Analysis Billy Strayhorn's Isfahan

Elana Hedrych Professor Ryan Keberle Advanced Jazz Harmony & Arranging Fall 2021

Isfahan by Billy Strayhorn “Isfahan” is a composition written by pianist, composer, and arranger Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967) in 1963, and released on Duke Ellington’s 1967 album titled The Far East Suite.

Strayhorn composed the piece months before the 1963 Ellington orchestra traveled to Iran during a world tour. Isfahan was originally named Elf (original sketch included on the final pages), but was later named after the city of Isfahan in Iran. Isfahan is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, known for its scenic architecture, boulevards, and public square.

Strayhorn wrote Isfahan to showcase longtime Ellington soloist Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone. The piece is an elegant, emotional, slow swing ballad with lush harmonies and delicate rhythm section accompaniment. It sits at around 61 beats per minute and takes advantage of the spaciousness of it’s slow tempo. Interestingly, the rhythm section is comprised only of bass and drums, without piano despite being recorded by the great pianist Duke Ellington’s big band.

The Far East Suite recording of Isfahan has 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, 1 baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, bass and drums. The horns, bass and drums provide all of the harmonic and rhythmic information, as there is no guitar or piano accompaniment on the recording. The bass and drums are minimal, leaving lots of room for interesting harmonies of varied rhythms within the horn voices. The bass mainly plays roots and fifths on beats 1 and 3. The drummer is using brushes and playing quiet hits on beats 2 and 4 with subtle dynamic range throughout. The horn arrangement is a mixture of chordal comping

style rhythms, call-and-response melodic lines, and pad-like textures with chords. The melody is lyrical and expressive using great dynamic range and a variety of timbres of the alto saxophone.

For the simplicity of this analysis, the form of Isfahan is divided into four 8 measure segments, A, B, C, and D as seen in the above melodic analysis. This paper will analyze the first head (ABCD) of the arrangement. The melody contains a descending Dbmaj7 arpeggio pickup into measure one, then sitting on the major 7 of the Dbmaj7 chord. This melodic figure is a prominent theme we hear throughout the composition. In measure two, the melody lingers on the major 7 of a Bbmaj7 chord and slides up to the root as the harmonies underneath imply a Bb7 chord. Within the first few measures, the mood of Isfahan has been set with lyrical melodic content that emphasizes color tones, and with Johnny Hodges’ sensitive blues inflection weaved throughout (see below figure for a transcribed approximation of his blues inflection in Isfahan).

Measures 21-23

The melody contains great use of chromatic approach notes, passing tones, and chromatic passages to build tension before melodic and harmonic arrival points. Extended chromaticism as an approach to a target note can be seen in the sixth measure, allowing the 9 of Dbmaj7 in the seventh measure to feel consonant and final, as the A section ends on what may be considered the tonic.

Johnny Hodges emotionality and dynamic variations as he plays the Db triad in measure eight wake up the listener again, and we then hear more chromatic passing tones in the first measure of the B section. The first four measures of the B section contain lots of 3rds and 7ths, with long tones on minor thirds of the minor chords, giving a sense of a pattern. The chromatic approach pick up notes to measure 14 are followed by the b9 and #9 of C7, the V chord of the moment, and then resolves to the 5 of Fmaj7, our tonic of the moment. That tonic then disappears followed by a series of chromatic descending major 7th chords before the Dbmaj7

descending arpeggio theme is played, leading us into the original tonic again, Dbmaj7 in the first measure of the C section.

The C section contains only a slight variation from the A section within the last 3 bars.

Measure 22 contains a simplified rhythmic and chromatic approach leading to the #11 of the Db7 chord, as the tonic becomes the dominant of a brief new home key - Gbmaj7 in the first measure of the D section. The harmony changes to Gb’s tritone V substitution, C7, with a bluesy emotional peak as the melody slides from the #9 to the b9. The harmony then goes through dominant 7th chords in the cycle of 5ths before finally resolving to the original home key of Dbmaj7 again, alongside the melody resolving to Db. The arrangement of Isfahan is elegant, creative, and simple enough to avoid being too busy. The alto saxophone II and tenor saxophones are all in octave unison during the first A. The saxophones are playing highly syncopated and often chromatic lines, which give the impression of a call-and-response relationship with the melody (see below figure).

Measures 2-4

In the A section, the trombones start with short, syncopated chords in drop 2 and 4 voicings. Measure 3 is a drop 2 voicing held for two measures, before the voices spread out in measure five. The saxophones are playing using an effect called subtone, which is a soft, breathy timbre typically used in the lowest part of the range. Despite the intensely emotive melody, chordal accompaniment from the trombones, and wordy saxophone lines - the layered saxophone

voices using subtone as a timbral effect seem to keep the section from getting too loud or dynamically overwhelming the rest of the band.

In the first measure of the B section, the trombones drop out. It sounds like the baritone saxophone enters in the first measure of the B section. In the first four bars of this section, the woodwind voices spread out and play a pattern of double drop 2 and (regular) 3 with the baritone saxophone emphasizing the downbeat of every other measure by playing the root of the chord. In measure 13, the trombones are back in on long tones. The saxophones are playing lots of color tones on this grand chord in a drop 3 voicing, with the trombone III playing roots for final 4 measures of the B section. The C7 chord is then in drop 2 and 3, before resolving down to Fmaj7 which is in drop 2 and 4. The descending chromatic major 7th chords are all in drop 2 and 4.

As mentioned previously, the C section is identical to the A section up until measure 22 in which the melody is a variation. When the tonic becomes the V7 leading to the D section in measure 23, the melody sits on the #11 of the chord, and is not as neat and resolute as in the A section. Even in this moment of intensity, the drums do not have a noticeable dynamic change.

The woodwinds drop out and the trombones stay in, to play a two measure long Db7b9 chord filled with tension in a drop 2 and 4 voicing. As they fade out this chord, the baritone sax plays a unique passage of even eighths outlining a Db7 chord with some color tones, which feels like a melodic interlude before the D section.

In the D section, the saxophones and trombones play sturdy whole notes. The saxophones are all in octave unison on the 13 of Gb in measure 25, and then spread out to color tones on the C7 chord in measure 26. There is careful use of stop time figures throughout the arrangement, and we hear the first one in measure 26 - the whole note pad-like chords are interrupted by a full band stop time on the “and” of beat 4. This stop time happens in the middle of the dominant 7th

chords going through the cycle of fifths, creating great anticipation for resolution. The band has a full measure of rest while Johnny Hodges plays the iconic Dbmaj7 descending arpeggio as a pickup to conclude the head. In these last 4 measures of the D section, the trombones take on the same rhythmic figures as they had in the first 4 measures of the A section. The saxophones continue playing long tones, but return to their previous theme playing unisons in octaves with chromatic movement on color tones (seen in below image). They play the 9th of Eb7 which becomes the 13 of Ab7, chromatically step down to the #5 of Ab7#5, and then chromatically step down to the 9 on the Dbmaj7. The trombones return to outlining the chord of the moment.

Including the long tones above, measure 29 returns to drop 2 and 4 voicing, and then drop 2 and 3 in the following two measures. This gives the arrangement a full-circle feeling, as the listener returns to the same themes in both the melody and the harmonic arrangement, just with a variation in the harmonic progression.

Measures 28-31

It’s worth noting that the trumpets do not play until the pickup to the E section, where they lend great intensity before dropping out again in the F section for the rest of the arrangement.

In conclusion, Isfahan is a beautiful ballad with sensitive and masterful arranging techniques. The choice of excluding piano is incredibly successful, allowing the horns full opportunity to shine. This is a great example of Duke Ellington’s successful band leadership, always putting the music first. The drop voicings and careful voice leading create interesting harmonic movement that never leaves the listener wanting more rhythmic accompaniment.

Johnny Hodges stunning lead melody is memorable and makes this great composition even greater.

An initial sketch of Billy Strayhorn’s “Elf” (1/2)

An initial sketch of Billy Strayhorn’s “Elf” (2/2)

Citations: De, Leur Walter van. Something to Live For: the Music of Billy Strayhorn. Oxford University Press, 2002.

Isfahan by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. David Berger transcription. 2008.

Jackson, T. A. “Tourist Point of View? Musics of the World and Ellington's Suites.” The Musical Quarterly, vol. 96, no. 3-4, 2013, pp. 513–540., https://doi.org/10.1093/musqtl/gdt018.

David Berger. Notes On Playing Ellington. Jazz At Lincoln Center, 2005.