the F to an E -- sweet!  I displaced the rhythm of the RH chords for a groovier, more off-beat feel.

MELODY (1st 8 measures)

In the video, we start by learning just the single-note RH melody, something I would recommend doing no matter what tune you are working on.   Then we fill in the RH melody by harmonizing it with chord tones below, known as a "chord melody."  Our LH uses that same funky 12/8 Afro-Cuban bass line from the intro.  Don't forget to be aware of the chords and theory as you learn this one.  The 4 chords of the 1st 8 mm are:  Gm7, C7, F7sus, Bb -- this is a fairly common chord progression:  vi7 - II7 -- V7sus -- I.  (Note - you could also play Cm7 to F7, a ii7 to V7, instead of the F7sus, but in this particular arrangement, I think the F7sus works nicely.)

MELODY (2nd 8 measures)

In the second half of the melody, we switch from an Afro-Cuban 12/8 feel to a straight swing feel.  The walking bass (quarter note bass line) in the LH along with the swung 1/8th notes in the melody is creating that feel for us.  The walking bass is either outlining the chord tones or else moving in a step-wise motion towards a destination note (the root note of the next chord).  Again, with the RH melody, we start by learning the single-note melody and then thicken it up with chord tones as a second step.  These 2nd 8 bars end with a unison line over a Bb major blues scale (starting on F).  If you are familiar with your minor blues scales, this is the same thing as a G minor blues scale (starting on F).  Take some time and get the fingering right for this ending lick -- you'll be happy you did!  

A NOTE ABOUT THE KEY

The purists out there may have noticed that this arrangement is not in same key as the original Stevie Wonder version, which is in the key of E.  I don't really have any good reason for doing it in Bb like I did.  I think as I was figuring out the tune by ear that's where my fingers fell and I liked the way it sounded!  But, by all means, for the advanced players out there, try to transpose the entire arrangement to the original key of E -- this would be a great exercise and a good opportunity to play in E major, a key that strikes terror in the hearts of most jazz players.      

Thanks for reading, and Happy Shedding!

Sometimes the greatest lessons come at unexpected times.  

I'll never forget how I learned the chords I am about to show you.  I was a freshman in college playing piano in one of the music department's big bands.  We were playing a blues, a Count Basie arrangement, and I was happily plunking away in the rhythm section.  

Back then, when I didn't know better, I had a pretty rough concept of "two-handed" voicings: I had some nice-sounding one-handed rootless chords that I learned from my high school jazz piano teacher, so I did what any reasonable young musician would do:  I played the exact same voicing in both hands, one octave apart.

When the band leader stopped the ensemble to work with the horns, I got a tap on my shoulder.  Little did I know, the director of the jazz department, the head honcho himself, was standing right behind me watching me play.  He asked why I was playing my chords in such a dense way.   "Well," I timidly replied, "I'm not so sure."

 He motioned for me to move out of the way, sat down at the piano, and played piano voicings that sounded like they came down straight from the jazz gods.  So clean, so open, it was the sound I had been hearing on all my jazz CDs but never figured out how to play.  He said, "Hear these chords?  Learn these.  I'll wait while you write them down."  I scurried to my backpack, grabbed some manuscript and wrote down the voicings I am about to show you.  

I love this kind of learning, not from a book or a video (no offense Piano Shed!) or a planned piano lesson, but an impromptu moment when someone teaches you something out of the blue.  It's so old school, I wish it happened more in this day in age when we have endless information at our fingertips!  I think this is the kind of learning that really sticks to us and this is why I'll never forgot the day I learned these chords.  

Without further ado, here they are in all their glory.  And a special thanks to the director of the jazz department that gave me these chords that day, wherever you may be.  Well, I have a feeling I know where you are.  You are probably giving some young, impressionable 18-year-old a hard time for his clumsy chords.

Happy Shedding!

Duke Ellington titled his autobiography "Music is My Mistress."  Well, if music is MY mistress than comedy is my girlfriend on the side when I get tired of my mistress.  (Wait...what?!?)  Anyway, I love a good laugh and Jimmy Fallon never fails to deliver.  I loved watching him on "Late Night" and now he is seriously killing it on the "The Tonight Show."  The Roots, "the best band in Late Night," add an incredible amount to the show, of course with their incredible musical flexibility and wittiness but also in their sporadic comedic performances.  I love the play between Jimmy and Roots' keyboardist James Poyser during the weekly "Thank You Notes" sketch.  I'm excited to teach to you all how to play Poyser's "Thank You Notes" piano music.  Check out the video tutorial below. 

 By the way if you haven't heard of James Poyser, check him out...NOW!  He's a fabulous pianist, keyboardist, & producer.  He has worked with many great R&B and hip hop artists like J Dilla, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, and Bilal and plays some REAL DEAL R&B and gospel keyboards.  

Happy Shedding!