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

'Tis the Season - A "Sleigh Ride" at 250 BPM

12/17/2022

'Tis the Season
A "Sleigh Ride" at 250 BPM

'Tis once again "The Season" of hopefully fun and enjoyable times for you and yours. It´s also the season of non-stop holiday shopping music; which - thankfully, for the most part - comes but once a year.

Most of these holiday songs have been around for a while for the simple reason that they're popular and familiar to most of us - with the added and possibly unconscious realization that after New Year's Day, we likely won't be hearing them for another year.

One of those tunes was actually composed as a light orchestral piece during the heatwave of July, 1948 and makes no reference to the December holiday season.

"Coming on the Hudson" - A Johnny Griffin Tenor Saxophone Solo Transcription

9/28/2022

"Coming on the Hudson" - A Johnny Griffin Tenor Saxophone Solo Transcription

This month's post features a transcription / analysis of Johnny Griffin's tenor saxophone solo on Thelonious Monk's "Coming on the Hudson", recorded live at the legendary Five Spot Cafe in NYC on August 7, 1958. It was released as one of the tracks on the album "Thelonious in Action!". In addition to Monk and Griffin, the quartet was rounded out by bassist Ahmed Abdul Malik and the great Roy Haynes, on drums.

I've been wanting to do a transcription of Griffin's tenor solo on "Coming on the Hudson" for a long time. The tune - which is perhaps one of Monk's most "Monkish" - seemed somewhat challenging to grasp, as far as its form, rhythms and resolutions were concerned. At the same time, it ebbs and flows steadily - kind of like the Hudson River itself - whirlpools and all!

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.

A Jug Full of Ammons - Gene Ammons' "Exactly Like You" Tenor Saxophone Transcription

7/20/2021

A Jug Full of Ammons - Gene Ammons' "Exactly Like You"
Tenor Saxophone Solo Transcription

Tenor saxophone giant Gene Ammons, aka "Jug", was one of the seminal figures at the crossroads between the earlier tenor saxophone styles of Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster - and the BeBop evolution / revolution of the mid to late 1940s, sparked by the innovative genius of Charlie Parker.

Add to that the blues influences of his native Chicago - as well as that of his celebrated pianist father, "Boogie Woogie" innovator Albert Ammons - and you've got one of the "phatest", most distinct, expressive and soulful tenor saxophone sounds ever heard.

Ammons recorded for several record labels from the late 1940s until his passing in 1974, but the bulk of his recorded output was for Bob Weinstock's Prestige Records label.

It's from one of these Prestige recordings that the subject of this post - a transcription of Jug's solo on the popular show tune "Exactly Like You" - is taken.

'Ning's the Thing! Monk's "Rhythm-a-Ning: Self-Transcription

3/26/2021

Toot My Own Horn Dept.
'Ning's the Thing! Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-a-Ning" :
Another Self-Transcription

The vehicle featured in is month's forage into musical self-discovery is none other than Thelonious Monk's “Rhythm-a-Ning”.

As with the two most recent posts (“Bemsha Swing” & “Bye-Ya”), the play-along used here is from Hal Leonard Jazz Play-Along Vol. 91, “Thelonious Monk Favorites – 10 Classic Tunes”, which features the heavyweight rhythm section of (the late, great) pianist Ronnie Mathews, bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa, as well as Monk's former drummer (the great, late), Ben Riley. You can't get closer to the real deal than this.

As you might know, “Rhythm-a-Ning” is Monk's best known “Rhythm Changes” composition - the chord progression of which is based on George Gershwin's 1930 32-bar, AABA standard “I Got Rhythm”, from which countless tunes have been derived and recorded by countless artists of countless genres.

Monk's Time Again - "Bye-Ya": A Self Transcription

2/25/2021

Toot My Own Horn Dept.
VAYA! Monk's Time Again - "Bye-Ya": A Self-Transcription

Since I really enjoyed doing last month's post - recording a tenor solo on Thelonious Monk's “Bemsha Swing” then transcribing it and posting them both here - I thought I'd try an encore with another Monk classic - “Bye-Ya”

“Bye-Ya” was originally recorded on October 15th, 1952 and, as with the aforementioned "Bemsha Swing", was initially released as part of the album “Thelonious Monk Trio”. The title given was actually “Vaya”, which remains an expression of positive affirmation in many Spanish speaking cultures – and was anglicized into “Bye-Ya”.

Subsequent versions were recorded featuring tenor greats Johnny Griffin and long time quartet member Charlie Rouse, as well as Steve Lacey's recording on soprano saxophone, but the definitive version - for me - is the 1957 Carnegie Hall concert featuring the immortal John Coltrane. 'Trane knew this tune so well that he was able to deliver his then patented “sheets of sound” - cascades of sixteenth-notes – for almost the entirety of his solo.

Monk's Bemsha Swing - A Self-Transcription

1/28/2021

Toot My Own Horn Dept.
Thelonious Monk's "Bemsha Swing": A Self-Transcription

This post features a self-recorded and transcribed tenor saxophone solo on Thelonious Monk's well known classic. “Bemsha Swing”.

As I hadn't recorded myself in quite a while, I was anxious to turn this into a project. Fortunately, the results passed quality control and I can happily share them here.

The backing track used here is from “Thelonious Monk Favorites – 10 Classic Tunes” (Hal Leonard Jazz Play-Along, Vol. 91). It features the great Ronnie Mathews on piano, Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass, and Monk's former drummer - Ben Riley. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by the legendary RVG – Rudy Van Gelder – at his studio, where so many iconic recordings where made. Don Sickler, a name associated with many such projects, produced the session. What more could one ask for in a backing track?

For Your High-Ness: An Etude on "Someday My Prince Will Come"

9/20/2016

For Your High-Ness:
An Etude on "Someday My Prince Will Come"

"Heah come da Prince!"

This is yet another solo style etude, which I this time fashioned from the chord changes of the popular Standard American Song, "Someday My Prince Will Come".

This tune has been in my repertoire for a while, but I started to take a closer look at it recently, for reasons I'll get into.

The music for "Someday My Prince Will Come" was composed and scored by Frank Churchill back in 1937 for the first ever full length animated Disney movie, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".

I don't think I've ever actually seen the whole movie myself, but I think we all grew up knowing about little Ms. White and her seven vertically challenged buddies (Sleepy, Creepy, Peepee, Goofy, Doofy, Humpty & Dumpty....I think - off the top of my head; no?!?!?).

In any case, Someday My Prince has been a staple for improvising musicians and singers and has been recorded often - the definitive version possibly being Miles Davis' 1961 recording on Columbia (featuring tenor solos by both Hank Mobley and John Coltrane) from the album of the same name.

JoHen Tunes Up "Night & Day" - Joe Henderson's Reharm & Solo Transcription

2/10/2016

JoHen Tunes Up "Night & Day"
Joe Henderson's Reharmonization and Solo Transcription

Joe Henderson w/ Horace Silver in France- July, 1964

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.

"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 - Transcription of John Coltrane's 1954 Solo on "In a Mellow Tone"

11/16/2015

Back to the Future 'Trane
Transcription of John Coltrane's 1954 Solo on "In a Mellow Tone"

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.

Toot Your Own Horn Dept. - A Self-Transcription / Etude of "Like Someone in Love"

3/29/2015

Toot Your Own Horn Dept.:
A Self-Transcription of "Like Someone in Love"

The Rev. Dizman Tootoot

Welcome to another, "Toot my own horn!" moment, featuring a self-transcription of the van Heusen-Burke standard, "Like Someone in Love".

As I'd been checking this tune out lately (for about 30 years), I thought it would make good subject matter for a post, with a recorded solo example, as well as an audio file thereof; both downloadable.

Now ain't that generous?!

I think it's a very healthy thing, in terms of self-analysis, to record and transcribe one's self from time to time. The fact is, that if you don't happen to be one of the handful of "household (make that "practice room") names", you might as well transcribe yourself, for yourself.

Besides, "it's my blog and I'll toot if I want to"! Dig?!

Granted! - A Joe Henderson Solo Transcription

12/2/2014

Granted! - A Joe Henderson Solo Transcription

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

"Happiness is Just a Thing Called (hearing a guy named) Joe"

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.

"Granted" was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on January 27th, 1966 (which happened to be the 25th birthday of the session's vibraphonist, Bobby Hutcherson) and was part of the session that produced Henderson's fifth and last studio album as a leader for the Blue Note label, "Mode for Joe".

At the time of the recording, Joe Henderson was a member of pianist Horace Silver's quintet, which also included a young Woody Shaw on trumpet. Henderson had joined Silver's group in June, 1964 and would remain with the pianist for just another two-plus months.

Notnowmom! - An Interview with Saxophonist Carolyn Breuer

2/18/2014

I remember the first time I ever heard about Carolyn Breuer (pronounced Broy - er). I was sharing a quiet taxi ride in Munich, Germany with her father, trombonist / pianist Hermann Breuer.

As I recall, I was about to doze off in the back seat, when Hermann remarked suddenly, “Saxophone players tend to practice a lot of patterns, don’t they?”

I must have answered something like “Yeah, I guess so. Why?”

“Well my daughter, who’s 12, started playing alto and she practices a lot of patterns.”, he replied.

I mentioned to him that I had a few students at the time and that I’d be glad to give her some lessons.

That, however, never happened, as I left Germany a short time later.

She doesn't seem to have suffered in the least because of it.

Quite to the contrary.

As "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree", so the saying goes, saxophonist / composer Carolyn Breuer has gone on to become one of the most recognizable and respected Jazz Artists on the European scene.

I caught up with her recently via Alexander Graham Bell's 140 year old invention.

Transcriptions That Stick! - Dig Big Nick!

3/27/2013

Here's a transcription of John Coltrane's soprano saxophone solo on his composition "Big Nick", recorded April 11th, 1962 at Rudy Van Gelder's famed studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and was released as part of the album "Coltrane", on the Impulse! label.

This is the first of two versions of the tune recorded by Coltrane that year; the second, which appeared on the aptly titled Impulse! classic, "Duke Ellington and John Coltrane", was recorded in September.

The main difference between the two versions, is the form (and the intention). The "Ellington" version is a standard 32 bar, AABA classic American song form with a typical late 1940's, Rhythm & Bluesish chord progression on both the A sections and the bridge (in honor of former mentor, saxophonist Big Nick Nicholas, for whom Coltrane wrote the tune). Both 'Trane's and Ellington's solos are played over the complete form.

Jazz Improvisation - Transcription: How High the Giant Steps - "Satellite"

12/19/2012

How High the Giant Steps - "Satellite"

'Trane's-Atlantic Satellite

Waxing Historical
"Satellite" - John Coltrane's "Giant Step-ed" treatment of the standard "How High the Moon" was recorded as the final tune of the evening session on Oct. 24th, 1960 for Atlantic Records. This late session also produced all of the tracks (with the exception of "Mr. Syms", recorded earlier that afternoon) for the album which eventually became known as Coltrane Plays the Blues, which wasn't released until 1962.

The afternoon & evening sessions from that day, as well as the sessions from the 21st & 26th of Oct., yielded all the material for 2 other albums as well: My Favorite Things (released 1961) and Coltrane's Sound, which included "Satellite" (not released until nearly four years later in 1964).