Harry "Sweets" Edison, trumpet player for the Count Basie Big Band, wrote and released Centerpiece on his "Sweetenings" album in 1958. You can't find this album on streaming, but here it is on YouTube, below. Notice the tempo, nothing flashy about this version of the song! https://youtu.be/6ITiowBiMOs This website his several resources for you on how to play this tune. First and foremost, I encourage you to learn the melody from the recording. You can use a real book, but…

Here is a rhythm chart for C instruments, Bb instruments, and Eb instruments for the 12 bar blues, Centerpiece, written by Harry "Sweets" Edison. Notice the ii V7 turnaround in the fourth measure, and the diminished chord at the end of the 6th measure. This is very common in jazz, and creates tension which is resolved up to the chord in measure 7. There is another ii V7 turnaround in the 8th measure which goes toward the 9th measure. Then,…

Below you will find 2 note piano voicings for Centerpiece by Harry "Sweets" Edison. You can use this as a guide and it has not been designed for you to play it exactly as written. Two note voicings are constructed from the 3rd and 7th of the chord. Listen to the recording to hear how Jimmy Jones, the piano player, comped behind the horns. You can use this as a guide for guide tones as well. https://youtu.be/6ITiowBiMOs Centerpiece 2 Note…

Here you will find sheet music on how to play a bass line for the Ab blues, namely, through the song Centerpiece by Harry "Sweets" Edison. Notice the diminished chord - this is common in jazz blues that came after the bebop era. Below is a video of the recording as it was originally released on the album Sweetenings in 1958. https://youtu.be/6ITiowBiMOs Below you will find an example bass line playable on any instrument. Scroll down till you find the…