Footprints (composition)

"Footprints" is a jazz standard composed by saxophonist Wayne Shorter and first recorded for his album Adam's Apple in 1966.

During Davis’s first trumpet solo, Williams shifts to a 44 jazz ride pattern while Carter continues the 128 bass line.

The slashed noteheads indicate the main beats (not bass notes), where one ordinarily taps their foot to "keep time."

Harmonically, "Footprints" takes the form of a 12-bar C minor blues, but this is masked not only by its triple time signature but by its avant garde turnaround.

In jazz jam sessions and for educational purposes, players often choose D7(♯11) D♭7(♯11) Cm7 as turnaround, which also fits with the original melody.