The Jazz Sax & Improvisation Blog of Saxophonist Bobby Stern - bobbysternjazz.com

Have You Met Miss Jones? - She awaits you on the bridge!

3/28/2025

Have You Met Miss Jones?
She awaits you... on "the bridge"!

Have you met Miss Jones? If not - well, allow me to introduce you.

"Have You Met Miss Jones?" - a Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart song classic - was first introduced in 1937 as part of the Broadway musical / political satire, "I'd Rather be Right".

Having been recorded by artists as diverse - in style and era - as Louis Armstrong and Robbie Williams, "Have You Met Miss Jones?" has since become a Jazz Standard, making its way onto the exalted list of 20th Century songs known as the "Great American Songbook".

What sets "Miss Jones" apart from the rest of the pack is her unique bridge in which the key centers modulate in descending Major 3rds (a song's bridge being the eight-bar "B" section - bars #17 thru #24 - of the 32-bar, AABA "standard American popular song" form).

Looking for Inspiration? Try Adding Triads!

1/30/2025

Looking for Inspiration? Try Adding Triads!

In this post we'll revisit a fundamental musical compound which never gets old, regardless of one's level or experience.

Talkin' 'bout the triad.

It's no secret that the triad - a 3-note structure comprised of a pair of Major and/ or minor 3rd intervals - forms the cornerstone of functional Western harmony.

Even though this might seem like an elementary concept for some, a full understanding and command of the use of triads - along with their inversions and permutations - are a must for any competent improviser, and as mentioned previously, it's one of the basics deserving of a periodic refresher.

The Fix is In - Broken Maj 9 Chords in 5ths, Major 3rds Cycle

8/29/2024

The Fix is In:
Broken Maj 9 Chords in 5ths, Major 3rds Cycle

You've probably heard the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

If a "working musician" is not working, he or she might be "going broke", but if we're talking about one who's dedicated - working or not - the decision may be to "go for broke" in reaching musical and professional goals.

In music terminology - which applies to the subject of this post - it ain't "broke" but "broken" in the sense of being disconnected or detached - as in a broken chord.

So if your chords are broken and you're in a fix, but you're fixin' to fix it, then fixate on the next few paragraphs, so that it might become a fixture of your daily practice routine.

Four'll Get You Twenty-Four

4/19/2024

Four'll Get You Twenty-Four
A few half-diminished permutations to get started

According to an online permutation calculator I stumbled upon recently, the number of unique combinations of the 12 pitches of the Western chromatic scale comes to exactly 479,001,600 - and that's just the pitches! Add to that the variations in rhythm, tone and timbre, etc., and that number grows to infinity.

Not to worry! In this post, we'll cover just a few of the permutations of just four notes - which yield the measly number of 24 possible unique combinations - definitely enough to deal with!

The 4-note cell focused on here is commonly known as a min7b5, or half-diminished chord and is similar in concept to a previous post and book, "Permutation Station 1235".

Vamp Like a Champ! - ii-V-iii-VI Arpeggiated Sequence

5/26/2022

Vamp Like a Champ!
ii-V-iii-VI Arpeggiated Sequence

Let's talk about vamps... and no, I don't mean those nocturnal, pointy-tooth bloodsucker types from Transylvania.

In musical terms, a vamp can be defined as a repeating harmonic or rhythmic sequence, of usually two, four or eight bars. It can be based on a single harmony, a bass riff, or on a series of chord changes.

Vamps are everywhere these days, and have been for a good while. Listen to any contemporary charted pop tune and chances are the bulk of the tune is based on a vamp of some sort. Traditionally, a vamp might function as a song's intro. In our case, it functions as an improvisational vehicle often found at the end of a solo, or at the end of a standard tune, as well.

Get an Angle on "The Eternal Triangle" Bridge

2/24/2022

Take it to the Bridge...
Getting an Angle on "The Eternal Triangle"

Ok, folks! Are you ready to take it to the bridge? Brooklyn? GW? Golden Gate? London Bridge?

Nope. I'm talking about the "The Eternal Triangle" bridge - from the classic Dizzy Gillespie album "Sonny Side Up" - featuring both Theodore "Sonny" Rollins and Edward "Sonny" Stitt (the tune's composer). Two Samurai swordsmen battling it out on the bridge (the whole tune actually) with tenor saxophones as their musical swords of choice. And then, of course - there's Dizzy! Not to be forsaken!

Despite the high winds created by the tune's rapid tempo, crossing this bridge might not be as treacherous as it might initially seem.

Joe Henderson's Tenor Solo on "You Know I Care" - A Transcription

11/25/2021

Joe Henderson's Tenor Solo
"You Know I Care" - A Jazz Ballad Transcription

"You Know I Care", is a masterpiece of a composition by the prolific composer / pianist / arranger, Columbus Calvin "Duke" Pearson, jr and is possibly the most representative original ballad of the 1960s Blue Note period.

As the ballad feature on Joe Henderson's classic "Inner Urge" album, it was recorded on November 30, 1964 - nine days before John Coltrane recorded "A Love Supreme" - with pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones (each a member of Coltrane's classic quartet and icons themselves) on both sessions.

Almost six months later, Pearson recorded his own version of "You Know I Care" as a 6-horn arrangement, but Henderson's quartet recording is the definitive version, as his tenor solo as well as the rhythm section, breathes additional life, dimension and drama into an already singular ballad composition.

Hey! You've Got an ACE up Your Sleeve!

10/21/2021

Hey! You've Got an ACE up Your Sleeve!

Bet you haven't checked your sleeve in a minute!

As an improviser, there are numerous devices that help one to get from points A to B in any particular tune - whether it's a ii-V7 cadence or any other type of harmonic sequence.

In this post, we'll revisit the ACE concept, which can utilize up to 4 different Melodic Minor tonal areas over a common ii-V7-I, resolving to either Major or minor - or both.

By using melodic material derived from several Melodic Minor "keys" you'll introduce tension and dimension to your ii-V7 lines - adding to that of the basic, more vanilla sounding Major Scale modes - which we all still know and love.

"Come Rain or Come Shine" - An All-Weather Etude

8/19/2021

"Come Rain or Come Shine" - An All-Weather Etude

As an improviser, one of the most effective ways to learn and study any tune is to compose an Etude over its chord changes.

This can get you up close and personal with the tune's harmonic structure, as well as its harmonic and melodic resolution points.

It will also reveal where you are in terms of your own aural understanding in relation to where you might want to be (this never stops - it's a continuous process!).

One particular tune I personally wanted to delve deeper into was "Come Rain or Come Shine" - music and lyrics by Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer. It debuted as part of the 1946 Broadway musical "St. Louis Woman", and has since been performed and / or recorded by just about everyone and anyone. It's enshrined as part of the "Great American Songbook".

Step Up Your Game! - The Major 3rds Cycles - Ascending & Descending

12/18/2020

Step Up Your Game!
The Major 3rds Cycles - Descending & Ascending

The Major 3rds Harmonic Cycle, in both its descending and ascending form, has historically been an effective harmonic device for improvisers and composers alike.

Pioneered by the iconic John Coltrane, the descending version of this cycle has become commonly known as "Coltrane Changes" (on which his tune "Giant Steps" - among others - is based). At the same time, the ascending cycle - coined here as "Retrosteps" - has been explored to a far lesser degree.

The original intention, as in Coltrane's case, was his use of this cycle as a substitution for the common ii-V7-I harmonic movement. While harmonic resolution in Perfect 4ths / 5ths (Cycle of 5ths) is the foundation on which Western harmony is based, both descending and ascending Major 3rds Cycles offer creative alternatives.

Vertical Structures - Scaling the Heights!

9/24/2019

"Vertical Structures" - Scaling the Heights!

Chords and Scales! Scales and Chords! Two manifestations and expressions of the same thing.

Like the age-old "chicken or the egg" argument, it's interesting but unimportant as to which came first.

For the improviser, however, it's essential that he or she becomes fluent with both concepts and can readily visualize and execute each in a creative situation.

"Vertical Structures", focuses on and explores some of the more common scale systems and modes (Lydian, Dorian, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor & Major, as well as the half tone/ whole tone Diminished Scale) and presents them (in 12 keys) as selected, extended 13th chord arpeggios and sequences, as well as diatonic 4th stacks.