Editing Jazz (section)

====Pentatonic scales====
The use of [[pentatonic scale]]s was another trend associated with Africa. The use of pentatonic scales in Africa probably goes back thousands of years.<ref>"An ancient west central Sudanic stratum of ''pentatonic'' song composition, often associated with simple work rhythms in a regular meter, but with notable off-beat accents ... reaches back perhaps thousands of years to early West African sorgum agriculturalists."{{harvnb|Kubik|1999|p=95}}</ref>

[[McCoy Tyner]] perfected the use of the pentatonic scale in his solos,<ref>Gridley, Mark C. (2000: 270). ''Jazz Styles: History and Analysis'', 7th ed.</ref> and also used parallel fifths and fourths, which are common harmonies in West Africa.<ref>Map showing distribution of harmony in Africa. Jones, A. M. (1959). ''Studies in African Music.'' Oxford Press.</ref>

The minor pentatonic scale is often used in blues improvisation, and like a blues scale, a minor pentatonic scale can be played over all of the chords in a blues. The following pentatonic lick was played over blues changes by [[Joe Henderson]] on [[Horace Silver]]'s "African Queen" (1965).{{sfn|Levine|1995|p=235}}

Jazz pianist, theorist, and educator [[Mark Levine (musician)|Mark Levine]] refers to the scale generated by beginning on the fifth step of a pentatonic scale as the ''V pentatonic scale''.<ref>Levine, Mark (1989: 127). ''The Jazz Piano Book''. Petaluma, CA: Sher Music. ASIN: B004532DEE</ref>

[[File:I IV V pentatonic.tiff|thumb|center|upright=2.05|C pentatonic scale beginning on the I (C pentatonic), IV (F pentatonic), and V (G pentatonic) steps of the scale.{{clarify|date=August 2012}}<!--the text above says the fifth step of a pentatonic scale, but this shows the fifth step of the C major diatonic scale-->]]

Levine points out that the V pentatonic scale works for all three chords of the standard II–V–I jazz progression.<ref>Levine (1989: 127).</ref> This is a very common progression, used in pieces such as Miles Davis's "Tune Up". The following example shows the V pentatonic scale over a II–V–I progression.<ref>After Mark Levine (1989: 127). ''The Jazz Piano Book''.</ref>

[[File:II V I.tiff|thumb|center|upright=2.05|V pentatonic scale over II–V–I chord progression]]

Accordingly, John Coltrane's "[[Giant Steps]]" (1960), with its 26 chords per 16 bars, can be played using only three pentatonic scales. Coltrane studied [[Nicolas Slonimsky]]'s ''Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns'', which contains material that is virtually identical to portions of "Giant Steps".<ref>Bair, Jeff (2003: 5). [https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4348/m2/1/high_res_d/dissertation.pdf ''Cyclic Patterns in John Coltrane's Melodic Vocabulary as Influenced by Nicolas Slonimsky's Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns: An Analysis of Selected Improvisations''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816120320/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4348/m2/1/high_res_d/dissertation.pdf |date=August 16, 2017}}. PhD Thesis. University of North Texas.</ref> The harmonic complexity of "Giant Steps" is on the level of the most advanced 20th-century art music. Superimposing the pentatonic scale over "Giant Steps" is not merely a matter of harmonic simplification, but also a sort of "Africanizing" of the piece, which provides an alternate approach for soloing. Mark Levine observes that when mixed in with more conventional "playing the changes", pentatonic scales provide "structure and a feeling of increased space".<ref>Levine, Mark (1995: 205). ''The Jazz Theory Book''. Sher Music. {{ISBN|1-8832-1704-0}}.</ref>