Maria - Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story)

[Keith88]

"Maria" is from the Broadway musical which premiered in 1957 with music by Leonard Bernstein. Although not typically considered a jazz tune, it was a vehicle for both the Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson big bands. I play it on my solo piano gigs using the bass and drums of iReal Pro, and so I have submitted this chart to the forum.

The tune has several features of interest. The vocal version is an AA form; the second half consists of a repeat of the first half with a counter-melody above most of it. The counter melody, consisting of longer note values than the main melody (with the single repeated lyric "Maria") is typically sung and the original melody is presented as part of the instrumental backup. Because no new harmonic material is presented in the second A section and I use the tune as a vehicle for improvisation, I do not include it in the iReal Pro chart.

The musical content of the tune is quite interesting. It is a study in the lydian mode, and because of the raised fourth degree, makes for tonal ambiguity, shifting between tonal centers every few measures. This makes the tune a welcome change from so many tunes based on ii-V-I and cycle-of-fifths phrases.

I play it using the Jazz-Latin style at 100 bpm with a relaxed vibe.

Maria - Leonard Bernstein

 

[pdxdjazz]

Hi Keith,
Thanks for your submissions and explanations. Keep 'em coming!
I suspect the note reminders in the text-field above might help suggest how to get a melodic phrase started.
Since text doesn't transpose, you might consider using the alternate chords (without added quality) for that purpose since they will transpose with the chart.
It would require less editing and be less confusing if a chart needed to be transposed.
Like this:
Maria 1 - Leonard Bernstein

)BOB

 

[Keith88]

I'm glad you like the submissions. I've tried using alternate chord fields for cue notes but I like the way the letters in the text fields look compared with the alternate chord fields. I know that they don't transpose. I find cue notes to really help me play the melody accurately, especially if I play a fill and need to get back to the melody.

 

[engelbach]

This is my take on this tune. I left Keith's note cues — they're a great idea — and added a few chord changes for more harmonic movement.

Maria-Rev JE - Leonard Bernstein

Cheers,
Jer