Thank you Alan for a decent explanation. I am a sax player so on this instrument I didnt really think about chords like a pianist (only one note to worry about at any given moment). I am now learning piano. I understand jazz modes, inversions and concepts like 251s etc.

I do think you know what you are talking about - but I dont understand your point a)

I always thought of the A section of RC's as fundamentally major diatonic in tonality (1625 ) and see the third chord as a DORIAN minor which would not give the particular chord you are talking of as the 'V chord of the II chord' this would be another 'simple' minor in the Aeolian position (natural minor) both dorian and aeolian have perfect fifths, flat thirds and sevenths they only vary in their sixth tones. So you are talking some other kind of minor?

The chord is written as G7 not G minor, (ostensively squashing my 'aoelian' theory) - do we take it as read that the major third of the G7+5+9 chord is abandoned? The plus 9 to me suggest a flat third - on the sax (in my ignborance) I simply treated this as a blues third.

How might this chord be voiced as a kind of first base thing?

An alternative explanation is that it is common to sharpen the third in the fifth chord in a minor tonality - simply to create more definition at the dominant position?

I see the 'literal' interpretation of this chord symbol as being a G7 - G B D F with an altered 5th (so D gets sharpened) and a #9 (A# on the top of the chord). Voicing this chord this way seems a bit pointless to me so obviously I have something wrong.

You said that the #5 and #9 where the flat third and seventh of the next chord ie. Cm , well this makes sense, so, functionaly they are there to create a dissonance which resolves into the C minor chord? Is this the function of these extensions?

thanks for your help

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