Barry HarrisThe method

Tunes he taught

I’ll Keep Loving You

Bud Powell’s ballad was one Barry played again and again in concert, and at his 2008 clinic in Spain he worked on it at the piano, with chord movement and borrowed notes.

moments in class
5
recordings
4
Barry plays it
12

What he teaches through it

At his 2008 clinic in Spain he works on the tune at the piano, showing chord movement, and borrows a note into one chord: it sounds dissonant, he admits, but he knows how to make it work. That, he says, is why you should know your scale of chords from the diminished scale.

I’ll Keep Loving You, part 20:000:341:112:24

Introducing it in concert, he tells the audience Bud Powell wrote it, says Monk and Bird will follow, and argues that if concert halls play Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, he can play Bird, Bud and Monk.

Barry Harris Trio - 2005-07-08, North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands35:3836:12

In his own words

I’m gonna play the other ballad, I’m gonna play I’ll Keep Loving You. I hope you will enjoy. This song was written by Bud Powell

Barry Harris Trio - 2005-07-08, North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands. Announcing the tune at the 2005 North Sea Jazz Festival. 35:38 Watch on YouTube at 35:38

I believe if you go to the concert in the concert hall and they play Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, I don’t see why I can’t play Bird

Barry Harris Trio - 2005-07-08, North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands. Same introduction, explaining why his sets hold Bud Powell, Monk and Bird. 35:38 Watch on YouTube at 35:38

That’s why you should know ... your scale of chord[s], the four chords from ... the diminish[ed] scale

I’ll Keep Loving You, part 2, Spain, 2007–08. At his 2008 clinic in Spain, after borrowing a note on the tune. 2:24 Watch on YouTube at 2:24

In class

Every moment he works on it, with the ideas of the method it shows.

I’ll Keep Loving You, part 1

Spain, 2007–08

  1. 0:00

    Shows the tune at the piano at his 2008 Spain clinic; the captions are too rough to follow.

    Watch on YouTube

I’ll Keep Loving You, part 2

Spain, 2007–08

  1. 1:11

    Borrows a note into a chord on the tune; admits it sounds dissonant but knows how to handle it.

    10.4

    Watch on YouTube at 1:11

  2. 2:24

    Says this is why you must know your scale of chords from the diminished scale.

    9.4

    Watch on YouTube at 2:24

An introduction for I’ll Keep Loving You

Spain, 2007–08

  1. 0:00

    Last clip of the 2008 Spain clinic, listed as his intro to the tune; captions hold almost no words.

    Watch on YouTube

Barry Harris Trio - 2005-07-08, North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands

  1. 35:38

    North Sea concert, 2005: says Bud Powell wrote it and defends playing Bird, Bud and Monk.

    Watch on YouTube at 35:38

Barry plays it

In the method

The ideas of the method these moments show, and how many moments each.

  1. 10.4Borrowing1
  2. 9.4Playing the scale of chords (block chords up and down the 6th dim scale)1