Standards
Turnaround chords & key
- Key
- C major
- Form
- A
- Bars
- 12
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“Turnaround” is a jazz standard by Ornette Coleman. It is usually played in C major as a medium swing, and the 12-bar A form repeats as one section. Its changes follow the 12-bar blues. In this atlas it appears on 19 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
A
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
0Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
0ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
2Dominant chains
8Different chords
Most used chords
- C7×6
- F7×2
- Fm7×1
- Cm7×1
- D♭m7×1
- Bm7×1
Characteristics
- 12-bar blues
Recorded on these albums
| 1959 | Tomorrow Is the Question! The New Music of Ornette Coleman! Ornette Coleman |
| 1965 | The Turnaround! Hank Mobley · “The Turnaround” |
| 1966 | Ask Me Now! Pee Wee Russell |
| 1969 | Seattle Perry Como |
| 1977 | The Golden Number Charlie Haden |
| 1980 | 80/81 Pat Metheny |
| 1982 | Here to Stay Neal Schon & Jan Hammer |
| 1988 | Basie and Friends Count Basie |
| 1993 | Wish Joshua Redman |
| 1994 | The Montreal Tapes Charlie Haden with Paul Bley and Paul Motian · “Turnaround / When Will the Blues Leave?” |
| 1994 | African Venus Dewey Redman featuring Joshua Redman |
| 1998 | Notes on Ornette Paul Bley |
| 2006 | Sound Grammar Ornette Coleman |
| 2008 | Rebound Wayman Tisdale · “The Turnaround” |
| 2014 | Charlie Haden - Jim Hall Charlie Haden - Jim Hall |
| 2016 | Celebrate Ornette Ornette Coleman |
| 2021 | Side Eye NYC V1.IV Pat Metheny |
| 2022 | Live in Italy Peter Erskine |
| — | Yesterdays John Abercrombie & Don Thompson |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Turnaround in?
Turnaround is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote Turnaround?
Turnaround was written by Ornette Coleman.
What is the form of Turnaround?
Turnaround has 1 sections (A) with 12 bars in total.
How fast is Turnaround played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to Turnaround?
The opening bars are C7 | F7 | C7 | C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.