Chord sequence

Bbm7, B7, Emaj7, G7, Cmaj7, Eb7, Abmaj7

B♭m7 B7 Emaj7 G7 Cmaj7 E♭7 A♭maj7

Tempo 120 BPM

Rootless Shells Guide tones Rooted shells Rooted Drop 2

Four-note rootless voicings in their two forms, with the 3rd or the 7th on the bottom, played over the root.

Customize each chord

Bbm7
B7
Emaj7
G7
Cmaj7
Eb7
Abmaj7

Analysis

Heard in Ab major

Each chord's roman numeral and role in Ab major
Chord	Numeral	Role
B♭m7	ii7	Subdominant
B7	V7/♭VI	Secondary dominant of bVI
Emaj7	♭VImaj7	Borrowed from Ab minor
G7	V7/III	Secondary dominant of III
Cmaj7	?	Outside the key (IIImaj7)
E♭7	V7	Dominant
A♭maj7	Imaj7	Tonic

Progressions in these changes

All the chords

Coltrane Changes in Ab

John Coltrane's substitution for a ii-V-I: the music passes through three keys a major third apart, I, bVI and III, each reached by its own dominant, before arriving home.

Scales to play