Blog: B Natural | bobbysternjazz.comTEST

A Little Shubhap in Your BeBop? Melakarta #45 – Shubhapantuvarali

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Bobby SternApril 24, 2016

In this post we'll take a look at Melakarta #45 - Shubhapantuvarali (that's shoo-bop pahn-too-vah-rahlly....no really!). "Shubhap" (for short) has the same tonal DNA as another Melakarta, namely, #36 - Chalanata, which is the subject of an earlier post. It might be helpful to check that out for some pertinent background info, as well as any of the other posts in this category (hey, why not? - they're FreeB's).

Due to the process known as graha bedham, which changes the śruti, or tonic, of a scale (Melakarta) to a different note within that scale, Melas #36 and #45 have the same tonal makeup, with each containing the exact same interval relationships. Only the starting point is different in each case.

This is the same type of relationship found between, for example, the Major scale and any of its modes (Dorian, Phrygian, etc.) - same 7 scale tones; different tonic.

As with the other posts on the subject, the objective here is to investigate the usage of these Carnatic (South Indian) Melakartas (there are 72 in all), as one would treat any 7 note western scale - as a melodic improvisational tool.

Monk’s “Skippy” – The Etude

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Bobby SternAugust 17, 2016

Based on a previous post (it's a FreeB), which included a breakdown of Thelonious Monk's challenging original, "Skippy", I finally got around to putting together a one chorus "solo style" etude, as a means to decipher ways to navigate the changes of this roller coaster ride of a tune.

Monk's only recording of "Skippy" was from the 1952 Blue Note session that was released as part of "The Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2", and which included an alternate take of the tune, as well.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, composing an etude for yourself can be extremely beneficial, in that it slows down the improvisational process and allows one to better see, hear and comprehend certain melodic and harmonic connections and how they tend to resolve - or not.

It's kind of like transcribing your own mind.

JoHen Tunes Up “Night & Day” – A Joe Henderson Reharm and Solo Transcription

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Bobby SternApril 16, 2016

Joe Henderson's tenor saxophone solo on his reharmonized version of Cole Porter's "Night & Day" (downloadable transcription below), was recorded for the Blue Note label at Rudy Van Gelder's studio (where else!) in Engewood Cliffs, NJ on Nov. 30th, 1964, ten days before John Coltrane recorded "A Love Supreme" in the same studio.

Joe Henderson w/ Horace Silver in France - 1964

"Night & Day" would be the final track on the "B" side of the original vinyl LP "Inner Urge", Henderson's fourth as a leader for Blue Note; and featured then current Coltrane Quartet members McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones on piano and drums respectively; as well as Bob Cranshaw, who was pretty much Blue Note's house bassist at the time.

The album "Inner Urge" was titled after the now classic Henderson original and the subject of an earlier post.

Both the tune and the album are iconic examples of '60's compositional, harmonic and improvisational innovations.

Back to the Future ‘Trane – A Transcription of John Coltrane’s 1954 Solo on “In a Mellow Tone”

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Bobby SternJanuary 27, 2016

This transcription of the first chorus of John Coltrane's tenor solo on Duke Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone", was taken from a live (possibly radio) recording from sometime in mid 1954, when 'Trane was on the road with Johnny Hodges' septet. The band included Hodges' fellow Ellingtonians, Harold "Shorty" Baker - trumpet, and Lawrence Brown on trombone.

This version of "Mellotone" was originally released, to my knowledge, in on a "bootleg" vinyl in the 1970's on the "Enigma" label. A friend of mine had it and I promptly copied it to cassette (remember those?.....OK, maybe not).

Then as now, 'Trane's solo here blew me away for several reasons. First of all, through this recording, we get a glimpse of a 27 year old John Coltrane, who was still a little more than a year away from the start of his historical association with trumpeter Miles Davis.

In the second chorus of this solo, which is not transcribed here, we hear a portent of things to come; i.e. sixteenth note scalar runs, which he seemed to be hearing as if from a distance, but didn't quite have the concept, which we would later know as "sheets of sound", under his complete control yet.

Be-Boppin’ the Harmonic Major

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Bobby SternJuly 12, 2016

As I've been recently treating the Harmonic 6XMqTRr

Major scale like a new found toy, I've discovered, for myself at least, some of the unique and interesting qualities of this "hidden in plain sight" seven note harmonic system.

The practice of adding a non-diatonic passing tone to the Major, as well as the Melodic & Harmonic Minor Scales and their modes began as the "eighth note" became the basic rhythmic pulse unit of the music called "BeBop", and became known at some point as the "BeBop Scale"

I think it was David Baker who first "bopularized" the term.

In order to create an even 8 count of eighth notes from the original 7 note scale and allow a melodic line to flow and resolve evenly through measures of 4/4, a passing tone was strategically added, the location depending on the mode used, allowing the chord tones to fall on downbeats (and vice versa), for the most part.

So, with that in mind, I was curious to see how one might "Bebop-a-size" the modes of Harmonic Major.

Right off the bat, I hit a slight snag.

Granted! – A Joe Henderson Solo Transcription

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Bobby SternJuly 12, 2016

It's Joe Henderson time again, ladies and gents!

"Happiness is Just a Thing Called (listening to) Joe (Henderson)"

Joe, as you should know, was one of the music's more stylistically unique and influential tenor saxophonists and improvisers, as well as the composer of a healthy number of classic originals.

His influence and legacy live on in his many recordings, made both as leader and sideman, during a career which spanned nearly four decades.

Henderson's tenor saxophone solo on one of those original compositions, an uptempo C Minor Blues entitled "Granted" (dedicated to the renowned NYC Jazz Radio personality and promoter, Alan Grant, who recently passed away at 93), is the subject of this post and downloadable transcription.
Read More

Deep Space b9 – Descending Tritone Minor Scale Shape

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Bobby SternMay 31, 2016

Unidentified Descending Shape (UDS)
Landing Near You

Origin determined to be from the planet Tritonius Minorus in the Diminished Scale System, according to reports from Deep Space b9

Don't jump out the window just yet...........!

Swap that tricorder for a trichord and check out this supplementary exercise based on my last post, which deals with a hexatonic scale comprised of two minor triads, a tritone apart (C- & F#-).

As this scale seemed to have been nameless, and for lack of one better, I dubbed it the "Tritone Minor Scale".

It's close resemblance to it's likewise Diminished Scale offshoot cousin, the more popularly known "Tritone Scale" (2 Major Triads, a tritone apart), confirms its DNA and keeps it in the family.

A Perfect Fourth Story; Ch. 2 – Melodic Minor ii-V7-i Application

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Bobby SternJune 1, 2016

Judging from the title, this post is a follow up to last week's, with some ideas on how one could apply these particular Melodic Minor 4th shapes in a ii-V7-i situation; at least in theory.

What I've done here was to copy one of the single measure shape patterns from a particular MM scale for the ii7b5, and another one from the MM scale a minor 3rd above it for the V7alt, but not from the same identical scale degree, so that while the shape remains the same, the pattern's interval makeup is slightly different.

A common Melodic Minor device is that whatever you play on the ii7b5, you can transpose that same phrase up a minor 3rd as a parallel sequence for the V7alt and it should sound pretty cool, right?

BRANCHER-FRANCE TSG Tenor Saxophone Play – Test

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Bobby SternJanuary 27, 2016

I am taking this opportunity to happily announce here that I am now a proud endorser for BRANCHER-FRANCE Saxophones.

I had the good fortune of meeting Msr. Pascal Brancher, Mr. BRANCHER-FRANCE himself, maker of fine saxophones and accessories, in March 2014 at the Frankfurter Musikmesse (Frankfurt Music Fair).

The Brancher stand was located directly across the isle from the Bari Woodwinds booth (manned by Jim Cavanaugh and Ron van Ostenbridge) whose Bari Hybrid mouthpiece and synthetic reeds I have been playing exclusively and endorsing for a number of years, going back to the days of the company's founder, the late Wolfe Taninbaum.

So meeting "the Branchers" was kind of like meeting the people next door. I had never even heard of the Brancher brand before this, so I was certainly not familiar with their line of horns. Read More

Curacaoan of Renown – A Conversation with Guitarist / Bassist Roy Louis, Pt. 1

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Bobby SternJanuary 27, 2016

Guitarist / bassist (or bassist / guitarist) Roy Louis has been a close friend and musical colleague for almost 40 years.

As I discovered, it's not easy interviewing your long time friends, as the conversation can can very easily get sidetracked into many different cracks and crevices of shared experience.

"Man, do you remember.......?", became the common theme, only to realize, half an hour later,
that we'd gone way off on a tangent.

* * * * * *

Roy Louis is a native of the island of Curacao (pronounced KEWR-ə-sow)
formerly of the Netherlands Antilles, which has a unique place historically and culturally in
the overall picture of the Caribbean and Latin America. Aside from it's predominately European and African cultural influences dating back to colonial times, the average Curacaoan is usually well versed in Dutch, Spanish, English, as well as the island's native Creole language, Papiamentu.

This unique and diversified Caribbean culture began molding Roy Louis, the artist, at a very young age. Beginning his musical career semi-professionally at age 6, and being completely self taught on electric bass and then guitar, Roy, is without a doubt, the most purely
"intuitive" musician I have known.

Here's Part One of my conversation with "my boy", Roy!

Unidentified Descending Shape (UDS) Landing Near You

Unidentified Descending Shape (UDS)
Landing Near You