the Bill Evans school · ii–V–I in E♭ major
Rootless Voicings — B Form in E♭ Major
The audio adds each chord's root in the bass — that's the context these rootless shapes are designed to sit in. The MIDI file is exactly the notation.
The notes
| Chord | Notes (low → high) | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Fm9 | E♭ – G – A♭ – C | ♭7 · 9 · ♭3 · 5 |
| B♭13 | D – G – A♭ – C | 3 · 13 · ♭7 · 9 |
| E♭maj9 | D – F – G – B♭ | 7 · 9 · 3 · 5 |
Why it works
From Fm9 to B♭13, a single voice does all the work: E♭4 falls a half step to D4 while the other 3 notes hold. That stepwise pivot is the engine of the progression. Into E♭maj9, 3 voices settle by step (total motion of just 5 semitones). Smoothness here is measurable, not a metaphor.
In E♭ major, 4 of the 12 notes fall on black keys — a mixed terrain that is exactly why this progression must be practiced in every key, not just C. The lowest note is D4 in the middle-C octave; below roughly C3, close intervals start to blur, and this voicing stays clear of that line.
Practice tip: play the progression rubato first and listen for the held tones, then put the metronome on 2 and 4 at a slow tempo. When the grab is automatic, move around the circle of fourths — you are coming from B♭ and headed to A♭. Say the chord symbols out loud as you play; naming and hearing are different skills, and you want both.
Where E♭ major lives in the repertoire
E♭ major may be the most standard-dense key in jazz: "Misty" and "There Will Never Be Another You" both call it home, both saturated with exactly this cadence. It is also the key horn players default to, so a rhythm-section pianist ends up comping ii–V–I in E♭ more nights than in any other key. If you drill one non-C key to reflex level, make it this one.
About this voicing style
The same rootless grammar inverted: 7th on the bottom, for the keys where A form sits too low. Read the full story and get it in all 12 keys →
Listen: Bill Evans comping on "Autumn Leaves" (Portrait in Jazz); Kenny Barron's left hand on ballads.
Around the circle
Practice keys in the order bassists walk them — up a fourth: ← B♭ · E♭ · A♭ →