Blue Bossa

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

Published: 01 Oct 2011 Updated: 28 Nov 2022Visits: 1413Code: UL430

INSTRUMENTS: Latin Main: Any Others: Ukulele Leadsheet ANY Guitar
Subjects: Beginner • Intermediate • Jazz • Repertoire • Standard • Bossa

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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: 01 Jan 2003

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: 20 Apr 2022

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: 10 Jun 2021

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

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