A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music

Author(s): BEN BAKER

Source: Theory and Practice , 2019, Vol. 44 (2019), pp. 39-82
Published by: Music Theory Society of New York State

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/27031385

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 2019 Patricia Carpenter Emerging Scholar Award

A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in

Robert Glasper’s Music
BE N BAKE R

The music of modern jazz pianist Robert Glasper (b. 1978) blends jazz with elements of R&B, hip-hop,
neo-soul, and gospel. While his chord progressions often feature diatonic tertian harmonies and clear tonal
centers, they frequently deemphasize familiar aspects of tonal jazz syntax. Instead, recurring patterns of
root and melodic motion both within and between diatonic collections form a common thread that runs
throughout much of Glasper’s music. To elucidate these patterns, this article develops a transformational
system using a construct with a rich history for modeling diatonic harmony: the ic3/4 dual interval cycle.
Motions within single cyclic subsets capture many of Glasper’s characteristic diatonic chord progressions
and accompanying melodic shapes. A cycle-based SLIDE transformation also efficiently models the voice-
leading pathways that underlie typical collection shifts in Glasper’s vamps and across his song forms. The
article concludes by considering the cyclic features of Glasper’s music in relation to cyclic elements of
postbop jazz.

I. Robert Glasper

Modern jazz pianist Robert Glasper (b. 1978) has won renown for blending jazz with
elements of R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul, and gospel. Although the boundaries between these
genres have become increasingly porous in recent decades, Glasper’s output as a composer and
bandleader has emphasized their shared affinity. After spending his early career performing at
New York City jazz clubs and collaborating with hip-hop and neo-soul artists, Glasper signed
with the storied Blue Note Records jazz label in 2005. His first two records on the label, 2005’s
Canvas and 2007’s In My Element, featured the pianist in the familiar format of an acoustic
piano trio, performing original jazz compositions that also bore the imprint of his wide-ranging
stylistic acumen. His third label release, 2009’s Double-Booked, took this musical hybridity
as its theme, featuring both his acoustic trio and his larger fusion band, the Robert Glasper
Experiment. This mix of influences soon earned Glasper more mainstream success: his two
genre-blending Black Radio albums in 2012 and 2013, which featured the Experiment band in
collaboration with a variety of hip-hop and neo-soul vocalists, each garnered a Grammy Award.
In subsequent years, Glasper has cemented his reputation as an innovator and in-demand
collaborator, while continuing to record with both his Experiment band (ArtScience, 2016) and
acoustic trio (Covered, 2015). As jazz critic Giovanni Russonello declared in advance of one
of the pianist’s residencies at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club, Glasper is “probably the most
prominent jazz musician of his generation. He’s gotten there by playing within and without jazz,
and pushing the music to reconsider its boundaries” (2018).1

1 Despite the shared name, New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club is not affiliated with Blue Note Records.

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40 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

This article develops a cyclic transformational space that models recurring patterns
in Glasper’s harmonic and melodic language. These patterns appear frequently enough
in Glasper’s music that I argue they comprise a foundational, recognizable element of his
style. And because Glasper is widely acknowledged as a jazz musician, these patterns may
be productively situated against the backdrop of existing scholarship on tonal and postbop
jazz.2 However, my focus on Glasper’s harmonies and melodies necessarily circumscribes
my discussion of his music’s sonic, cultural, and stylistic richness. This limitation is
especially acute because Glasper’s musical milieu extends well beyond jazz, and because
his output often challenges genre boundaries. Although much of Glasper’s harmonic
language is firmly rooted in the jazz tradition, the progressions modeled in this article
also evoke the sounds of R&B and neo-soul—genres whose ongoing histories intertwine
with jazz, but which, like Glasper’s music, are the subject of little or no music-theoretical
scholarship.3 These broader connections fall outside the scope of this article, but I hope
the tools and insights offered here might suggest some harmonic and melodic tendencies
shared between these genres, providing a useful starting point for future studies.
Glasper’s progressions often combine tertian harmonies with clear local tonal
centers, while deemphasizing ii–V–I progressions and other functional building
blocks of tonal jazz syntax.4 Instead, his music emphasizes root and melodic motions
that traverse networks of diatonic thirds, often enlivened by mode mixture. These
progressions are most prominent within vamps or as the opening gambits of longer
phrases or formal sections; they usually avoid dominant seventh chords, instead
prioritizing major seventh, minor seventh, and sus chords; and their associated melodies

2 “Tonal jazz” refers broadly to Great American Songbook standards and original jazz compositions of
the 1920s through the mid-1950s, which are generally monotonal and feature clear cadences and functional
harmonic motions. “Postbop,” in contrast, refers to jazz compositions of the 1960s by musicians such as Herbie
Hancock, Chick Corea, and Wayne Shorter, whose harmonic progressions often suppress conventional tonal
functions and sometimes adopt cyclic harmonic and/or melodic designs. For more on the distinction between
tonal and postbop jazz, see Waters (2019, 1–23).
3 An exception is Lovell (2012), which examines harmony in the music of Stevie Wonder. The complexity of
genre in Glasper’s music may be one of the reasons why, despite his stature in the modern jazz world, there are
currently no music-theoretical studies of his output; Ramsey (2013), which examines genre in the Robert Glasper
Experiment’s Black Radio from the perspective of cultural studies, is the only music scholarship of which I am
aware that addresses Glasper’s music. Race may also be a factor. Compare Glasper, who is Black, with another
alumnus of The New School: the white pianist Brad Mehldau, who rose to prominence just a few years before
Glasper, whose piano trio recordings also engage broadly with both jazz and popular music traditions, and who
is the subject of at least three explicitly music-theoretical studies (Arthurs 2011; Baynes 2015; Rusch 2013).
4 I treat “ii–V–I” as a generalized idiom that refers to the various conventional chord qualities and accompanying
extensions that may color this functional root motion in major and minor keys. To non-exhaustively cite some
common examples, ii may be a minor, half-diminished, or dominant seventh chord; V may be a dominant seventh
chord with various diatonic and/or chromatic upper extensions; and the tonic may be a major, minor, or minor-
major seventh chord.

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 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 41

often comprise upper extensions of these chords. Although conventionally functional

(predominant)–dominant–tonic progressions also occur in Glasper’s music, they are
somewhat uncommon and often feature postbop-style chord substitutions that pair
functional root or bass motions with chord qualities that obscure this function by
altering upper-voice tendency tones.5
While Glasper’s pervasive root and melodic motions along networks of thirds
find precedents in tonal and postbop jazz, there are notable differences. Stefan Caris
Love (2017) examines melodic motion by thirds in tonal jazz, drawing on van der
Merwe (1989) to argue that such motion is a hallmark of African American music
more generally. Tonal jazz melodies often traverse what Love calls “ladders of
thirds”—in C major, for example, a tonic-oriented ladder includes the pitch classes
(pcs) A–C–E–G–B(b).6 To articulate authentic cadences at phrase endings, tonal jazz
tunes often pair basic ii–V–I progressions with melodic motion along this ladder toward
the tonic pc. Although Glasper’s melodies often trace similar networks of thirds, this
coordination of melodic closure with functional harmonic motion is comparatively
rare in his music. Instead, Glasper’s progressions often remain yoked to a clear tonal
center by consistently juxtaposing a small number of third-related, tall tertian diatonic
and mixture harmonies.7 This emphasis on centric, modally inflected diatonicism, in
turn, distinguishes Glasper’s music from the third-based axis progressions and key
schemes of postbop, which often use cyclic designs to undercut tonal centers rather
than establish them, and which regularly include harmonies that imply a wider variety
of pitch collections.8

5 For discussions of postbop harmonic substitutions and suppressions of tonal function, see Strunk (2016)
and Waters (2016, 2019).
6 Love (2017) uses “ladders of thirds” as a technical term for a specific analytical system he develops. To
bypass any confusion, I only use this term in direct reference to Love’s study.
7 My conception of harmonic mixture encompasses both simple and secondary mixture; in a major or minor
key, the former term refers to harmonies that borrow pitches from the parallel diatonic collection, while the
latter term refers to harmonies generated by changing the quality of a diatonic harmony without borrowing from
the parallel collection (e.g., VIs in major). This understanding of secondary mixture parallels the taxonomy in
both Aldwell, Schachter, and Cadwallader (2019) and Gauldin (2004). While some theory texts regularly use the
locution “mixture chord” (e.g., Clendinning and Marvin 2016; Laitz 2015), others strenuously avoid it, preferring
the term “borrowed chord” (e.g., Burstein and Straus 2020; Kostka, Payne, and Almén 2018). I avoid the latter
term because secondary mixture chords cannot be said to “borrow” from any relevant diatonic collection.
8 John Coltrane’s tune “Giant Steps” (from his 1960 album of the same name) is often cited as the touchstone
for cyclic design in postbop jazz. Referencing numerous previous commentators, Waters (2010) notes that the
tune’s sequence of key areas related by major third makes it difficult to determine a global key. He also tracks the
pervasive influence of the tune’s harmonic and melodic patterns in postbop compositions by Herbie Hancock,
Wayne Shorter, and Bill Evans. For discussions of chord-scale relationships and their application to harmonic
analysis in postbop, see Michaelsen (2018), Tymoczko (1997), Waters (2005), and Waters and Williams (2010),
many of which draw on Pressing (1978).

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42 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

The tune “Rise and Shine” (2005c) provides a fitting introduction to Glasper’s
style; a transcribed lead sheet for mm. 1–24 appears in Example 1a.9 As summarized in
Example 1b, the majority of the tune’s root motions traverse a network of thirds that
extends downward from the F-major tonic harmony through submediant, subdominant,
and supertonic harmonies. This diatonic network is enlivened by mixture harmonies
borrowed from the parallel key of F minor (mm. 2–3, 9, and 12), a secondary mixture
D-major chord that Glasper approaches via minor plagal motion (mm. 4–5), and a
Neapolitan chord (m. 21).10 In a similar fashion, the melody repeatedly traces a network of
thirds that extends upward from the tonic pitch F. Many of these melodic pitches function
as 9ths or 11ths of the underlying chords, and diatonic pitches are sometimes lowered by
a half step in accordance with the supporting mixture harmonies. Interspersed among
these network traversals are variants of functional ii–V–I progressions in mm. 9–11 and
21–24. In lieu of diatonic ii chords, both progressions momentarily enlist major seventh
chords from the network of thirds as predominants: m. 9 features a predominant bVI,
while m. 21 substitutes a root-position Neapolitan.11 This latter substitution is perhaps
more familiar from common-practice harmony than jazz, in which chords built on b2
usually act as dominant—rather than predominant—substitutes.

9 Because Glasper has not published lead sheets for his tunes, the notated examples in this article are derived
from my detailed transcriptions of Glasper’s recorded performances. A given progression usually repeats multiple
times in a single performance, so my transcriptions capture multiple expressions of each chord. In order to assign
single chord symbols to these varied expressions, I have relied on my own experience as an improvising jazz
pianist, and I have preferred taller tertian heights wherever possible. For example, I represent a harmony as Fm11
instead of Fm9 if some realization of the harmony includes a chordal 11th; even if the 11th does not appear in
every voicing, it exists as a potential chord tone. My nomenclature for chord symbols largely follows the style
guide developed by Keith Waters, Ben Geyer, and the SMT Jazz Interest Group, with the exception that upper
extensions are notated as superscripts.
10 Unless explicitly noted otherwise, harmonies should be understood in root position; hence, “root” and
“bass” are usually synonymous.
11 In this article, roman numerals are generally presented without superscripts and should be understood
as root-position diatonic seventh chords with a flexible number of diatonic upper extensions. In the case of all
harmonies except V, the range of possible extensions can be modeled by a relevant subset of the ic3/4 cycle—thus,
lowercase roman numerals generally indicate minor seventh chords, upper-case roman numerals indicate major
seventh chords, and uppercase roman numerals with a “sus” label indicate sus chords, all with flexible diatonic
extensions of 9th, (s)11th, and 13th. Exceptions to this principle are clarified in the prose and generally involve
the uppercase numeral V. See note 4 above for a discussion of the ii–V–I idiom. The symbol V’M7 (discussed
below) refers to a major seventh chord built on b2, which is embedded in the ic3/4 cycle. I specify this chord’s major
7th to distinguish it from the usual dominant 7th found in a dominant chord generated by tritone substitution
(V’7), which is not embedded in the ic3/4 cycle. Applied dominants sometimes appear in inversion, which is
specified with figured bass (e.g., V6 of a subsequent chord). Note 37 also discusses bVII as a so-called backdoor
dominant, which is conventionally a dominant seventh chord.

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 43

œ
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music

FM9 DbM9 Bbm9 Gm11

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DM9 Gm11 DM/F# FM9
Ϫ j
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&b ˙ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ w ˙ Œ œ œ
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™™
1.
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œ œ œ w w w
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GbM9 C7(#9#5) F7sus
œ bœ w w ˙
20
b˙
& b ˙™ œ œ œ
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Example 1a
Robert Glasper, “Rise and Shine” (2005c), mm. 1–24 (00:00–00:33).
1 (b)3 5 (b)7 2
root motions
<b>œ œ
&b œ <b>œ œ œ
<b> œ œ <b>œ
melodic motions
VI#
ii vi I
bII iv bVI
Example 1b
Robert Glasper, “Rise and Shine” (2005c), mm. 1–24, network of thirds underlying root and melodic motions.
44 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

This network of variable thirds that undergirds “Rise and Shine” dwells beneath
many passages in Glasper’s music. I argue that the ic3/4 dual interval cycle is a fitting
and flexible construct for elucidating the prominence of this network in Glasper’s
musical language. The cycle suggests both a structure for diatonic sets and particular
voice-leading pathways between these sets that frequently manifest in the root motions
and melodies of Glasper’s compositions and arrangements.12 The network of thirds in
Example 1b foreshadows this dual utility by embedding two subsets of the ic3/4 cycle
that share a perfect-fifth cycle of common tones. The network arranges the F-major
diatonic collection as an alternating pattern of ics 3 and 4, stretching left to right from
G to G. Beginning instead on a leftmost G b (b2), a left-to-right ic4/3 pattern preserves a
B b –F–C–G pitch axis while lowering the other pitches in the F-major collection by a
half step; this ic4/3 pattern furnishes the progression’s simple mixture harmonies and its
Neapolitan chord.
In the next two parts of this article, I explore in more detail how the ic3/4 cycle
can efficiently model root and melodic motions across networks of diatonic thirds, and
I develop a cyclic SLIDE transformation to capture the collection shifts that frequently
inflect these motions. Although my discussion of these transformations is necessarily
technical at times, my aim is to carefully formalize a transformational system that
resonates both conceptually and kinesthetically with Glasper’s approach to harmonic
and melodic space at the keyboard. In the penultimate section, I use this framework to
analyze numerous examples from Glasper’s Blue Note releases with both his acoustic
trio and his Experiment, outlining three general contexts in which cyclic SLIDE
transformations operate in Glasper’s music. I conclude by briefly exploring how the ic3/4
model can interact with other cyclic procedures in order to clarify Glasper’s relationship
with the cyclic legacy of postbop harmony.

II. The ic3/4 dual interval cycle

Example 2 displays the ic3/4 dual interval cycle using pc integers. The cycle
alternates between ics 3 and 4, producing a 24-member cycle that contains two instances
of each pc. Reading clockwise, the cycle comprises two interlocking 7-cycles (shown
using black and gray), and it contiguously encodes all twelve diatonic collections, as
well as one instance of each major and minor triad. The cycle is embedded in any
two adjacent rows of a familiar Tonnetz, and it has a rich history for modeling

12 Here and elsewhere in this article, my use of the word “manifest” echoes Lewin’s (1998) specific usage of
the term to describe the instantiation in pitch space of phenomena originally modeled in pitch-class (pc) space.
In my case, I seek to connect the structure of the ic3/4 dual interval cycle—a pc model—with patterns of root and
melodic motion on the surface of Glasper’s music. I would like to thank Zachary Bernstein for suggesting this
usage.

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 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 45

diatonic harmony and triadic relationships.13 Jazz theorists have also used the cycle’s
encoding of major and minor seventh chords to model progressions in postbop jazz:
Steven Strunk (2003) has employed Tonnetz representations to generalize geometric
relationships between seventh chords, and Keith Waters (2016, 2019) has used a linear
form of the cycle to analyze harmony in Chick Corea’s music. Waters notes that the
cycle’s structure has particular utility for jazz analysis in general, in that it encodes
major and minor seventh chords as most jazz musicians conceive of them—as flexible
harmonies that “may, but need not, include the standard extensions of ninth, eleventh
(s11th with major seventh chords), and thirteenth” (2016, 41). The cycle thus allows
malleable, ecologically valid modeling of these chord qualities as they function in many
jazz contexts, in which musicians frequently realize the same fundamental harmony
with different combinations of chord tones.14 It enables the analyst to treat chordal
etc.
1#
9 0 4
7
0# 5
2 B
A

2
1b
6
7

9
3

1
0

EM13(#11)
4
8

8
5

1 B
A 6 3

etc. Ebm11

Example 2
Annotated ic 3/4 dual interval cycle.

13 The ic3/4 cycle underpins Hauptmann’s ([1853] 1991) famous conception of diatonic space and has become
a fixture of neo-Riemannian theorizing (e.g., Lewin 1982). Its history encompasses other applications as well.
For example, in a seminal scale-theory publication, Carey and Clampitt (1989) identify the ic3/4 arrangement
as a critical third symmetry transformation of the diatonic set, in addition to its scalar and circle-of-fifths
arrangements. The cycle is also an example of both a “multi-aggregate cycle” (Gollin 2007) and an “affinity
space” (Martins 2009, 2015), larger classes of spaces that have been used to analyze polymodality in Bartók
and Stravinsky. For other related applications of cyclic or dual-interval thinking in analysis of twentieth-century
music, see Brown (2003), Lewin (2002), and Perle (1996).
14 The linear conception of the ic3/4 cycle used in this article permits this voicing flexibility more readily than
the Tonnetz. As Waters (2016, 44n29) notes, chords with different combinations of upper extensions must be
represented with different shapes on the Tonnetz, which makes them challenging to relate via standard geometric
operations. See Park (2016) for an exploration of the geometric foundations of Strunk’s (2003) analytical
methodology.

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46 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

upper extensions as integral chord members—rather than as transient voice-leading

phenomena—when such extensions are highlighted by a voicing, melody, or improvised
line. And it highlights the extensive networks of potential common tones that result
when these tall tertian harmonies are juxtaposed by thirds.
In his work on Corea’s music, Waters (2016, 2019) uses the ic3/4 cycle in two basic
ways: to ungird chord substitution principles premised on shared common tones, and
as a structure for tracking cyclic patterns of root motion that transgress the boundaries
of single diatonic collections. In both cases, he stresses the cycle’s utility in contexts
where a global tonic is unclear. For example, by substituting cyclically proximate major
seventh, minor seventh, and sus chords, he reveals melodic-harmonic parallels that are
otherwise concealed by irregular root motions. But the cycle also structures individual
diatonic collections in a way that resonates with harmonic and melodic hallmarks of
Glasper’s style, which is often more unambiguously centric than its postbop forebears.15
Consider the opening phrase of Glasper’s “No Worries” (2009c), which features
several of these hallmarks. Example 3 displays the repeating four-measure passage and
a subset of the ic3/4 cycle centered around C minor.16 Following standard jazz lead-
sheet conventions, the superscript of each chord symbol indicates its range of potential
tertian upper extensions. Each of these chord symbols is also mapped onto the subset
below. The corresponding numbered root appears on the left with the range of upper
voices extending rightward, and cyclically structural melodic pitches associated with
each harmony are indicated with small triangles. In this and all subsequent examples,
melodic pitches that elaborate this underlying cyclic structure are labeled either as
passing tones (PT) or as upper or lower neighbor tones (UN, LN); occasional octave
displacements of these elaborations are indicated with an asterisk (*). Structural melodic
pitches that occur near the end of one harmony may also anticipate the next (ANT).

15 Because chord roots are important differentiators of harmonic identity for root-position tall tertian chords
in such constrained harmonic contexts, I treat cyclically adjacent chords in Glasper’s music not as substitutional
equivalents but as distinct harmonies that nevertheless share numerous common tones.
16 Some listeners might hear this passage variously in F minor (i–III–v–VI) or Eb major (ii–IV–vi–bVII). Both
hearings have merits. My reading in C minor allows the cyclic model to clearly highlight similarities between
this example and other passages in Glasper’s music, which I explain in subsequent paragraphs. These similarities
include the heavy reliance on tonic, submediant, subdominant, and supertonic chords; the tonal center as a reliable
cyclic divide between root and melodic motions; and the use of bII as a dominant via tritone substitution. Yet the
ic3/4 cycle itself is agnostic toward centricity and can accommodate alternative readings without sacrificing its
basic utility as a model of root and melodic motion by thirds. I also suggest that the distinction between relative
keys in a progression like this is somewhat ambiguous and perhaps arbitrary. Richards (2017, 2) describes a
similar ambiguity in the ubiquitous Axis progression, which frequently “encompasses aspects of both the major
and Aeolian modes.” While Richards often relies on the melody to tip the scales toward a prevailing tonal center,
here one could cite details of Glasper’s melody to argue for either choice. The melody’s cyclic structure could
imply either C Aeolian or Eb major, for example, and mm. 2–4 feature 3–2–1 melodic descents in both scales.

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 47
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music

   

f Ab c Db
1 2 3 4

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& b bc œ ™ œ ™™

79.108.148.232 on Sun, 03 Dec 2023 21:02:11 +00:00

Fm13 AbM9(#11) Cm11 DbM13(#11)
b j j
1
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J œ œ PTœ œ™ œ
(ANT) (ANT)
ANT
root motion melodic motion
Db F Ab C Eb G Bb D F
Cm: V
bII  iv VI i
3
2
1
4
Example 3
Robert Glasper, “No Worries” (2009c), mm. 1–4 (00:45–00:55).
48 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

If the cyclic diagram associates the pitch with both chords, the ANT label is enclosed
in parentheses; if the pitch is associated with the upcoming chord only, the parentheses
are omitted.
Like many opening gambits in Glasper’s tunes, this progression relies on tonic,
submediant, subdominant, and supertonic chords, and the cycle efficiently models the
progression’s motion across these third-related harmonies.17 Note that in this minor-mode
context, the cycle’s supertonic chord appears as bII. This feature resonates with Glasper’s
approach to minor-mode diatonicism; just as the nine-element C-minor cyclic subset in
Example 3 encompasses contiguous three-flat and four-flat diatonic collections, Glasper’s
minor progressions often expand a foundational Aeolian collection to include bII, whose
upper voices remain within that collection.18 Indeed, the cycle’s structure ensures that
the ranges of upper voices for all four harmonies in this progression fall entirely within
C Aeolian.19 Glasper’s diatonic melody exploits this feature—note that the pc C in the
cyclic subset, which serves as both a harmonic root and melodic tone, otherwise neatly
separates the excerpt’s root motions from its structural melodic pitches. Beginning in
m. 1, the melody makes two passes through the network of thirds extending rightward
(clockwise) from C: C(5) –E b(4) –G(4) –B b(3) –D(4) –F(4) (mm. 1–3), followed by C(4) –E b(4) –G(4) –B b(4)
across the repeat.
By capturing the extensive network of common tones between chords ❶ – ❷ – ❸
and ❹ – ❶, the cycle also highlights the relative disjunction that marks the move from
the tonic C-minor chord to bII. This disjunction underscores the two related functions of
this final D bM13(s11). As a supertonic, the chord propels the progression across the repeat
by reinitiating the cycle of ascending-thirds root motion. But it can also be understood
as two-stage tritone substitution for a diatonic dominant: a basic D b7 chord substitutes
for G7, and a major 7th replaces the more conventional dominant (minor) 7th. This
kind of dominant substitution, common in Glasper’s music, is also a familiar feature

17 While some of Glasper’s opening gambits begin on a tonic chord, others bury a tonic harmony in the middle
of a longer progression; in addition to “No Worries” (Example 3), see “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)” (Example
9), the chorus of “Always Shine” (Example 11b), and the discussion of the solo section of “Maiden Voyage /
Everything in Its Right Place” (Example 12).
18 I treat the two instances of pc F in this cyclic subset as distinct because of their differing cyclic positions;
hence, the subset has nine elements rather than eight.
19 The only three harmonies in this cyclic subset whose chordal 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, (s)11th, and 13th all
remain within the C Aeolian collection are bII, iv, and VI; the cyclic chordal 13th of a tonic C-minor chord (the
next clockwise chord in the cycle) would be An, which instead implies the C Dorian mode. Although Dorian
is also a common chord-scale for minor tonic chords in jazz, it is comparatively rare in Glasper’s minor-mode
progressions. Glasper’s minor tonic chords here and elsewhere typically only include extensions up to the chordal
11th. Because the pianist’s use of upper extensions is often constrained by this governing diatonic modality, the
analytical system in this article specifies an extension boundary for each chord. This approach contrasts with
Waters’s (2016, 2019) use of the ic3/4 cycle, which does not specify maximum tertian heights.

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 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 49

of postbop harmony. While the b2 root recalls a conventional tritone substitution, the
major seventh quality enervates one of the upper-voice tendency tones that typically
animate this chord. Waters (2016) labels this substitution a V’M7, characterizing it as a
postbop addition to the set of dominant substitutions originally outlined for tonal jazz
in Strunk (1979). Example 3 pairs this label with bII to highlight the dual function of
the D bM13(s11) chord in this context.
While the structure of the ic3/4 cycle frequently dovetails with Glasper’s
progressions, this structure is a comparatively poor fit for a standard ii–V–I progression
in a major key, shown in E b major in Example 4 as an illustrative counterfactual. Although
a signature strength of the ic3/4 cycle is its ability to model some tall tertian harmonies,
the cycle does not encode contiguous dominant seventh chords—the rightmost pc of
the cyclic subset shown in the example is an An rather than an A b. As such, the cycle
cannot model the voice-leading parsimony of the guide-tone lines formed by the 3rd and
7th of each chord. But even if the dominant chord is represented as a major triad, the
cycle still fails to highlight the functional descending-fifth root motion that drives this
progression. These omissions underscore the simple but significant mismatch between
the animating features of a ii–V–I and the cycle’s utility for analyzing Glasper’s music. 20

 
f Bb Eb
1 2 3
Fm9 Bb(7) EbM9
b ˙ ˙˙ w
& b bc ˙˙ w
w
∑ ∑
˙

F Ab C Eb G Bb D F A
Eb: ii IV vi I iii V
3
2 !
1

Example 4
Functional ii–V–I progression in E b major.

20 There are better tools for analyzing conventionally tonal jazz, including transformational spaces found in
McClimon (2016, 2017) and Smither (2019), as well as Schenker-inspired approaches such as those found in
Larson (2009), Martin (1996), and Strunk (1979).

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50 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

The graphic representation of the cyclic model used in the preceding two examples
reflects an underlying simply transitive transformational system (Lewin [1987] 2007)
that treats the ic3/4 cycle as a space; the relevant formalism appears above the staff in
both examples. Basic major and minor sonorities, possessing some number of upper
voices, are represented as ordered pairs enclosed in curly brackets. Each pair specifies
a unique cyclic subset, indicating a chord’s root and quality (an upper- or lowercase
pc letter name) and its tertian “height,” or its root-inclusive number of potential chord
tones, extending clockwise. For example, the ordered pair {f, 6} specifies the six-element
cyclic subset 〈F, A b, C, E b, G, B b〉, which corresponds with the chord symbol Fm11.
Transformations between cyclic subsets are specified using ordered pairs enclosed in
square brackets. The first positive or negative numeric entry indicates a Lewinian (2002)
CURSOR transformation for root motions clockwise or counterclockwise along the
cycle, while the second entry specifies any change in tertian height. In “No Worries,”
for example, the initial motion from Fm13 to A bM 9(s11) — represented cyclically as motion
from {f, 7} to {A b, 6}—is accomplished via [+1, –1]: one clockwise CURSOR, and a
decrease in height from seven potential chord members to six. These concepts may be
expressed more formally—integer ranges are inclusive, pc addition and subtraction are
mod 12, and subscript addition and subtraction are mod 24:

• Any contiguous ic3/4 cyclic subset A = 〈a 0 , a1, . . . , ay–1〉, where a is a pc number,

the subscript n is an integer between 0 and 23 that specifies a unique cyclic
position, and y is an integer between 1 and 24, may be represented as the
ordered pair {x, y}, where x is a corresponding, enharmonically appropriate
pc letter name for a 0 , notated as uppercase if a1 – a 0 = 4 or as lowercase if
a1 – a 0 = 3. 21 An uppercase x signifies a major cyclic subset; a lowercase x
signifies a minor cyclic subset. 22

• Given the cyclic subset A, the transformation [q, r](A) = 〈 aq, a1+q, . . . , ay−1+q+r〉,
where q is any integer and r is an integer between –y + 1 and 24 – y. 23

21 This system accommodates ic3/4 cyclic subsets of between one and twenty-four members, anchored to
a given pc and stretching clockwise (rightward). However, analytically relevant subsets representing single
harmonies comprise between a minimum of four and a maximum of seven members (for major chords) or eight
members (for minor chords); four is the minimum cardinality for a major or minor seventh chord, and after
seven members the cycle repeats the root (for minor chords) or introduces the dissonant pc a half step higher
than the root (for major chords). Martins (2009) characterizes this seven-element maximum boundary as the
transformatio relation of the ic3/4 cycle when considered as an affinity space. In principle, allowing negative y
values would enable the system to accommodate subsets that extend counterclockwise (leftward) from a pc
anchor. While I do not pursue this approach here, it could be useful for more precisely modeling counterclockwise
melodic motions through the cycle.
22 A major or minor cyclic subset that models the root and quality of a single chord should not be confused
with a subset oriented around a major or minor key.
23 I rely on negative integers for counterclockwise CURSOR (q) transformations. The lower range boundary

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 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 51

A given cyclic subset, anchored to a particular root and quality, functions as

an equivalence class for all reasonable pitch-space expressions of the corresponding
harmony. In practice, such expressions are in root position and use at least two-thirds
of the subset’s pcs. 24 This generalization prioritizes flexibility at the expense of some
distinctions between common jazz chord types. For example, I contend that the four
voicings displayed in Example 5 are all reasonable realizations of {f, 6} despite their
omissions of certain chord members. (I do not mean that these voicings should each
be labeled as an Fm11—they should not be—but instead that an improvising pianist
might reasonably deploy any of them to realize a recurring Fm11 chord symbol.) This
contention has three important correlates. First, cyclic subsets function as nested
equivalence classes; voicing (b) is a member of subset {f, 5}, which is a subset of {f, 6},
which in turn is a subset of {f, 7}. Second, this approach departs from a convention of
jazz theory that treats 3rds and 7ths as integral chord members; although one or both
chord tones usually appear in Glasper’s voicings, their occasional omission does not
meaningfully diminish the voicings’ aural and functional similarities with their peers. 25
Third, minor cyclic subsets may contain sus chords—in isolation, voicing (d) may be
understood as an F9sus chord, with the B b functioning as a suspended chordal 4th
rather than an 11th. To be sure, sus chords often assume different harmonic functions
than minor seventh chords with the same root. But because Glasper’s music frequently
juxtaposes sus chords with cyclically adjacent harmonies, sus chords often sound and
behave like their minor counterparts. 26

for r prevents transformational generation of a null set. Considering the analytical limitation on cyclic subset size,
in practice the value of r ranges from –3 to 3 and is further constrained by the height of a given subset; a subset
of height 6 may only practically increase by 1 or decrease by 2, for example. Although CURSOR transformations
of ±1 are roughly analogous to neo-Riemannian L and R transformations extended to tall tertian contexts, I do
not pursue this analogy here because the variability of tertian height between subsets—a signature strength of the
cyclic system—complicates the geometric or inversion-based definitions of these transformations.
24 The Glasper progressions I model using the ic3/4 cycle overwhelmingly use root-position harmonies. (I discuss
one exception in Example 15.) Because cyclic subsets are anchored to roots and qualities, the accommodation
of inverted tall tertian harmonies can introduce problematic root ambiguities into the system—for example, an
upper-structure 〈Ab, C, Eb, G, Bb〉 with an Ab in the bass could be understood as an inverted Fm11 rather than a
root-position AbM9.
25 In other words, for Glasper’s progressions modeled by the ic3/4 cycle, I argue that a root-position chord’s
basic quality is not carried by individual upper voices but rather by the underlying cyclic subset these voices
collectively imply and the juxtaposition of that subset with its cyclic neighbors. For a transformational approach
oriented around chordal 3rds and 7ths, see Smither (2019).
26 Waters (2016, 2019) treats sus chords as gapped ic3/4 cyclic subsets. Related to this approach, seven-element
major cyclic subsets may conceptually include major 6/9 chords. For example, C6/9 includes the pcs 〈C, E, G, A, D〉,
which constitute five of the seven members of the cyclic subset {C, 7}. Like sus chords, 6/9 chords are not entirely
tertian structures, and thus their inclusion in the cyclic system may induce some conceptual friction. But major
chords that consistently omit a chordal major 7th are fairly rare in Glasper’s music, so this friction is usually a
moot point in practice.

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52 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

{
voicing: (a) (b) (c) (d)

& ∑
bbbw
ww
bw
bw
ww ww
bb ww bbw
ww
w
? ∑
w w w w
omits chordal: 5th, 9th 11th 7th 3rd

Example 5
Four voicings for {f, 6}.

This transformational system formalizes the utility of the ic3/4 cycle for modeling
the tall tertian sonorities that populate Glasper’s progressions, illuminates the relatively
constrained cyclic spaces through which Glasper’s harmonies and melodies frequently
move, and highlights the resulting networks of common tones. Critically, these
networks of thirds do not only shape Glasper’s diatonic progressions; they often remain
intact when his progressions shift between diatonic collections. This phenomenon can
be fruitfully modeled with a cyclic reimagination of the triadic SLIDE transformation.

III. The cyclic SLIDE (cSLIDE)

Example 6 displays mm. 9–12 of Glasper’s “No Worries” (2009c), which conclude
the tune’s form. This short passage repeats a two-chord succession, Dm11 and D bM13(s11),
that harmonizes a common-tone melodic C 5. The oscillation between these chords is
reminiscent of the familiar triadic SLIDE operation, although extended to a variably
tall tertian context: the chordal 3rd, 7th, and 11th remain constant, while the root, 5th,
and 9th slide up and down by half step. The interlocking 7-cycles of the ic3/4 cycle are
well suited to model this shift: holding the F–C–G 7-cycle constant, the interlocking
D(b)–A(b)–E(b) cycle may slide up and down by half step while preserving an overall ic3/4
alternation. The resulting two-chord succession functions as a turnaround progression,
which commonly appears in the concluding measures of a jazz tune: a ii chord from the
parallel C major provides a flash of predominant color before the progression concludes
(like Example 3) on a V’M7 dominant substitute.
The transformations that underpin this progression function as cyclic SLIDEs,
or cSLIDEs. Any ic3/4 cyclic subset of two or more elements may be subjected to two
inversely related cSLIDEs (one upward, one downward) that preserve an overall
alternation of ics 3 and 4. 27 These transformations are defined as follows (all pc addition

27 The commutative cSLIDE and CURSOR transformations I develop here closely parallel the Slide (Sl) and

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 53
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music

  

d Db d Db
1 2 1 2

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Dm11 DbM13(#11) Dm11 DbM13(#11)

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b
9
& b bc w ˙ œ
œ
œ w w

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1
C: ii
cSLIDE
D F A C E G B
Db F Ab C Eb G Bb
Cm: V
bII 
2
Example 6
Robert Glasper, “No Worries” (2009c), mm. 9–12 (01:01–01:07).
54 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

and subtraction are mod 12):

• For any minor ic3/4 cyclic subset A = {a 0 , a1, . . .} where a1 – a 0 = 3:
Ŋ ↑cSLIDE(A) preserves an for all even n, and adds 1 to an for all odd n;
Ŋ ↓ cSLIDE(A) preserves an for all odd n, and subtracts 1 from an for all
even n.
• For any major ic3/4 cyclic subset B = {b 0 , b1, . . .} where b1 – b 0 = 4:
Ŋ ↑cSLIDE(B) preserves bn for all odd n, and adds 1 to bn for all even n;
Ŋ ↓ cSLIDE(B) preserves bn for all even n, and subtracts 1 from bn for all
odd n.
An upward or downward arrow to the left of the CURSOR entry in a
transformational label indicates an accompanying cSLIDE. These transformations may
occur in tandem with changes in tertian height: although the Dm11 chord in Example 6
does not include a B n chordal 13th, the B b that consistently adorns the D bM13(s11) chord is
easily captured by extending the chord’s tertian height one cyclic position rightward in
the C-minor subset. Additionally, because cSLIDEs commute with CURSORs, they may
be understood as composite cyclic transformations (↑ CURSOR or ↓ CURSOR) whose
order of operations is immaterial. For example, a hypothetical move from {c, 5} to {e,
5} (i.e., Cm9 to Em9) is accomplished via [↑+1, 0]. This composite transformation does
not imply a particular ordered application of CURSOR and cSLIDE—in other words,
it suggests neither {c, 5} [↑ ] {C, 5} [+1, 0] {e, 5} nor {c, 5} [+1, 0] {E b, 5} [↑ ] {e, 5}—but
instead models the simultaneous action of the two individual transformations within a
single chord change. 28
Example 7 visualizes the application of CURSOR and cSLIDE transformations to
a major diatonic collection. When applied to cyclic subsets of fewer than seven members,
cSLIDEs can produce harmonies whose diatonic membership is indeterminate. However,
when applied to larger subsets that encompass entire diatonic collections, cSLIDEs yield
third-related diatonic collections that share three or four common tones, as is familiar
from a standard Tonnetz. Crucially, this means that cSLIDEs can juxtapose parallel
major and minor collections, supplying the mixture harmonies that often enliven

Rotation (Rt) transformations developed by Clifton Callender (2007) for the analysis of tall tertian harmonies
in Ligeti’s Arc-en-ciel. Callender’s transformations are not designed with an explicitly cyclic application in mind;
he generates what I describe as CURSOR transformations with values greater than ±1 via repeated applications
of the Rt transformation. I am grateful to Joon Park for pointing out this similarity. cSLIDE obviously differs
from the contextual triadic inversion originally developed by Lewin ([1987] 2007), favoring instead the
embodied voice-leading sensation evoked by the transformation’s name. This transformation is also distinct
from McClimon’s (2017) SLIDE7 transformation, which converts a local IM7 chord into the ii7 chord of the key
a half step lower, but which is undefined for tertian chord members beyond the 7th.
28 This desire for commutativity also underlies why the system uses a pair of inversely related cSLIDE
transformations rather than cyclic adaptations of the triadic involutions SLIDE and P; the latter transformations
do not commute with CURSORs.

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 55
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music

X
X 

7 2 #4 6 #1 3 #5 7 #2 #4
II# #iv VI# #i

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major diatonic collection X: 2 4 6 1 3 5 7 2
(all SDs in X)
ii IV vi I
b7 b2 4 b6 1 b3 5 b7 2 4
X
X 
bII
V iv bVI i
Example 7
Application of cSLIDEs to a major diatonic collection.
56 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

Glasper’s diatonic progressions; in major keys, the transformation can also produce
bII (or V’M7) and the common secondary mixture chord VI s. But this versatility also
prompts methodological caution. Because cSLIDEs can facilitate easy transformational
passage between virtually any pair of harmonies, they tempt analytical overuse. In
addition, cSLIDEs themselves are equivalent to sizable CURSOR transformations: for
any given ic3/4 cyclic subset, ↑cSLIDE = [+7, 0], while ↓ cSLIDE = [–7, 0]. This equivalence
is reflected by the toroidal geometry of the Tonnetz: reading the three cyclic subsets in
Example 7 from left to right and bottom to top (as suggested by the dotted arrows)
results in a traversal of the entire 24-element ic3/4 cycle. The introduction of the cSLIDE
thus complicates the transformational math outlined earlier; permitting both CURSOR
and cSLIDE transformations allows for multiple transformational paths between cyclic
subsets, which invalidates the system’s simply transitive status.
I offer two responses to these methodological issues. First, I argue that invoking
a cSLIDE, whether in isolation or in conjunction with a small CURSOR, is often a
more fitting transformation than a single larger CURSOR to model subset shifts in
Glasper’s music. Glasper regularly manifests the pc voice-leading pathways of cSLIDE
transformations as concrete harmonic and melodic shapes on the musical surface. A
cSLIDE highlights the 7-cycle of common tones that often weaves through these shapes,
lending fluidity to the underlying collection shift. Moreover—and this is crucial—a
cSLIDE models the kinesthetic sense of common-tone retention and voice-leading
parsimony one feels when performing these shifts at the keyboard, whether simply
by playing a cSLIDE-inflected chord progression or by traversing the latticework of
improvisational pathways it presents. This connection between transformational
system and embodied experience is a keystone of the analytical model when applied to
Glasper’s music—the cSLIDE creates a simulacrum of the pianistic space that I argue
underlies many of his melodies and harmonic progressions.
Second, to further curtail any potential charges of analytical promiscuity, I
suggest two pragmatic limitations for CURSOR and cSLIDE transformations: single
CURSORs (either simple or composite) should be limited to a range of ±3 cyclic positions,
and cSLIDE transformations should only be invoked in the presence of melodic and/or
harmonic patterns that clearly manifest the associated voice-leading patterns on the
musical surface. 29 Although these limitations do not restore simple transitivity to the
analytical system, they hone its analytic utility for Glasper’s music. Transformations that
run afoul of these limitations raise questions about whether the ic3/4 cyclic model is the
most appropriate tool for a particular passage. For example, the [+5, –2] transformation

29 For discussions of relational abundance (or so-called promiscuity) in transformational theory and analysis,
see Buchler (2007) and O’Donnell (1997).

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 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 57

required to model the ii–V progression in Example 4 transgresses the CURSOR’s range
limitation. Although one could circumvent this limitation with an equivalent [↑–2, –2]
transformation, the progression’s typical voice leading gives no indication that a cSLIDE
is applicable.
“The next part of this article, which constitutes its analytical core, marshals
a variety of analytical examples to outline three general contexts in which cSLIDE
transformations manifest in Glasper’s original compositions and arrangements. For
these analytical examples, I suggest both listening to the relevant track and tracing the
indicated cyclic pathways at the piano in order to connect the analytical model with
the aural and kinesthetic dimensions of the music that it seeks to capture. Because
the relationship between cyclic subset and chord symbol notations should be clear, the
following examples include only chord symbols and chord-to-chord transformational
labels.

IV. cSLIDEs in Glasper’s music: Three contexts

Context 1: Sequential mode mixture in vamps and opening gambits

Many of Glasper’s tunes feature short vamps or opening harmonic gambits of

between four and six chords in length. These progressions frequently emphasize the
most common harmonies in Glasper’s arsenal—tonic, submediant, subdominant,
and supertonic chords—arranged in a model-copy sequential pattern that borrows a
single chord from the parallel mode. Often accompanied by a sequential melody, this
technique produces a pair of root motions of identical size that stands in sharp relief
from the diatonic regularity of the ic3/4 cycle. Although Glasper employs this technique
in both major and minor keys, the effect is particularly striking when a chord from the
parallel major inflects an otherwise minor-mode progression, often juxtaposing third-
related minor seventh chords.
The opening gambit from “Of Dreams to Come” (2007c) presents a clear instance
of this procedure. Example 8 displays this passage, which also constitutes the tune’s
opening vamp. Amid a descent in B b minor from the tonic to the subdominant, the
progression briefly slides into the parallel B b-major collection on the submediant chord
(❷ – ❸). This shift produces a harmonic paradox: while the submediant’s cSLIDE
produces a minor seventh chord, this harmony brightens an otherwise melancholic
progression by momentarily raising 3 and 7—present in chords ❶, ❷, and ❹ as D b
and A b —by half step.30 The shift also produces two identical descending major-third

30 This phenomenon relates to what Waters (2019, 36–39) calls the “Picardy effect.” In a hypothetical
progression from Bbm7 to Dm7, for example, Waters suggests that the latter harmony can be heard as a rootless

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 58

  

1 2 3 4
Bbm11 GbM9 Gm11 Ebm11
1
b 3 œ™ œ™ ˙ œ œ œ™ œ™
& b bbb 4 ˙™ ∑ ∑

model copy

root motion melodic motion

THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

3
Bb: vi
Eb G Bb D F A C E

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Eb Gb Bb Db F Ab C Eb
Bbm: iv VI i

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1
2
4
Example 8
Robert Glasper, “Of Dreams to Come” (2007c), mm. 1–4 (00:29–00:32).
 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 59

root motions in mm. 1–2 and 3–4, which are accompanied by a similarly sequential
melody that crab-walks leftward through the cSLIDE-related pair of subsets from A b to
the tonal center B b, alternately highlighting the chordal 7th and 5th of the underlying
harmonies.
A similar juxtaposition of third-related minor seventh chords occurs in mm.
1–8 of “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B)” (2012a), shown in Example 9. The opening three
measures feature a melody composed largely of chordal 9ths and 11ths that traverses
the network of thirds extending rightward from the tonal center D, manifesting two
descending triads in pitch space: C (5) –A(4) –F(4) (mm. 1–2), followed by G (4) –E (4) –C (4) (m. 3).
Moving in parallel with this melody, the root motion in mm. 1–3 descends from an
opening submediant chord to bII (❶ – ❷ – ❸), whose subsequent tonic resolution
(❹) suggests its function as a familiar V’M7 dominant substitute. But in mm. 5–6, an
otherwise identical descent is colored by a ↑cSLIDE in m. 6 that recasts bII as a piquant ii
chord from the parallel D major (❺). In contrast to the diatonic regularity of mm. 1–2,
this shift produces an exact model-copy pattern of descending minor thirds in both
the root motion (B b –G–E) and the parallel melody (C5 –A4 –Fs4), yielding an arresting
change in harmonic and melodic color as Gm9 falls to Em9.31
The corresponding tonic resolution of Em9 in mm. 6–7 suggests that this ii chord
could also be heard to bear latent dominant function in this context, albeit of a different
kind than its bII counterpart. Each four-measure phrase in this excerpt concludes with
a half cadence effected by a dominant-functioning A 9sus chord. Just as the ic3/4 cannot
model dominant seventh chords, CURSOR range limitations often inhibit the cyclic
model’s ability to accommodate a Vsus chord that acts as the primary dominant in a
given key. But the cycle does highlight the four common tones shared between Em9 and
the upper structure of A 9sus (E, G, B, and D). Similar to a standard tritone substitution,

version of BbM9 that transforms the 3rd of the first chord from minor to major. The same Db–D Picardy shift
occurs in the motion from DbM7 to BbM7—namely, the first chord can be understood as a rootless version of
Bbm9. While Waters’s interpretation based on rootless voicings does not always cleanly apply, all eight possible
third relations between chords of the same major or minor quality can be heard to toggle the 3rd of either
the first or second chord up or down by half step, producing either a Picardy shift or its inverse. In the cyclic
transformational system, these third relations can be produced by combining a cSLIDE with a CURSOR of size
±1. These composite cyclic transformations highlight how tall tertian harmonies can enhance Picardy effects by
raising or lowering the entire 7-cycle that contains the primary Picardy shift. In case of Example 8, for instance,
chord ❸ raises both the 3rd and 7th of chord ❶ by half step (Db–D and Ab–A respectively). The progression’s
subsequent move from Gm11 to Ebm11 (❸–❹) produces a triple stack of inverse Picardy shifts (G–Gb, D–Db,
and A–Ab). Following Waters, this second motion is amenable to a rootless voicing interpretation if Gm11 is
understood as a rootless EbM13(s11).
31 While Glasper first recorded this tune with his trio, simply titling it “F.T.B.” (2007a), he repurposed it for
his Experiment band on his first Black Radio album in 2012 by adding text to the melody, which is sung by R&B
vocalist Ledisi. In the texted version shown in Example 9, the motion from Gm9 to Em9 sonically underscores
the lyrical contrast between the falling rain and the assurance provided by a call from the song persona’s partner.

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 60

  

1 2 3 V’M7 4 (Vsus)

1 BbM9 Gm9 EbM9 Dm11 A9sus

j UN* LN

& bc œ™ œ œ™ j œ™ j ‰™ r œ œ œ œ
œ œ ˙ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ
...sun - shine with your smile. I'll be o - kay. No mat-ter if the

  

1 2 5 ~Vsus 4 (Vsus)

5 BbM9 Gm9 Em9 Dm11 A9sus

UN* LN
j j
& bc œ™ œ œ™ j œ™ #œ ˙ œ™ œ œ œ œ w
œ œ
rain falls; when you call, I'll be o - kay.
THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

model copy

root motion melodic motion

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5
ii

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D: ~Vsus

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E G B D F# A C# E
Eb G Bb D F A C E G
bII
Dm: V iv VI i
4
1
2
3
Example 9
Robert Glasper Experiment (ft. Ledisi), “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)” (2012a), mm. 1–8 (00:33–00:55).
 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 61

the progression Em9 –Dm11 in mm. 6–7 largely preserves the upper-structure voice
leading of a typical Vsus–i progression while eschewing the accompanying bass motion.
The score in Example 9 highlights this latent dominant function using a dotted arrow
labeled “~Vsus.”32
The same root motion as “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.),” but in the opposite
direction, animates the primary vamp in Glasper’s “Yes I’m Country (And That’s OK)”
(2009d). The vamp lacks a strong melody; Example 10 displays a loose transcription
of Glasper’s basic piano pattern, which he varies slightly with each repetition. Unlike
the previous example, this vamp augments an underlying ascending-thirds progression
with yet another kind of dominant function: intervening chords that act as local applied
dominants. These sonorities—first-inversion triads with an added chordal second—
commonly assume a dominant function in Glasper’s music, driven largely by the applied
leading-tone resolution in the bass. 33 Although their presence in this vamp creates a
purely stepwise bass line, the underlying sequential root motion by minor third clearly
resembles numerous other Glasper vamps. The aural similarity between the D9sus chord
that precedes the vamp (⓿) and a Dm11 chord suggests an initial D-minor reference
point for the following loop. But the vamp’s ensuing root motion slides into the parallel
D major for the supertonic harmony (❶) before climbing further to tonicized, diatonic
Gm9 (❷) and B bM13(s11) (❸) chords. The resulting pattern of root motion forms a
rough mirror image of the progression from mm. 5–6 of Example 9, albeit without an
accompanying sequential melody.

Context 2: Extensive traversal of paired cyclic subsets

Because the D9sus chord in Example 10 is not a part of the vamp proper, what
little power it possesses as a tonal anchor evaporates as the progression loops. As a
result, the progression’s modal status quickly becomes equivocal—does the Em11 chord
embellish a progression in D minor, or do the Gm 9 and B bM13(s11) chords act as mixture
harmonies in an otherwise D-major progression? This kind of modal ambivalence
becomes more pronounced when collection shifts exceed single chords. Indeed, some

32 Waters (2019, 42) suggests that the substitution of ii for V first arose “from a ‘sus chord’ imperative that
emerged during the 1960s, one that suppressed the active and directed choral thirds or sevenths of harmonies.”
In an earlier publication, Waters (2016, 54) characterizes the substitutional relationship between Em9 and A9sus
as an “St2” relation.
33 This chord is commonplace in post-millennial jazz. I do not treat it as a first-inversion form of a major or
dominant ninth chord because Glasper virtually never adds a chordal 7th, reinforcing the harmony’s origin as
an added-tone triad. An alternate hearing of this vamp might interpret these chords not as local dominants that
propel harmonic motion but as stable local tonics. This reading produces a ii–I6 model-copy pattern in D major
and F major in mm. 11–12.

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 62

   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0 1 V6 2 V6 3
10 D9sus Em11 D2/F# Gm9 F2/A BbM13(#11)
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THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

u
model copy

1
D: ii

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E G B D F# A C E

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Eb G Bb D F A C E G

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Dm: iv VI ~i
0
3
2

Example 10
Robert Glasper, “Yes I’m Country (And That’s OK)” (2009d), mm. 10–13 (00:37–01:10).
 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 63

progressions in Glasper’s music transit between parallel modes so extensively that they
include both major- and minor-mode versions of nearly every harmony in his standard
library of tonic, supertonic, subdominant, and submediant chords. This makes the
determination of a primary cyclic subset—or an overarching modality—challenging,
or perhaps beside the point. 34
Consider two separate progressions from Glasper’s “Always Shine” (2012b), a
track that features neo-soul singer Bilal and rapper Lupe Fiasco. The recording begins
with an improvisatory solo piano introduction by Glasper; the underlying chord
progression and a skeletal outline of his improvisatory right-hand melodic line appear
in Example 11a. Beginning with a tonic F-major chord, Glasper slides between parallel
F-major and F-minor collections three times over the course of the next five harmonies,
producing three chords from each cyclic subset. His right hand similarly dances across
the familiar network of modally interchangeable thirds that extends rightward from
the tonic pc F. The leisurely pace of this piano introduction allows these near-constant
collection shifts to unfold gradually, easing the listener into the modally ambivalent
harmonic world of the track.
The pace of these shifts accelerates considerably once the groove kicks in and
the song’s chorus arrives (Example 11b). Although the root motions here are not
sequential, the repeated ↑cSLIDE transformations in mm. 1 and 2 (❶ – ❷ and ❸ – ❹)
underscore an initial model-copy pattern of upper-voice motion reminiscent of the
sequential openings identified in previous examples. The cSLIDE-related pair of parallel
subsets clearly illustrates that the chorus’s root motions cover the same harmonic
territory as Glasper’s introduction, albeit in a different order. As if to counterbalance
the introduction’s initial F-major chord, the chorus briefly lands on a tonic F-minor
chord in the second half of m. 3 (❺), and Bilal’s repeated melodic E b4 s hint at an
overarching F-minor modality. But the progression concludes on a familiar V’M7 chord
that affords resolutions to both major and minor tonic harmonies later in the recording.
This dominant substitute underpins the intervening verses (rapped by Lupe Fiasco),
perpetuating the sense of harmonic restlessness that pervades the whole track.
In Glasper’s music, cSLIDE transformations also pair third-related diatonic
collections that do not function clearly as parallel modes. In addition to the modal
equivocation that characterizes “Always Shine,” such pairings often produce centric
ambivalence. An illustrative case occurs in Glasper’s (2007b) mashup of Radiohead’s
“Everything in Its Right Place” (2000) with Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” (1965).

34 This extensive modal equivocation evokes parallels with the harmonic practices of nineteenth-century
composers like Schubert and Wagner, whose music often draws liberally on parallel major and minor collections
within the same passage.

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 64

    

1 2 3 4 5 6
FM9 DbM9 Dm11 Gm11 Bbm13 GbM9(#11)
œ œ
œ œ bœ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ
&b œ œ œ œ
PT LN
œ œ œ œ

root motion melodic motion

4
3
THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

1
F: ii vi I
G Bb D F A C E G

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Gb Bb Db F Ab C Eb G
bII
Fm: V iv VI

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2
5
6

Example 11a
Robert Glasper Experiment (ft. Lupe Fiasco and Bilal), “Always Shine” (2012b), piano introduction (00:00–00:20).
 65
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music

model ~copy
     
1 2 3 4 1 5 3
Bbm13 Dm11 GbM13(#11) Gm11 Bbm13 Fm9 GbM9(#11)
bœ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ ≈ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ PTœ œ bœ ™™
1
& bc ≈ œ™ œ bœ œ ˙™
LN ! UN
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J R

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‹ You're in my heart, you're in my mind. You're the star that will al - ways shine. For - ev - er you'll be with me.
root motion melodic motion
4
2
F: ii vi
G Bb D F A C E G
Gb Bb Db F Ab C Eb G
Fm: bII
V iv i
5
1
3
Example 11b
Robert Glasper Experiment (ft. Lupe Fiasco and Bilal), “Always Shine” (2012b), chorus (00:53–01:04).
66 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

The extended solo section in Glasper’s arrangement features an original chord

progression (Example 12) that divides into two distinct halves, which Glasper first
introduces by harmonizing melodic common-tone pitches C5 and D5 , taken from the
A-section melody of “Maiden Voyage.” Measures 1–2 of the progression eschew clear
ic3/4 cyclic logic; instead, they transform a harmonic pattern from the chorus of the
Radiohead track by stretching it across an ascending whole-tone bass line, whose
arrival at a durationally accented Gm11 chord (⓿) just before the downbeat of m. 2
suggests G minor as a tentative tonal reference point. But this provisional centricity is
attenuated in m. 3, as the bass line extends its whole-step ascent to An before giving
way to a sequential onslaught of rapid cSLIDEs. Although these transformations yield a
familiar pairing between a G-minor ic3/4 cyclic subset and a cSLIDE-related one-sharp
collection, the symmetrical arrangement of chord roots across these two collections
obscures the latter’s status as the parallel G major, unsettling any emergent sense of a
prevailing collection or tonal center in mm. 3–4.
In the face of this ambivalence, mm. 3–4 are amenable to multiple functional
interpretations. Recalling the applied leading-tone resolutions in the bass line of “Yes
I’m Country” (Example 10), the progression in the second half of Example 12 could
be understood as a shuttle between tonic and subdominant chords in E minor, each of
which is weakly tonicized by a ↑cSLIDE transformation that produces an ascending
half-step resolution in the bass. The resulting juxtaposition of latent G-minor and
E-minor tonalities echoes other Glasper tunes—recall mm. 5–6 of “Gonna Be Alright
(F.T.B.)” (Example 9) and mm. 11–12 of the vamp in “Yes I’m Country (And That’s OK)”
(Example 10). The weak metric position of the putative E-minor tonic also jibes
with Glasper’s occasional tendency to nestle tonic harmonies in the middle of longer
progressions, as is the case in “No Worries” (Example 3), “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)”
(Example 9), and the chorus of “Always Shine” (Example 11b). But the attribution of
(applied) dominant function to the ↑cSLIDE transformations in mm. 3–4 deemphasizes
the G-minor provenance of the E bM13(s11) and A bM13(s11) chords, downplaying the fact
that this progression—like so many others—can be understood to conclude on a V’M7.
Ultimately, this functional multiplicity is integral to the character of the progression,
providing a malleable set of harmonic implications for Glasper’s improvisation. The
ic3/4 cycle’s flexible approach, which is agnostic toward key, can efficiently model such a
progression, even in the absence of strong tonal centricity and functional clarity.

Context 3: Three or more cSLIDE-related subsets

Two final kinds of passages in Glasper’s music use cSLIDEs to juxtapose three or
more ic3/4 cyclic subsets. The first kind elaborates a pair of parallel subsets with a brief

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 67
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music

    

0 1 2 ~V6 3 4 ~V6
™ w™
& 4 ™™bœw™™ ™™ ™™ nœw ™ ™™
DbM9 Eb6 F9sus Gm11 Am11 EbM13(#11) Em11 AbM13(#11)
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6
1
w™
Ϫ Ϫ Ϫ

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bœ bw™
bJœ Jœ œ™ Jœ w bJœ nJœ

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ascending whole-tone bass line
(line sounds 15mb)
1
3
Em: iv i
A C E G B D F# A
Ab C Eb G Bb D F A C
Gm: V
bII  VI i
[Em: ~V6/iv ~V6] 0
2
4
Example 12
Robert Glasper, “Maiden Voyage / Everything in Its Right Place” (2007b), solo section chord progression (03:25–06:00).
68 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

additional cSLIDE while remaining tethered to a tonal center. By contrast, the second
kind employs repeated cSLIDEs to undercut centricity by facilitating efficient harmonic
motion away from an established tonal center.
The preceding two contexts have examined relatively short progressions that
unite parallel major and minor diatonic collections. When these pairings stretch
across somewhat longer passages, Glasper occasionally incorporates a brief ↑cSLIDE
transformation of the major subset, producing a flash of contrasting harmonic color.
This strategy typically resembles the schema shown in Example 7. Recall “Rise and
Shine” (Example 1): a ↓ cSLIDE of the prevailing F-major collection produces the
progression’s bVI, iv, and bII harmonies, while a ↑cSLIDE produces the VI s chord. The
minor plagal motion that precedes this DM 9 chord (mm. 4–5) suggests its status as a
fleeting local tonic in this context. 35 But the application of a ↑cSLIDE to a major cyclic
subset can also produce colorful chords that are cyclically adjacent to VI s —chords
whose functional status is less conventional.
Consider the opening section of “North Portland” (2005a), shown in Example
13. Like “Rise and Shine,” this passage is suffused with root and melodic motions by
thirds, clearly implying cSLIDE transformations. But while the bulk of the passage shifts
in familiar fashion between parallel E-major and E-minor subsets, here a ↑cSLIDE of
the opening major tonic produces an arresting E sm9 chord (❷) in m. 2. This unusual
si harmony functions neither as a clear local tonic nor as a conventional mixture
harmony. 36 However, when juxtaposed with the ↓ cSLIDE in mm. 3–4, which darkens
a diatonic submediant chord via simple mode mixture (❸ – ❹), this striking opening
gesture initiates a variant of a model-copy opening gambit that pairs ascending and
descending root motions by half step (E–E s and C s –C respectively). This initial root-
motion ascent gives way to a familiar large-scale descent by thirds that stretches across
mm. 4–6. Together with an accompanying melody largely composed of chordal 9ths
and 11ths, this descent evokes numerous other passages in Glasper’s output—recall the
opening measures of “Rise and Shine” (Example 1), “Of Dreams to Come” (Example 8),
and “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)” (Example 9).
In contrast to the centricity of “North Portland,” Glasper also uses repeated
cSLIDE transformations to transit to new key areas. By design, the resulting root motions
stretch beyond the constrained cyclic territory that typically accompanies Glasper’s
more centric progressions. But to counterbalance this mobility, the accompanying

35 The opening section of Glasper’s tune “Downtime” (2009a) employs a virtually identical strategy,
embellishing parallel D-major and D-minor subsets with a brief tonicization of B major.
36 Waters (2016, 2019) might treat this Esm9 chord as a cycle-based substitution for its more conventional VIs
secondary-mixture counterpart based on their shared common tones; this relationship is indicated with a dotted
line and circle in the cyclic diagram of Example 13.

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 69

model ~copy
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music

   

1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5
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& # # 4 Ó™
1
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EM9
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PT E#m9
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J œ œ œ œ nœ œ
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œ™ œ™ ™™

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# # Am11
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PT PT
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root motion melodic motion
C# E# G# B# D# Fx
E: VI# #i
2
F# A C# E G# B D# F#
E: ii vi I
1
3
6
F A C E G B D F#
Em: iv VI
4
5
1
descending root motion
Example 13
Robert Glasper, “North Portland” (2005a), mm. 1–8 (00:00–00:12).
70 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

melodic shapes often remain within a narrow corridor of cSLIDE-related subsets,

creating chains of common tones that facilitate smooth harmonic passage.
Glasper’s tune “59 South” (2009b) provides an illustrative case in point; a
transcription appears in Example 14a, while the accompanying cyclic diagrams appear
in Example 14b. In a common opening gambit, mm. 1–4 mix Fs-major and Fs-minor
collections via cSLIDE, traversing the usual library of tonic (❶), subdominant (❷),
supertonic (❸), and submediant (❹) chords before returning to tonic (❺) via a sus
variant of a backdoor dominant bVII chord (indicated on the score with a dotted arrow
labeled “~BD”).37 But in mm. 6–8 the progression uses a second ↓ cSLIDE to briefly
downshift via minor plagal motion into D minor (❻ – ❼), the hexatonic pole of the
opening key (Cohn 1996). Measures 10–12 repeat and build on this pattern, using two
successive ↓ cSLIDEs to bypass D minor and arrive at a G s13sus chord (❽) in m. 12,
which strongly tonicizes C sM 9 in the following measure with a conventional Vsus–I
motion. After moving quickly through a pair of weaker functional resolutions (again
shown with dotted arrows), the progression then concludes by vacillating between E bM 9
and E bm9(s5) chords—the former (❾), not incidentally, functions enharmonically as VI s
in Fs major.38
The root motion in mm. 6–12 of Example 14a cuts across much larger swaths
of cyclic territory than any of the preceding examples, quickly abandoning the
Fs major/minor tonality of the opening phrase (mm. 1–4). But the tune’s cyclic melody
compensates for this harmonic instability with a notably constrained traversal of
cSLIDE-related cyclic subsets. As shown in Example 14b, after outlining a C s-major
upper-structure triad in m. 1 (see the dotted box at the top of the diagram), the melody
moves this major triad through a cycle of descending major thirds (ic 4) in mm. 6–12. This
descending melodic cycle outlines successively higher portions of each accompanying
harmony’s tertian network of upper voices, ultimately returning to its initial cyclic
position in m. 12. But this cyclic melodic return occurs atop a new harmony, forsaking
the Fs-major tonic for an applied dominant sus chord (Vsus/V) whose momentary
functional proximity to the earlier tonic is belied by the unexpected harmonic shifts

37 A common dominant substitute in tonal jazz, a backdoor dominant is a bVII dominant seventh chord, often
preceded by iv, that typically resolves to a major tonic. (Tadd Dameron’s “Lady Bird” contains a prototypical
example.) Both McClimon (2016, 71–73) and Terefenko (2018, 48) treat the chord as a minor-third substitute
for V, but they attribute its substitutional power primarily to convention rather than to patterns of upper-voice
resolution.
38 The alternation between EbM9 and Ebm9(s5) complicates a clean [↓+1, 0] transformation back to the opening
FsM9 tonic in m. 1: while motion from EbM9 to Ebm9(s5) produces the cSLIDE-induced half-step shifts G–Gb/Fs and
D–Db/Cs, the second chord’s important s5 alteration nudges Bb up to Bn, momentarily removing the common-tone
Bb/As shared between EbM9 and the tonic FsM9.

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 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 71

that precede it.39 The cyclic parsimony that bridges these shifts underscores the ic3/4
cycle’s dual utility as a model of both harmonic and melodic motion in Glasper’s music,
and it reaffirms the cSLIDE’s versatility as a transformation that can both support and
undermine pitch centricity.

V. Glasper and the cyclic legacy of postbop

The local modulatory function of the cSLIDEs in “59 South” contrasts markedly
with the earlier examples in this article. In most of Glasper’s progressions that imply
an ic3/4 cyclic space, root motions and melodies traverse the same constrained regions
of eight- or nine-element cyclic subsets, and cSLIDE transformations preserve these
regions across subset shifts. I have argued that these limited cyclic traversals establish
strong tonal centers via consistent juxtapositions of tall tertian diatonic and mixture
harmonies, producing a centric, modally inflected diatonicism that is an important
feature of Glasper’s style; and I have proposed that this style bears some affinity with
genres such as R&B and neo-soul. But the cSLIDE-based network of thirds that weaves
flexibly between diatonic collections also facilitates cyclic patterns that can challenge
this centricity. These harmonically mobile cyclic patterns, along with Glasper’s reliance
on various postbop-style harmonic substitutions, suggest that the pianist’s language
also owes a significant debt to the compositional innovations of 1960s postbop jazz.
As Waters (2005, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019) has demonstrated in over a decade’s
worth of work on postbop, composers including Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, and
Herbie Hancock built on the legacy of the tonicized major-thirds axis progression
in John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” (1960) by combining functional local progressions
with a variety of cyclic designs that served to “challenge or erode hierarchies of tonal
organization” (2016, 37). Although I would not argue that the descending major-thirds
melodic sequence in “59 South” explicitly references Coltrane’s tune, the kinship is
clear. And while they are hardly legion, such large-scale, harmonically mobile cyclic
patterns also manifest elsewhere in Glasper’s output, particularly in his 2005 and 2009
recordings with his acoustic trio.40
In a more general sense, the role of ic3/4 cyclic space in Glasper’s music—even in
the strongly centric contexts emphasized in this article—is also similar to the function
of cyclic design in postbop composition. By eschewing the sequential regularity of

39 Although the melody in m. 12 includes a Bs rather than a Cs (hence the open-sided dashed box in the lowest
cyclic subset of Example 14b), the latter pitch is a chord tone in the accompanying Gs13sus harmony that Glasper
regularly plays in his right hand.
40 In addition to “Portrait of an Angel” (2005b), discussed below, mm. 1–8 of Glasper’s “Downtime” (2009a)
feature a strongly cyclic melodic design that traces a repeating 〈–4, +1〉 pattern of ordered pc intervals that yields
an octatonic collection.

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 72

  

1 2 3 4 ~BD

1 F#M9 Bm11 G#m11 D#m11 E13sus

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‰ J #œ nœ œ™ #œ œ™ œ #œ #œ
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5 6 7 ~BD

6 F#m9 Gm11 Dm11 E13sus

PT ANT
œ™ #œ œ Ó™ #œ nœ
& J œ™ nœ ™ œ œ œ w
J J
 
THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

5 6 8 Vsus ~V V’M7

10 F#m9 Gm11 G#13sus C#M9 B6/9 EM9

PT PT

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9
15 EbM9 PT Ebm9(#5) EbM9 Ebm9(#5)
3 œ w
œ œ œ œ b3œ
& V V V V V V V V ™™

Example 14a
Robert Glasper, “59 South” (2009b), annotated lead sheet (00:00–00:40).
 G# B D# F# A# C# E# G# m. 1
F#: ii vi I
1
e

4
ycl

3
4c
ic

B D F# A C# E G# mm. 6, 10
d ing

f#: iv i
cen

5
sdes

2
ace
tr

Eb G Bb D F A C E G mm. 7, 11
dylo

d: iv i
me

F#: VI# 7
6
9

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m. 12
G# B D# F# A# C# E# G#

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F#: Vsus/V I

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1
8

Example 14b
Robert Glasper, “59 South” (2009b), cyclic diagram.
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music
73
74 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

Coltrane’s tune—in which “harmony, melody, and meter . . . collaborate in similar

lockstep fashion” (Waters 2019, 21)—postbop composers often disguised underlying
cyclic procedures by decoupling musical parameters, pairing cyclic melodic designs
with non-cyclic root motions (or vice versa), or allowing cyclically regular structures to
manifest more flexibly on the musical surface. “Such adaptations,” Waters writes, “make
the axis organization principles [of ‘Giant Steps’] less mechanical and predictable, and
provide a window into emerging compositional concerns of the 1960s” (2019, 21). In
a similar spirit, the ic3/4 cycle provides an underlying set of recurring harmonic and
melodic pathways that Glasper’s music flexibly traverses. Although such traversals can
produce sequential harmonic and melodic patterns in vamps and opening gambits,
these pathways also continue to shape the musical surface even when these sequential
patterns subside, are obscured by melodic octave displacement, or are altogether absent.
In other words, just as a general reliance on cyclic design constitutes a defining feature
of postbop composition, the prominence and consistency of the ic3/4 cyclic space across
Glasper’s output is a hallmark of his musical language.41
As a concluding example of Glasper’s multiple connections to postbop’s cyclic
legacy, consider his jazz waltz “Portrait of an Angel” (2005b), which combines
characteristic ic3/4 patterns with a second, broader cyclic procedure taken straight from
the annals of postbop composition. A heavily annotated lead sheet for this tune appears
in Example 15a. Although its AABA form is evocative of a tonal jazz standard, the tune
consistently juxtaposes characteristic ic3/4 opening gambits (shown in Example 15b)
with large-scale descending minor-third patterns of cyclic root motion, shown with
square dotted brackets above the staff in Example 15a.
Measures 1–8 present the clearest instance of this phenomenon. The root motions
and melodies in mm. 1–4 traverse their respective halves of a cSLIDE-related pair of
cyclic subsets, producing a characteristic model-copy pattern that introduces one of the
tune’s two melodic motives (the second motive occurs in mm. 5–8). Before this opening
gambit establishes a strong tonal center, however, it is cut short by the emerging clarity
of a second cyclic procedure that stretches across nearly the entire eight-measure phrase.
As shown with the curved dotted arrows above the staff, the root motion between
downbeats adheres to a consistent 〈+4, +5〉 pattern of ordered pc intervals. This pattern
is somewhat disguised because these consistent root motions support inconsistent
chord qualities. The odd-numbered measures feature both major and minor harmonies,
and although mm. 6–7 and 8–9 feature clear local V–I resolutions, the corresponding
motions in mm. 2–3 and 4–5 feature minor seventh chords (❷ and ❹) rather than

41 I would also suggest that the ic3/4 cyclic space plays a similarly prominent role in compositions by many
modern jazz artists, although a demonstration of this prominence falls outside the limited scope of this article.

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 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 75

dominant seventh chords, enabling Glasper’s characteristic opening gambit.42 However,

the tonal implications of the repeating descending-fifth root motions are still strong
enough to tonicize a descending minor-third (ic3) cycle that stretches across the odd-
numbered measures, shown with square dotted brackets above the staff.43 This cycle
of tonicized root motion evokes techniques of postbop composition: the descending
minor-third cycle echoes the opening progression of tunes like Corea’s “Litha” (Waters
2016, 43–47), while the intervening dominant-functioning chords suggest a conceptual
affinity with “Giant Steps.”
Like the progressions in the first eight measures of Example 15a, the progressions
in mm. 9–16 and 17–24 begin with similar ic3/4 gambits that are coextensive with loosely
tonicized descending minor-third cycles. But unlike the first eight measures, each of
these cycles breaks off before completion. The DM 9 chord in m. 7 initiates an ic3 cycle
that extends into mm. 9–12 (root motion: D–B–A b) before giving way to a melody that
clearly outlines three rapid, modulatory cSLIDE transformations in mm. 12–14. These
transformations produce a third descending ic3 cycle (root motion: E–C s –B b); this same
cycle reemerges in a tonicized form in m. 17–19, but it is weakened by the inversion of
the C sM 9 chord in m. 19 and the subsequent disappearance of the 〈+4, +5〉 pattern of
root motion. However, mm. 20–21 cleverly sustain the nascent tonicized cycle—while
the E b7(s9) chord in m. 20 does not act as a strong local dominant, it can nevertheless
be heard to resolve to the A b-major triad present in the upper structure of the ensuing
B bm11 chord.
Remarkably, these incipient, tonicized minor-third cycles, taken together, imply
all three possible ic3 cycles of root motion. Along with the tune’s brisk jazz waltz tempo,
this cyclic variety endows mm. 1–24 with an unceasing momentum that delivers a
constant stream of fresh harmonic color and relentlessly avoids being tethered to a tonal
center. Measures 25–31 provide a respite by briefly settling into the orbit of C major,
yielding the longest centric passage in the tune. But the E7(s9) applied dominant in m. 32
quickly reinitiates the cycle that begins the form, plunging the progression back into the
harmonic vicissitudes of the opening A section.
Dating from early in his recording career, “Portrait of an Angel” (2005b)
evidences some of Glasper’s strongest musical links with the postbop tradition. To

42 This overlap between cyclic procedures and emergent tonal function is a familiar feature found elsewhere
in Glasper’s output; recall “Rise and Shine” (Example 1), “No Worries” (Example 3), and “Gonna Be Alright
(F.T.B.)” (Example 9).
43 Waters (2016, 53–55) suggests that minor seventh chords occasionally serve as dominant substitutes in
postbop; just as the major 7th in a V’M7 chord replaces the dominant (minor) 7th that traditionally animates
resolution to an ensuing tonic, the minor chordal 3rd of an applied v7 replaces a local leading tone with a local
subtonic.

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 76

  

1 2 3 4
desc. ic3 cycle (pc 0) v v V desc. ic3 cycle (pc 2) V
+4 +5 +4 +5 +4 +5 +4 +5
pc int. root
1 AM13(#11) motion cycle
C#m11 F#m11 3 Bbm11 Eb6/9 G7(#9) CM9 DM9 F#7(#9)
UN
3˙ #œ œ #œ ™ œ™
&4 ˙ #˙
ANT
#œ œ œ bœ ˙
bœ œ™ bœ ™
model copy
œ œ bœ ™ bœ ™ œ ™ œ™ ˙ ™ œ™ œ ™ #œ ™ œ ™

     

5 6 7 8 9 10 11
desc. ic3 cycle (pc 2) v desc. ic3
+4 +5 +4 cycle (pc 1)
9 BM13(#11) D#m11 AbM9 Cm9 Em9 C#m11 Bbm11 F9sus F#9sus
3 3 3 3 3 Fine
& #˙ œ ™ œ œ
™™
(ANT)
# œ # œ #œ # œ ™ bb˙˙ œ#œ #œ n œ bœ œ
model
œ œ~copy b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ ™ œ™b œ ™ œ™ n ˙ ™
(ANT)
THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

 
12 13 14
desc. ic3 cycle (pc 1) ii–Vsus
v V (upper structure)
+4 +5
17 EM9 G#m9 C#M9/E# Eb7(#9) Fm11 F#m11 Dm9 G9sus
PT PT

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#˙ ™ ˙
bœ ™ bœ ™ bœ ™ bœ ™ bBbm11 œ b œ œ™ bœ ™ n˙ ™ œ™ œ ™ œ™ œ ™
&
#œ ™ #œ ™ œ ™ #œ ™
#˙ ™

79.108.148.232 on Sun, 03 Dec 2023 21:02:11 +00:00

All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
   
15 16 17 V’ 15 16 17 V

25 CM13(#11) AM9 FM9 Db7(#9) CM13(#11) AM 9 FM9 E7(#9)

LN LN
œ œ ˙ œ ˙™ œ™ œ ™ œ™ œ ™ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ ˙™
œ™ œ ™ D.œ™C. alœFine
™
& ˙

Example 15a
Robert Glasper, “Portrait of an Angel” (2005b), annotated lead sheet (00:00–01:04).
 4
Gb Bb Db F Ab C Eb
mm. 1–4
F# A C# E G# B D# F#
2
1
3

7
8
Ab C Eb G Bb D F
mm. 9–12 Bb Db F Ab C Eb
B D# F# A# C# E# G# 11
6
5 C# E G# B D# F#
10
mm. 12–14 E G B D F#
14 9
C# E# G# B# D# C Eb G Bb D F
mm. 17–19 8
E G# B D# F# A# C#

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13
12

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16
C: VI#
mm. 25–27, A C# E G# B
29–31 F A C E G B D F# A
C: IV I
15
17

Example 15b
Robert Glasper, “Portrait of an Angel” (2005b), ic3/4 cyclic opening gambits.
Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music
77
78 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

my knowledge, the overarching cyclic structure evident in this tune is unique within
Glasper’s output; its perpetual harmonic transit is less common in his compositions
for his Experiment band, whose ic3/4 cyclic patterns are often resolutely centric, hewing
closer to the harmonic language of R&B and neo-soul. But the coexistence of these
familiar ic3/4 gambits with a postbop-style cyclic pattern of root motion is a wholly
appropriate concluding image for the genre-transcending character of Glasper’s music.
As I suggested at the outset, the patterns elucidated in this article have a rich and
complex history that extends both deep within the multifaceted jazz tradition and
well beyond its porous borders. And these patterns themselves are but one aspect of
Glasper’s language—they comingle with numerous other inheritances from the diverse
musical heritage the pianist has embraced as his own. My earnest hope is that the ideas
presented here will serve as a springboard for future investigations into this rich and
interconnected musical lineage—into Glasper, his broader musical milieu, and their
ongoing contributions to modern music.

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 Ben Baker — A Cyclic Approach to Harmony in Robert Glasper’s Music 79

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Discography

Coltrane, John. 1960. “Giant Steps.” Giant Steps, track 1. Paul Chambers, double bass; John
Coltrane, tenor saxophone; Tommy Flanagan, piano; Art Taylor, drums. Atlantic Records
SD1311, vinyl LP. Recorded 1959.
Glasper, Robert. 2005a. “North Portland.” Canvas, track 9. Vicente Archer, double bass; Damion
Reid, drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 7243 4 77130 2 6, compact disc.
———. 2005b. “Portrait of an Angel.” Canvas, track 3. Vicente Archer, double bass; Damion Reid,
drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 7243 4 77130 2 6, compact disc.
———. 2005c. “Rise and Shine.” Canvas, track 1. Vicente Archer, double bass; Damion Reid,
drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 7243 4 77130 2 6, compact disc.
———. 2007a. “F.T.B.” In My Element, track 3. Vicente Archer, double bass; Damion Reid, drums;
Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 0946 3 78111 2 2, compact disc.
———, arr. 2007b. “Maiden Voyage / Everything in Its Right Place.” Original songs by Herbie
Hancock (1965) and Radiohead (2000). In My Element, track 7. Vicente Archer, double bass;
Damion Reid, drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 0946 3 78111 2 2, compact
disc.
———. 2007c. “Of Dreams to Come.” In My Element, track 2. Vicente Archer, double bass; Damion
Reid, drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 0946 3 78111 2 2, compact disc.
———. 2009a. “Downtime.” Double-Booked, track 4. Vicente Archer, double bass; Chris Dave,
drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 509996 94244 2 7, compact disc.
———. 2009b. “59 South.” Double-Booked, track 5. Vicente Archer, double bass; Chris Dave,
drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 509996 94244 2 7, compact disc.
———. 2009c. “No Worries.” Double-Booked, track 2. Vicente Archer, double bass; Chris Dave,
drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 509996 94244 2 7, compact disc.
———. 2009d. “Yes I’m Country (And That’s OK).” Double-Booked, track 2. Vicente Archer, double
bass; Chris Dave, drums; Robert Glasper, piano. Blue Note Records 509996 94244 2 7,
compact disc.
Hancock, Herbie. 1965. “Maiden Voyage.” Maiden Voyage, track 1. Ron Carter, double bass;
George Coleman, tenor saxophone; Herbie Hancock, piano; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; Tony
Williams, drums. Blue Note BLP 4195, vinyl LP. Recorded 1965.

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82 THEORY and PRACTICE Volume 44 (2019)

Radiohead. 2000. “Everything in Its Right Place.” Kid A, track 1. Parlophone PRL2–277539,
compact disc.
Robert Glasper Experiment (ft. Ledisi). 2012a. “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.).” Black Radio, track
5. Casey Benjamin, synthesizer; Chris Dave, drums and percussion; Robert Glasper, piano
and Fender Rhodes; Derrick Hodge, electric bass; Ledisi, vocals. Blue Note Records 509990
88333 2 7, compact disc.
Robert Glasper Experiment (ft. Lupe Fiasco and Bilal). 2012b. “Always Shine.” Black Radio, track
4. Casey Benjamin, synthesizer and vocoder; Bilal, vocals; Chris Dave, drums and percussion;
Lupe Fiasco, vocals; Robert Glasper, piano and Fender Rhodes; Derrick Hodge, electric bass.
Blue Note Records 509990 88333 2 7, compact disc.

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