Nefertiti — Chord Changes & Harmonic Analysis
- Composer:
- Wayne Shorter
- Year:
- 1967
- Key:
- Bb major
- Form:
- AB (16 bars)
- Style:
- Post-Bop
- Tempo:
- 100–160 BPM
A mesmerizing Wayne Shorter composition featuring a repeating melody with subtle harmonic shifts. Famous for the Miles Davis recording where the rhythm section improvises while the horns play the melody repeatedly.
About This Standard
Composed by Wayne Shorter and recorded by the Miles Davis Quintet on the 1968 album Nefertiti, the piece is famous for the unusual approach on the recording: the horn players repeat the melody continuously throughout the entire tune while the rhythm section (especially drummer Tony Williams) improvises freely beneath them — reversing the traditional jazz arrangement.
Notable recordings:
- Miles Davis Quintet — Nefertiti (1968)
- Wayne Shorter — (various recordings)
Chord Changes
Notation
Harmonic Analysis
Nefertiti has a 16-bar melody-driven form with a harmonically ambiguous, modern sound. The chord changes feature suspended chords and open voicings typical of Wayne Shorter's compositional language — avoiding the pull of traditional ii-V-I resolution in favor of colors that shift and hover. The harmonic language is close to post-bop and has elements of modal jazz. The unusual form and the reversing of the soloist/accompanist role (horns play melody while drums improvise) made it one of the most compositionally original pieces of the late 1960s.