Blue Bossa

**Blue Bossa** is one of the easier songs that beginning jazz players tackle.

Published: 01 Oct 2011 Updated: 28 Nov 2022Visits: 14Code: UL430

Category: LatinInstrument: Any Subjects: Beginner • Intermediate • Jazz • Repertoire • Standard • Bossa

Share Blue Bossa on: Bluesky facebook twitter (X)

All 1 sample page(s) are viewable on-line.

If you are a registered site member, have verified your email address, and have the correct permissions you can view ALL the pages of this PDF or Samples pages at a larger size using the LearningUkulele.com Online PDF Viewer .

View the Main Song Downloads section below to download the song files for the complete and most up-to-date versions.

Blue Bossa

Blue Bossa is an instrumental jazz composition by Kenny Dorham (August 30, 1924 - December 5, 1972). It was introduced on Joe Henderson's 1963 album Page One. A blend of hard bop and bossa nova, the tune was possibly influenced by Dorham's visit to the Rio de Janeiro Jazz Festival in 1961. The tune has since been recorded numerous times by different artists, making it a jazz standard.

Blue Bossa modulates to one additional key from the home key of Cm. In the common key of Cm that Blue Bossa is typically performed in it modulates between the keys of C Minor and Db Major . The key is remembering the triggers to get from one key center to the next.

A Root Movement Analysis chart is below .

Blue Bossa is in the Real Book - Volume 1 Sixth Edition book.

Blue Bossa is on my, 2015 How About More Uke?, The Curt Sheller Jazz Trio CD.

“Curt, your CD was fantastic. You are amongst the ukulele masters of our day.” — John K.

Blue Bossa…

History

Blue Bossa is an instrumental jazz composition by Kenny Dorham (August 30, 1924 - December 5, 1972). It was introduced on Joe Henderson's 1963 album Page One. A blend of hard bop and bossa nova, the tune was possibly influenced by Dorham's visit to the Rio de Janeiro Jazz Festival in 1961. The tune has since been recorded numerous times by different artists, making it a jazz standard.

Blue Bossa is a great as one the first several songs that aspiring jazz players should learn.

Blue Bossa

This lessons/song includes: Play-along Lead Sheet, Ukulele TAB of Melody, Melody and Chord Ukulele arrangement, example chords and scales for accompaniment and improv.

Blue Bossa — Premium Play-along Track

Traditional head chords with a different solo section.

Premium Play-along Tracks are only available to Premium members and Active/Private Students.

Here is a Demo of Desafinado to get an idea of the quality of these custom play-along tracks.

Play-along Demo: Desafinado

DesafinadoPremium Play-along Track with Guitar Melody Played


I, (Curt) originally created these tracks to perform over for gigs and this was a demo for booking gigs.

These Premium Play-along Tracks are available to LearningUkulele.com Site Members and are my personal one-of-kind tracks I (Curt) and Chuck Anderson recorded and arranged.

Harmonic Analysis (RMA)

Blue Boss

Here is a scan of my original, from the 1980's Root Movement Analysis (RMA) chart.

An RMA chart allows you to determine the chord functions and an in turn what scale can be used for improvisation.

Notice the modulation between the keys of C Minor and Db Major . With ALL the chord being Full Diatonic to their respective major and minor keys.

A more modern take

You can actually get away with using two(2) scales. C Natural Minor on all the chords in the Cm section and the Db Major scale on the Db section.

Root Movement Analysis (RMA) Chart – 1980s


Release Date: December 2, 2015

How About More Uke?

How About More Uke? — A collection of jazz standards, original compositions by myself (Curt Sheller), Chuck Anderson and Jim Beloff / Herb Otha. Featuring Curt Sheller: `ukulele, Eric Schreiber: bass and Ed Rick: drums.

10 Minute Demo of How About More Uke? CD

Frank Vignola's Blue Bossa Chord Progression Jam

Main Song Download(s)

The main downloads for this Song.

SL497

Blue Bossa - Lead Sheet for Play-along Track

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

SL491

Blue Bossa - Solo Ukulele Arrangement

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

Blue Bossa - Premium Play-along Track

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Related Lessons

Related Lessons for Blue Bossa.

UL42-7

Core Chords - The Big Six - Building a Solid Chord Foundation

Updated: 07 Sep 2021

The Big Six Core Chords is a series of lessons for building your core, essential 4-part chords. These chords commonly called jazz chords, are really just 4-part chords used in a wide range of musical styles. These chords include: Seventh , Major Seventh, Minor Seventh, Half Diminished Seventh or Minor Seven Flat Five, Diminished Seventh, and Augmented Seventh. These six chords form a core set of chords.

Related Lesson Series

Related Lessons Series for Blue Bossa.

Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection

Updated: 09 Jun 2023

Harmonic Analysis (HA), also known as the study of chord relationships, is the method used to identify the harmonic role of chords within a chord progression or song. A chord progression refers to a sequence of chords, with each chord having a root note and belonging to a specific chord type. The function of a chord within a particular scale's tonality is determined by its relationship to that scale.

Jazz Standard Chord Progressions

Updated: 01 Jan 2003

These are the chord progressions, extracted from my book "Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele" for use with on-line and private students.

Core “Jazz” Ukulele Chords - The Big Six

Updated: 13 Aug 2024

Core Chords for Ukulele, The Big Six - From four F7 chord voicings or shapes, your can build your massive 4-part, a.k.a., “jazz” chord vocabulary. Beyond basic open position chords, basic movable form chords and a core set of 4-part chords. There are just too many chords shapes too memorize.

Related Songs

Related Songs for Blue Bossa.

UL504

Black Orpheus

Updated: 21 Mar 2022

Black Orpheus (Portuguese: Orfeu Negro) is a 1959 film made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus and starring Marpessa Dawn and Breno Mello. It is based on the play Orfeu da Conceição by Vinicius de Moraes, which is an adaptation of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in the modern context of a favela in Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval.

UL434

Girl From Ipanema

Updated: 20 Jul 2022

The Girl from Ipanema (Garota de Ipanema) is an essential jazz standard that every jazz musician should know. The A sections chord progression, basically a I II7 II V is functionally the same as Take the A Train, Jersey Bounce, Desafinado and a few others.

UL521

Wave

Updated: 06 May 2022

Wave (also known as "Vou Te Contar" in Portuguese) is a song written by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Recorded as an instrumental on Jobim's 1967 album of the same name, English lyrics were added by Jobim for a November 11, 1969 recording by Frank Sinatra, released on his 1970 album Sinatra & Company.

UL530

Summer Samba

Updated: 14 May 2013

Summer Samba (also known as So Nice or its original Portuguese title, "Samba de Verão") is a 1964 bossa nova song by Brazilian composer Marcos Valle, with English-language lyrics by Norman Gimbel; the original Portuguese lyrics came from Paulo Sérgio Valle, brother to the composer.

UL556

How Insensitive

Updated: 20 May 2013

Insensatez (usually translated toHow Insensitive in English, although the Portuguese word really means 'absurdity' or 'folly') is a bossa nova jazz standard composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, loosely based on Frédéric Chopin's Prelude No.4 with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. The English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel.

Related Books & Charts

Related Books for Blue Bossa.

AGCUKE1

A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords - Volume I

Updated: 13 Feb 2020

Beyond learning basic Ukulele chords, most players struggle with advanced chords. Commonly called "jazz" chords, these more sophisticated voicings find a wide use in all forms of music. A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele - presents a highly organized and efficient approach to the mysterious subject of advanced chords. Chord dictionaries are not the answer.

AGCUKE1STD

Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele

Updated: 10 Jan 2020

Exploring jazz chords using a variety of common chord progressions based on songs from the standard jazz repertoire. Core Chords are the basic set of chords needed to play a wide range of music, in a variety of styles. This set of chords includes basic open position chords, basic movable form chords and the core 4-part "jazz" chords.

RMA1

Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution

Updated: 08 Jun 2024

Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition. This analysis is then used to make scale selections for improvisation and chord substitution.

BC1UKE-C

Ukulele Chords - C Tuning

Updated: 12 Feb 2024

This chord book is a great addition to you music book library. Ukulele Chords covers basic open position and basic movable form chords.

A Selection of Books & Reference Charts that are recommended for creating a solid foundation with your chosen instrument and music in general.

Books

Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard – C Tuning

Finally, learn the names of the notes of the fingerboard.

Six Secrets of Ukulele Fingering

Learn the six fingering principles to navigating the ukulele fingerboard. Fingering is one of the most universal topics.

Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution

Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition.

Ukulele – Reading Music Series – Primer

Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position is a lot easier than you might think.

Daily Practice Material for the Contemporary Ukulele

An organized collection of daily practice and reference material for the contemporary ukulele player for developing the vocabulary and knowledge necessary for single note playing.

Checkout the Books for ALL available books.

Reference Charts

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G - G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G – G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Key Signatures — Circle of Fourths and Fifths – ANSI A & A4 sizes

A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatures. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized (ANSI-A) , A4

Checkout the Books for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.

Related Song Files, Resources and Assets

Related Assets for Blue Bossa.

FL68

A Guide to Advanced Chords Series - Chord Building Chart

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

A handle dandy reference chart for building fifteen (15) basic triads and 4-part chords.

SL497

Blue Bossa - Lead Sheet for Play-along Track

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

Blue Bossa - Premium Play-along Track

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

SL491

Blue Bossa - Solo Ukulele Arrangement

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

UL430-MAP

Blue Bossa - Road Map

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

"Blue Bossa" modulates to one additional key from the home key of Cm. In the common key of Cm that Blue Bossa is typically performed in it modulates between the keys of C minor and Db major. The key is remembering the triggers to get from one key center to the next.

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

Blue Bossa - How About More Uke? CD - Curt Sheller Trio

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

From How About More Uke? CD - Curt Sheller Trio

Site Access Plans for LearningUkulele.com

Forever Access - With Forever Premium Access, you get ALL the benefits of a Premium Access Subscription such as Unlimited 24/7 access to ALL lessons, downloads, songs, play-along jam tracks, videos, email access to Curt, resources, related assets, and ALL books by Curt as FREE downloads. Pretty much everything on the site, and NEVER worry about a subscription or surprise payment again. And jump the queue for responding to any questions.

If you're anything like me (Curt) and getting Subscription overloaded with everything and everybody on-line wanting money from you once a month — I'm with you. For like-minded individuals, this forever plan is a pay once, and you're done.

The price for Unlimited Forever access is right around the cost of a few months of private lessons. I can guarantee there is more than enough material on-line to keep you busy for a long, long time. And, you get all of my books for FREE. That alone is more than the cost of this plan.

Premium Access - This premium gives you Unlimited 24/7 access to ALL lessons, downloads, songs, play-along jam tracks, videos, email access to Curt, resources and related assets. As well as ALL books by Curt Sheller as FREE downloads.

Basic Access - A limited selection of basic lessons — ( currently over 140 ) and 100+ songs for ukulele as well as basic general music reference material — Completely FREE — Simply Register/Signup. HOWEVER - I've been doing ukulele and LearningUkulele.com since 2003 and probably have given too much away already - as reflected in my income from the site in relationship to the time spent on the site. So help support this site and its continued development by signing up for one of the below Premium Access Plans or buy a few of my books. - Thanks, Curt

NOTE: Each higher access level includes ALL the benefits of the lower levels. Private Lessons include all the benefits of a Premium Access Plans as long as you remain a student on the schedule.

Just browsing over both books, they look fantastic! I'm a guitarist and uke player for over 25 years and was thinking about writing a ukulele book but you've already written what I think are the best, most comprehensive and thorough books I've ever seen for the instrument. I just might end up buying every book you've written and I'll be giving my highest recommendation for your books to my friends and students. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such great books!Peter Rhee

Aloha, Curt, All I can say is WOW! What you have accomplished is simply incredible! All the bestGlen Hirabayashi, The Aloha Boys

Folks, if you haven't stopped by Curt's site, do so right now! ..And get his books, they are fantastic. This guy knows his stuff and is able to pass it along too.Alan Johnson Proprietor, The 4th Peg

I can highly recommend Curt's Uke books — I have four of them and they are excellent.fatveg — Portland

Want to drop LearningUkulele.com & Learning Ukulele with Curt a nice comment . We always like to know how we are and you are doing. We'll post any comment, quotes throughout the site and you can help spread the word .

Thanks for visiting and checking out the site!

curtieAnim.gif rw.vg.gif

Original Curtie Animation from 1987 for my first web site on a Macintosh II, 37 years ago. Man, does time fly.

“Built for myself (Curt), and sharing with the `Ukulele community!”

LearningUkulele.com has one of the largest collections of lessons, songs, and TABS, Luthiers, ukulele builders, ukulele festival and club information, and, ukulele links on the web. Curt has been on the ®Internet since the early 1990's and This site just never stops growing!!!

Content is added and updated daily — so check back often. I really do need to get out more ;-)

Love LearningUkulele.com? • Show your support!
Support development via a monthly membership or a one-time forever membership!