Well, there are quite a few but I've found that the biggest one for me is the so-called jazz turnaround. Even the common ones like the B3 diminished or the classic 'Lady Bird' turnaround are handled with difficulty by every arranger I've tried. I know that Scottyee has experimented a lot with 'rootless' jazz chords and I also know that Russ and Rory and probably Joe Ayala and a few others, know not only every jazz chord but also every jazz turnaround in the book. My
question is, how do you handle that very necessary function (the transition) with an arranger keyboard? Even when you play the 'right chords' for those two measures, it still doesn't sound right. Of course, you can play the transition with your right hand (assuming you've got the right voice on tap), but if the style is playing, that too could be a conflict. The only solution I see is playing manual bass (omiting the style part) through the transition and then quickly switching back to style play.

If I had to critique most of the jazz or jazz-oriented performances here, I would have to say that most people simply omit playing turnarounds. The result is that it keeps it from sounding professional. This is not an arranger putdown, simply a discussion about (and hopefully a solution to) this problem (or even if you think it IS a problem - maybe it's only me?).

This topic may be of little interest to most as it pertains mostly to jazz tunes or jazz-oriented standards. I recognize that it is less of a problem with Country, Rock, R&B, and hardly a problem at all with Rap and HipHop . What do you think?

chas