A Night In Tunisia | Chords TAB
This isn’t going to be easy! Let’s begin with the chords.
Intro (bass line)
This is the bass line — essentially an arpeggio, which I’ve translated into chord names. Make sure you fully understand this foundation.
The intro then moves into chords, but as they match the verse harmony, we’ll press on.
Verse
Here we play different chord shapes from those implied by the bass line. Most people call it Dm, or perhaps Dm6. I’m convinced it’s Dm6/9. If you disagree, I’d love to hear why.
We then move to Em7b5 and A7b5, stopping on a D root.
Depending on what comes next, we get different Dm chord voicings:
As this tune is already challenging, I avoid expanding into other neck areas here — we’ll do that in later sections.
B-section
Next is a sequence of m7b5 chords followed by a dominant 7b9 — a classic minor II–V–I. The Gm → Gm(maj7) → Gm7 → C9 movement is a textbook chromatic descent in the root.
The next minor II–V–I resolves to a major chord — very unusual — followed by one final minor II–V (Em7b5 → A7#5). Both dom7b9 and dom7#5 are altered chords; remember this for later.
Here’s the first approach:
The second idea substitutes the dom7b9 chords with diminished chords — check the intervals to see how closely they relate. Elite jazz players do this on the fly; the only path there is to play a lot of jazz.
I’ve also included the horn lick in bar four and labelled the chord.
Here’s a third variation, focusing on a different fretboard area:
C-section
Here’s the first suggestion:
Most charts say “stop” for two bars, but the recording I used pauses for four. I’ve followed the horn rhythm so you can blend with it. I label this Eb7#11 (rather than b5) — that’s the common convention.
In the following phrase, after Dm7, I wrote what I actually heard rather than the Real Book changes, so my transcription differs slightly from standard charts.
Here’s another variation:
Notice I label it E7b5 here. We also use G13, and at the end we substitute the A7#5 (altered) for diminished chords.
I’m no jazz purist — true experts are the players who gig this music weekly — but these are the chords I hear.
Next up: the melody.
A Night In Tunisia | Melody TAB
I used the Real Book lead sheet as a starting point, but quickly switched to transcribing the recording — there are many differences.
A-section
Here’s the primary melody. I treat this as Bb Melodic Minor: essentially Bb Dorian with a major 7th.
The final figure is an enclosure — approaching the D from above and below before resolving.
B-section
This follows the minor II–V–I patterns mentioned earlier — first in Gm, then Fm (functioning as F6), and finally a II–V in Dm. The line outlines chord tones, so ensure you can see that clearly.
C-section
This passage is extraordinary. Using the same rhythm, we weave around richly extended chords with 16th-note triplets. It took serious time to transcribe!
Spend plenty of time on the melody before attempting to solo.
Solo tips
Let’s keep this short. You can approach it from a theory perspective (see playlist videos above), or — my recommendation — build ideas from the melody.
- A-section: Bb Melodic Minor
- B-section: Chord arpeggios
- C-section: Keep the rhythmic shape and adjust as little as possible per chord
When you can play both chords and melody, go back to the chords lesson and use the chart while playing along with Dizzy.
A Night In Tunisia Backing Tracks + TAB | Related Pages
A Night In Tunisia | Chords + Lyrics
Learn how to play A Night In Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie using chords, chord analysis, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
Verse
||: Eb7 | Dm7 | Eb7 | Dm7 | Eb7 | Dm7 | Em7b5 A7 | Dm7 :||
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