Ted Greene Blues Study - April 19, 1988
Compilation page by P. Vachon

Ted's Original Lesson sheet
TedGreene_JumpBackBluesStudy_1988-04-19.pdf

My compilation page, changes and comparisons
TedGreene_JumpBackBluesStudy_notes_girds.pdf

This blues study illustrates the “V-of” principle:  any chord may be preceded by it’s V7.  I believe that Ted used the term “jumpback” here to mean that for a given chord, you would first play that chord, then “jump back” to it’s V7, then return to the original chord.

Ted wrote at the top of his original page, “ ‘Jumpback Blues’ (I may also refer to it as ‘Sandwich V Blues’ or ‘Insert V Blues’)”.  These are just different ways to express the same principle — to show how the given chord is played with its V7 chord inserted.  Think of this as a single harmonic unit:  I7 – V7 – I7.  It’s just the I7 chord with its V “sandwiched” in between itself.  This adds some harmonic interest and flavor to an otherwise somewhat stagnant harmony.

On his original sheet Ted provided only the letter name of the chord, and wrote a comment that the student was to “add the exact chord qualities.”  On my compilation page I added these chord qualities in red.

Below is an analysis of the basic blues progression Ted used for this study.  He added some extra chord “flavors” in some spots, but this is the basic harmonic structure. 

If you compare this progression to the attached “Jumpback Blues, notation & grids” page, you’ll see that for the first 6 measures Ted applied this “sandwich” or “jumpback” technique to each chord, adding its V7 chord. 

Measures 7-10 utilizes the common ascending scale-wise progression of I-ii-iii to add that “pretty major 7 sound” to the blues.  (The first time I heard this variation in the blues was on “Stormy Monday Blues” by the Allman Brothers Band, Live at the Fillmore East.  It's in the key of G.  Check it out.)  For measure 7 instead of using the Bm7 chord (the ii chord), Ted played some E11 chords, which in essence have the same sound and function as the Bm7.

Measures 11-12 is of course the turnaround.  In Ted’s Chord Chemistry book (p.99) he lists 25 of the “nearly infinite number of turnarounds.”  Here he used #18 with some slight adjustments.  If you find that the Bm9 – E7(#5#9) in bar 12 poses too much of a stretch for you, then find an easier voicing to grab with the same sound.

Ted also wrote on his original page at the beginning of measure 8:  “Please add some open ghost tones on some of the ‘ands’ (in between beats) on this line to help push it along.” And at the bottom he wrote: 
1)  MEMORIZE SLOWLY, phrase by phrase
2)  The necessary ‘hip” jazz-blues feel is paramount.
3)  Transpose to the keys of Ab, G, F# (or Gb) and Bb.

Enjoy!
--Paul