"Loie" is a composition by guitarist Kenny Burrell (1931–) and included in tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec's 1963 album "Soul Samba" and Burrell's 1965 album "Guitar Forms." It is a lovely bossa nova with much musical interest for the jazz musician. Burrell was (and is) a popular jazz guitarist with a large recorded catalog as leader and sideman. "Guitar Forms" was a collaboration of Burrell and arranger Gil Evans (1912–1988), who was especially well known for his collaborations with Miles Davis. Quebec (1918–1963) is less well known, being most active during the swing era with a quiescent period of recording in the 1950s before a comeback in the early 1960s. Unfortunately, he died at 44 of lung cancer.

Apart from its beauty, "Loie" is very tightly composed. It is in standard 32-bar AABA form. Its melody is based on a three-note linear motive, used in its ascending form sixteen times in the piece (four times in each A and in the B section as well) and in the descending form five times (once at the end of each A section, and twice, embellished, in the B section). Such tight composition compares to other songs, such as "Siempre En Mi Corazon (Always In My Heart)" (see https://www.irealb.com/forums/showth...ado-Kim-Gannon) and two well-known songs by Irving Berlin, "Always" and "Remember," among others based on short motives repeated throughout the melody.

The harmony, while simple, is also of interest. The A section is based on the "Lament" bass, a descending linear line from the tonic to the dominant. Often completely chromatic, it lacks only the half-step below the tonic in this composition. The bass line takes its name from the aria known as Dido's Lament, "When I am laid in earth" from the late seventeenth-century opera "Dido and Aeneas" by Henry Purcell. It has been used in many classical compositions and popular songs (e.g., "Hit the Road Jack"). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lament_bass for lots more. The B section features a simple circle-of-fifths harmonic sequence to the relative major key before a quick modulation back to the tonic.

The performances "Loie" noted above are available on Youtube.

My chord chart follows the head on "Soul Samba." I included two alternative chord changes in the first A section, which I think reflect the head on "Guitar Forms," although it was tough for me to hear. I'm pleased to fulfill this request by SaxProphetKachi for this chart, as I had never heard of this song before. I like it with the Latin-Brazil: Bossa Acoustic style at any tempo that is comfortable for the soloist.

Loie - Kenny Burrell