Blue Bossa
Kenny Dorham
Blue Bossa is a jazz standard composed by Kenny Dorham. It was first released in 1963 as the opening track of Joe Henderson's album "Page One". Although the title suggests a bossa nova style, the tune is more of a blend of hard bop and bossa nova, with a strong blues influence. The composition is known for its simple structure, consisting of 16 measures divided into four 4-measure phrases. It is mainly written in C minor with a modulation to D-flat major. The melody is primarily built on descending scales and emphasizes the ninth degree of the minor chords, adding to its bluesy character. Despite its simplicity, Blue Bossa offers ample opportunity for improvisation and has been recorded by numerous jazz musicians, solidifying its status as a jazz standard. Interestingly, Kenny Dorham himself only recorded it once.