"It Could Happen To You" Analysis

Keith Jarret proves (as always) that he is a real master of Jazz improvisation. This solo has everything; burning bop-like lines, rhythmic motives, "out"-sounding lines and pentatonics and blues phrases. I love how Jarret's lines just flows and I can't really capture his timefeel with my transcription, you have to listen for yourself.

Something I have learned form lifting this and other solos by Jarret is how he treats II-V-I progressions. He often replaces the IIm7(b5) chord with a regular IIm7 chord and vice versa.
Look at bar 29 (ex.1): He plays a line that is based on A locrian, something you would normally play over a Ami7(b5), not Ami7. Same thing in bar 143 (ex.2) This time he uses C melodic Minor or A locrian nat 2 (long scale-name I know).
Obviously if you are a piano player you can play the flat five voicing at the same time and kind of reharm on the spot, espesially if you are playing in a piano trio.
But even if you are not playing a chord isntrument you can replace a min7 with a min7(b5) and vice versa. (dont take my word for it,try it on your next gig) :D

Now lets take a look at how Jarret treats the chords in bars 7,8 and 23,24 (ex.3)
I wrote down some variations on those chords. I dont know what the original changes are, I have seen different versions but I think that it's supposed to be one bar of Bmin7(b5) to one bar of E7?? Its very common to replace the Bmin7(b5) with F7 (listen to Bud Powell play the tune, in a differsnt key). Any seasoned jazz player knows that there are numerous ways to substitute those changes. I listed a few examples in example 3.
ok lets looks at what Jarret does...In bar 55 and 56 (Ex.4) he continues on a melodic motif and outlines what to me sounds like a B7 chord. Very sophisticated to substitute the Bmi7(b5) with a B dominant chord. Notice that the B7 is subV of F7 as well.
And in Ex.5 (bar 87,88) he gets even more fancy by using side-slipping. Going down chromatiacally to the II chord. Notice how he plays different inversions of the arpeggios so it doesn't sound "patternish".

It Could Happen Analysis

Now lets learn some licks from this solo.
One of my favorite licks that Jarret playes here happens in bar 109 (ex.1).
A really cool melodic minor lick. E melodic minor obviously works really nicely over Emin7 and A7 and then he segues into D altered (Eb melodic minor..half step blow E).
A really hip sounding lick, try to use it over other "jazz-minor" chords.
Then in bar 177 (ex.2) we find a really interesting lick as well, here Jarret is playing triplets but he is grouping the notes in an interesting way; 4 note arpeggio, then 5 and then 4 again. Again Jarret makes it sound loose and is avoiding to sound like he is playing patterns. The note choises are interesting too; a B minor arpeggio, an E7 arpeggio with a chromatic neigbour tone and then what appears to be a blues phrase.
By mixing rhythms and melodic patterns this way Jarret creates a solo that feels "alive".

Licks Keith Jarret