Every once in a while, I like to play over tunes I haven't worked on in a long time, to refresh them, make sure I really know the tune inside and out, and often times these practice sessions give me a completely new take on the tune. The one I randomly picked this time was Misty. The last time I thought of this tune was when I was listening obsessively to John Coltrane's I Want to Talk About You solo from Newport '63. His version of that tune makes me think of Misty, probably because the chords are similar, if not the same. His embellishing of the melody from the get-go, arpeggiating the chords and use of multiphonics, along with harmony I still don't understand, is so unique the first time you hear it, especially on a ballad.
When I think of a ballad, I think of absolute musical freedom. Ballads are my favorite thing to play, and the reason is just that-musical freedom. You have the world at your fingertips, really. You have the opportunity to play it poorly, play it just average, or play it remarkably. With this kind of song, you have the ability to make people feel every emotion: they may sob, they may feel sad, they may feel all mixed emotions, and your job is to convey your passion to the listener and make them overcome with emotion. Coltrane does it on I Want To Talk About You. I think if I had been given the wonderful chance to hear him play it live, two things would have happened: my mouth would've hit the floor in amazement, and I would have been overcome with emotion.
Back to the idea of musical freedom on a ballad, the player can state the melody simply or he can embellish it a little, or go to the other end of the spectrum, and embellish it wildly or more so than just a little. For me, it depends on my mood. I've experimented with tons of ways to approach a ballad, and sometimes I feel like playing very softly and not as much, and other times, I am wild. Nothing is wrong with either--all that matters is you are being honest with what you are playing, and some musicians will say, play the notes you hear in your head. Sometimes, it's blurry and sometimes, it's magical and the wheels are really turning.
On this day, I felt a little more wild, because I had been transcribing Just Friends, the Charlie Parker solo, and my imagination was all over the place and my fingers were moving faster--and therefore, my brain was moving faster and wanting to play faster. The following is my take on Misty, focusing on all but the bridge:
After another personal listen, one thing about the approach that I felt was good included an arpeggiation over polychords, or at least a descending bass line with chords on top. This is something I have been working on as of late, and there are so many ways to maneuver in and out of these chord progressions we all know and love. It's very noticeable in my playing over this that I am trying very hard to play outside the box that I am very much trapped in. I know where I'm at and what I'm doing, and very aware of stretching the chord, but just don't completely understand the chord I'm striving for. Hopefully this will come with time and more stretching of the imagination.
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