Work Song — Chord Changes & Harmonic Analysis
- Composer:
- Nat Adderley
- Year:
- 1960
- Key:
- F minor
- Form:
- Blues (12 bars)
- Style:
- Hard Bop
- Tempo:
- 100–140 BPM
A soulful minor blues evoking the sound of chain gang work songs. Nat Adderley's powerful composition became a soul-jazz standard, featuring a simple but deeply expressive melody over a minor blues progression.
About This Standard
Composed by Nat Adderley (brother of Cannonball Adderley) and recorded by the Cannonball Adderley Sextet on the album of the same name in 1960, Work Song was a soul jazz crossover hit with a gospel-blues character inspired by African American work songs and field hollers. It has been covered in numerous jazz, soul, and popular music contexts.
Notable recordings:
- Cannonball Adderley — Work Song (1960)
- Oscar Brown Jr. — (vocal version with lyrics)
- Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass — (1966 pop version)
- Widely covered — (soul jazz standard)
Chord Changes
Notation
Harmonic Analysis
Work Song is a 16-bar minor blues in F minor with a driving, gospel-inflected groove. The chord changes are rooted in blues: Fm7 (I minor)→Bbm7 (IV minor)→Fm7 (I)→C7 (V7)→Fm7, following a minor blues structure with bebop-era ii-V turnaround. The 16-bar form (rather than 12) adds two extra bars at the turnaround, giving it a slightly extended, hypnotic quality. The minor key and gospel feel create a powerful emotional character that transcends jazz audiences.