Yury Vesnyak’s Jazz Waltz: A Charmingly Simple Sheet Music

Yury Vesnyak’s “Jazz Waltz: A Charmingly Simple Sheet Music” is a great choice for beginning jazz students of all ages.

Introduction

Yury Vesnyak is a Russian-born jazz musician and composer who has been living and working in the United States since 2001. He has released two albums of original compositions, “Jazz Waltz” (2010) and “Charmingly Simple” (2013). Vesnyak’s music is influenced by a wide range of jazz traditions, from traditional New Orleans and Swing styles to more contemporary Straight-Ahead and Bebop forms. In addition to his work as a leader, Vesnyak has performed and recorded with some of the most respected names in jazz, including Gerald Wilson, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, Houston Person, and Joe Locke.

About the Music

Yury Vesnyak’s Jazz Waltz is a delightful little piece that is perfect for the beginning jazz pianist. The piece is just four pages long, and the melody is relatively simple. The left hand has a few easy chords, and the right hand plays the melody. There are a few simple embellishments, but nothing too difficult. This piece is perfect for someone who is just starting to learn jazz piano.

Origin of the Jazz Waltz

The Jazz Waltz is a 3/4 time swing dance that became popular in the early 1920s. This dance is often credited to Josephine Baker, an African American dancer who popularized it in her shows in Paris. The Jazz Waltz is danced to slow swing or equivalently fast waltz music.

The Jazz Waltz in Popular Culture

The jazz waltz originally was just a simple 3/4 waltz melody that was embellished with some embellishments typical of early Jazz. A lot of the early ragtime music was in 3/4 time, so it’s likely that the jazz waltz evolved from there. The form eventually became more complex, but the original tunes were still just simple 3/4 waltzes.

One of the most popular early jazz waltzes was “A Charmingly Simple Sheet Music”, which was written by Yury Vesnyak in 1914. This tune became quite popular and was recorded by many different artists, including Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, and Duke Ellington.

The jazz waltz eventually fell out of favor in the United States during the bebop era of the 1940s, but it has remained popular in Europe, especially in France and Belgium. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the genre, led by such artists as Ornette Coleman, Brad Mehldau, and Vijay Iyer.

The Score

The first thing you’ll notice about Vesnyak’s Jazz Waltz is its catchy, jazz-inspired melody. The waltz is scored for a piano solo, making it perfect for intermediate-level pianists. The piece is only four pages long, so it’s a great choice for students who are looking for a quick and easy recital piece.

The Melody

The melody of the “Jazz Waltz” is classic and catchy, yet simple enough for a beginner to follow. The first time I heard it, I was hooked.

There are only a few measures of music, so it’s easy to memorize. And because the melody is different each time you play it, the “Jazz Waltz” never gets old.

The Chords

There are three chords in this piece – A, D and G. Each chord gets two measures, except for the last chord which gets four.

The A chord is played for measures 1 and 2, the D chord is played for measures 3 and 4, and the G chord is played for measures 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The chords are all seventh chords – that is, they consist of four notes: the root (the first note of the scale), the third, the fifth, and the seventh.

For example, in the key of C, the notes of an A7 chord would be A-C-E-G. In this piece, we are using a jazzier sounding seventh chord called a dominant seventh: for example, in the key of C, a D7 chord would be D-F-A-C#.

The Arrangement

Consisting of only four measures, Yury Vesnyak’s Jazz Waltz is a great choice for beginner jazz musicians. The piece is in 3/4 time and the melody is easy to follow. The arrangement is for piano, but it would also sound great on other instruments such as guitar or trumpet.

The Form

The form of “The Arrangement” is a 38-bar jazz waltz in 3/4 time. The first 8 bars (A’) are devoted to the opening statement of the melody, played by the saxophones. This is followed by a 4-bar phrase (B’) in which the melody is taken up by the piano, with some countermelodies in the saxophones. After this, there is a 8-bar saxophone solo (C’), followed by a 4-bar drum solo (D’). The final A’ section rounds off the piece, with all instruments playing the melody together.

The Instruments

Instrumentation for “The Arrangement” includes the following:
-lead sheet
-piano
-bass
-drums

Conclusion

Yury Vesnyak’s Jazz Waltz is a charmingly simple piece of sheet music that is perfect for beginning jazz musicians. The melody is easy to follow and the arrangement is straightforward, making it an ideal choice for those just starting out in jazz. While the waltz may not be the most exciting or challenging piece of music, it is a great way to learn the basics of jazz improvisation and phrasing.