hi, a friend of mine is taking g5 jazz piano. She wants to know what the notation means in one of the pieces called "blue bossa" (standard jazz)

Straight 8s Bossa

accents sim.

a chord called Db (a triangle)


thanks

Staight 8's means that the quavers are played as written and not with a swing feel.

Bossa refers to the bossa nova style made famous in the 60's with 'The Girl from Ipanama'. A bossa nova has the rhythm in the right hand of dotted crotchet, dotted crotched, crotchet (bar 1); crotchet rest, dotted crotchet, dotted crotched (bar 2). This is explained on page 89 of AB's Jazz Piano from scratch book. Basically you just have to ensure that you play with an authentic bossa feel especially in the improvised section.
To get this correct listen to some bossa recordings.

Db with a triangle is a way of writing Db major 7th i.e. a Db chord plus a C

The vertical accents are stronger than they would have been if they were horizontal!

Klavierboy

Thanks, it makes sense....

How can someone get to Grade 5 jazz without being taught what 'straight 8s bossa' means? Or what the triangle after a note name means?

Aaargh!

Maybe a classically trained bod who decides they can go straight in at grade 5 jazz, without appreciating that it is a completely different discipline.... Sounds like your friend has some serious catching up to do!