Tag Archives: sheet music

music, solo piano

One Ginger Snap

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A post shared by Jim Funnell (@funnelljazz) on


One Ginger Snap (Jim Funnell)
©2007, 2018 Jim Funnell/Funnelljazz (ASCAP, SACEM)
Available sheet music: score | piano | bass

Jim Funnell – piano

Rather fast paced with some treacherous changing meters, this tune represents just how exciting having at least One Ginger Snap to spice up a warm and comforting afternoon tea is to most of us.

As you can see from the score or piano part, the coda was fashioned as a tribute to Herbie Hancock’s brisk “One Finger Snap” in an attempt to establish a budding, yet crucial link between jazz history and the noble beverage’s rich tradition!

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AfuriKo, music

Oleleko

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Oleleko (AfuriKo)
©2018 AfuriKo/Funnelljazz (ASCAP/SACEM)
Recorded by Charles Frossard at Studio MESA (Soignolles-en-Brie, France) on January 4, 2018.
Djembe solo playback filmed at home in New York City!
Available sheet music: guitar | keys | violin

Akiko Horii – percussion
Jim Funnell – piano, keyboard, key bass

Although “Oleleko” remains of unknown origin, it is most likely a cheerful West African song, which must have been passed on orally until it recently reached AfuriKo’s ears! The djembe break at the beginning of the video was crafted by Akiko and weaved into the arrangement, while Jim harmonized the melody using block chords and drop 2 voicings extensively, sprinkling in a few modulations for good measure.

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jazz quartet, music, solo piano

What Is This (Detuned) Thing?

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A post shared by Jim Funnell (@funnelljazz) on

What Is This (Detuned) Thing? (Jim Funnell)
©2008, 2018 Jim Funnell/Funnelljazz (SACEM/ASCAP)
Recorded live at Conservatoire Gabriel Fauré (Savigny-le-Temple, France) on January 26, 2013. Mixed by Philippe Lopes de Sa and Samuel Bonifait.
Available sheet music: score

Philippe Lopes de Sa – tenor saxophone
Jim Funnell – piano
Florent Nisse – double bass
Louis Moutin – drums

Laszlo Gardony, one of my jazz piano mentors at Berklee, hipped me to his “detuning” technique (playing through a tune and gradually moving chords – or sets of chords – up or down a half step), which I applied here to Cole Porter’s “What Is This Thing Called Love?.” I then wrote an angular line over the modified changes (instead of keeping and detuning the original melody, which also would have been an option), and threw in some rhythm section hits here and there. These hits are integrally featured during the head, but can then be played at the musicians’ discretion during solos! And there you have it… What Is This (Detuned) Thing?

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