That's the ticket, RickG, BiaB is a stellar teaching/learning tool in so many ways, you've described one of them very well.

As for the Em7 and the Bb9, welcome to the exciting world of jazz harmonies!

If you are in the key of G Major, then the Em7 is the 6m, of course, and that Bb9 is the b3, which sticks the #9, Bb of the key of G at the root and thus we have one cool transition.

Of course, in staff notation, it does require use of accidentals because the Bb and the F natural are not in the key of G's key signature. Big deal.

If you experiment a bit with the two chords, try this: Em7/B to Bb9.

Same basic chord, but putting the B in the bass of the Em7 shows the beautiful chromatic motion going down a half step.

This could also be a transition to another key within the song. Typical of many jazz songs, the keychange may be for only two bars, such as in a 2m, 5, 1 progression (like in the bridge of Sleighride, to be holiday appropriate) or it could modulate for any number of bars for a bit. But it will eventually come back to the key of G.

Outstanding thing you are doing, keep it up! It is not as important to analyze the thing at first, the important thing is to become familiar with the known changes and what can be done. And the BiaB Demo Songs just about all have changes in them that are both common (to the jazz compendium) and delightful.

See if you can't insert some of them tastefully into some songs of your own, man.

Outstanding.

This I love to see.


--Mac

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