Temptation: Lead Sheet

This lead sheet gives you access to one of Brown's most swingable standards in a real book that treats accuracy seriously. The Just Standards edition consulted original sources to preserve the composers' harmonic intentions while also including the chord substitutions that working jazz musicians actually use. You get both the architecture of the tune and the practical flexibility modern players expect.

Temptation captures the sophisticated charm of early Hollywood songwriting, with a melody that draws you in and harmonic movement that keeps your ears engaged. The tune has an elegance that sits somewhere between popular song and jazz composition, making it equally at home in a show context or a jazz club.

Jazz musicians working from fakebooks, whether in combo or big band settings, will find this lead sheet in a collection designed for serious use. It serves vocalists, soloists, and rhythm section players who need both reliability and professional-level harmonic detail.

• Listen closely to the original composed changes before exploring substitutions; understanding the harmonic foundation makes substitutions meaningful rather than arbitrary.
• Pay attention to the melody's phrasing over the chord changes, especially where Brown places chord movements to support the lyrical shape.
• Experiment with the suggested substitutions in a practice setting first to hear how they shift the color and tension of the tune.
• Use the discography section to hear how different eras and styles of players have interpreted this standard.

Feature this standard in a jazz evening program alongside other Brown-Freed classics to showcase a composer's influence on American jazz repertoire. It works well as a trio feature, a vocalist vehicle, or a big band arrangement where the harmonic detail can really shine.

• Recognizing and applying chord substitutions in classic jazz changes
• Reading fakebook notation and implied performance conventions
• Understanding the relationship between composed melody and harmonic movement
• Developing improvisation strategies on standards with rich chord progressions