"Where Y'At" - Trombone Shorty

SONG: “Where Y’At” (PDF)
ALBUM: Backatown
YEAR: 2010
LABEL: Verve Forecast

Special thanks to readers andy anynonomous, Dor asaf, JR, JTM & Noah Goldstein for their contributions!

The overall harmony is F minor, specifically the F minor pentatonic scale.  Yet, notice how the horn melodies work outside the chord to build the harmonic shape and resolve the phrase back within the chord.  As is the style of New Orleans funk rock, the "melody" is really in the guitars, the ascending and descending pentatonic riffs, while the horns provide the counterpart.

During the solo, the harmony becomes a b6-b7-i chord progression that is only used in this middle section of the song.  Because of the natural energy of the progression, it sets the trombone solo apart from the rest of the tune and "turns it up to eleven."  It's an interesting and effective compositional technique.

Here's an official YouTube video of Trombone Shorty performing “Where Y’At”: