Balajo: chords & grille (gypsy jazz)
Balajo by Jo Privat, key of G (musette), form A B A C A. Below is the full chord grid; on Haute Gitanerie you can play along with a scrolling chord ribbon, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and switch on a rhythm backing (la pompe) to practise your solos over the changes.
About
Balajo is a valse musette by accordionist Jo Privat (1919–1996), who reigned over the Parisian Balajo dance hall from his 1936 residency and blended musette with manouche and American jazz. He played alongside Django and the Ferret brothers.
The sound: unusually for a musette waltz, it sits in G major, giving it a bright, singing lilt over changes rich in Privat's signature colour (watch the diminished passing chords and the Cm6).
Practising it: settle the 3/4 pulse with a solid downbeat, then work G major arpeggios and the chromatic passing dims. Take the melody slowly and let it breathe before adding ornaments.
Balajo chords: the grille
A : | G | E♭9 | G | G | G/B | B♭° | D7 | E7 | Am | Am | D7 | D7 | Am | Cm6 | G/B | D7/A | G | E♭9 | G | G | E7 | E7 | Am | Am | Am | Cm6 | G | E7 | A7 | D7 | G | G |
B : | A7 | A7 | D | D | A7 | A7 | F° | D/F# | F#7 | F#7 | Bm | Em | D | A7 | D7 | D7 |
C : | C | C | C | C | C | C | G7 | G7 | E7 | E7 | Am | Am | D7 | D7 | G7 | G7 | C | C | C | C | A7 | A7 | Dm | Dm | Fm6 | Fm6 | C | A7 | D7 | G7 | C | C |
Chords used
G · E♭9 · B♭° · D7 · E7 · Am · Cm6 · A7 · D · F° · F#7 · Bm · Em · C · G7 · Dm · Fm6
Play along
Open the interactive grille for Balajo: loop any section, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and play over a rhythm accompaniment, with a real recorded pompe on featured tunes. In the browser, free.