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

Etude - "The Real Bella (by Bar Light)"

11/13/2013

Bella, mein Bella!!

Welcome to another bowl of my noodlings. This time it's an etude over the changes of the ever popular standard, "Stella by Starlight", composed for the 1944 scary movie "The Uninvited", by Victor Young.

Young also composed such classics as "My Foolish Heart", "When I Fall in Love", "Street of Dreams", and "Love Letters", to name a but few, all of which have also become popular vehicles for improvisers.

I remember seeing the film years ago on TV, with the leading man (Ray Milland), sitting at the piano in an attic, composing a song to this young, fine chick named Stella. "Ahhh", me thinked, "so that's where the song comes from."

I also don't remember the film as being that scary. I''ll probably check it out again, now that we're on the subject.

As for the etude, I can honestly say that I came up with the title, "Bella by Bar Light", on my own (really!), but after a few chuckles at the images it evoked, I realized that it might be a bit too obvious a moniker to be original, so I Google searched it and sure enough, I was beat to the spot by at least twenty years by saxophonist John Lurie (and probably others), who gave the title to his short piece of minimalistic film music, which bore no resemblance whatsoever to the original "Stella", save for being cute with the title.

So therefore, herewith and thereby, I present you with "The Real Bella (by Bar Light)" in all her naked, neon glory!

Front Burner! - More Penta b6 ii-V-i Apps

11/5/2013

Here's another Pentatonic b6 (Melodic Minor derivative) exercise, applied over a minor ii-V7-i, using a different MM scale, and therefore Penta b6, for each chord.

The basic pattern is a descending retrograde pentatonic b6 , in diatonic (to the pentatonic) thirds, with a simple scheme of:

Step Up / Skip Down - Step Up - Skip Down - Step Up - Skip Down - Step Up/

with the first 2 eighth notes of each Penta functioning as a pick up and anticipating the chord on beat one of the following measure.

Each pentatonic begins on the note closest to that of the first penta, which starts off the line.

Therefore, at least five of these lines (one for each pentatonic note position) can be generated from this pattern and it's interval scheme. It will work with Penta b3 (it's ii mode: aka, In-Sen scale) and b2, or for that matter, any 5 note scale of your choosing.

As I mentioned in my last post, I really like the sound of the Penta b6, due to it's open, augmented quality, so, if you haven't noticed, it's been sitting on my front burner as of late.

Cool! Heat 'em up!

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Treble Clef Bass Clef

B. Stern

X-Centric Gonzatonics - Penta b6 ii-V7-i Applications

10/27/2013

This exercise is for practicing Pentatonic b6 (1-2-3-5-b6) over a minor ii-V7-i cadence, using three derivative Melodic Minor scales (from which Penta b6 is formed), one for each chord, to do the job.

As an added "bonus", we're using "formula" or "shape" #1
from tenor master Jerry Bergonzi's popular book,
"Vol. 2 - Pentatonics" (Advance Music).

To add even further excitement, we'll start each Penta b6 from a common tone, giving it the "X-Centric" treatment.

013, 1+2, 3-4-5 - Super Augmented?

10/16/2013

I recently discovered an awesome book by NYC alto saxophonist / composer John O'Gallagher, entitled "Twelve Tone Improvisation" (Advance Music) after stumbling upon it via a Dave Douglas podcast. O'Gallagher is a monster alto player with a fresh & unique concept. After hearing some of the music from the podcast off of his latest CD "The Anton Webern Project" and how "sophisticatedly funky" it sounded (Anton Webern gets jacked by Ornette meets Sun-Ra meets Bitches Brew), I got so excited I bought both the book & the CD.

Although I've previously had some minimal exposure to twelve tone rows in both composition and improvisation, it wasn't something I had been thinking about lately. However, just the idea itself woke me up enough to realize, "This is something I would definitely love to (and need to) check out!"

iii - VI - ii - V - Alternating Abbott & Costello

10/9/2013

I'm trying not to beat this Melodic Minor thing to death, but here's one more exercise (#2) over a iii-VI-ii-V cadence, highlighting the use of alternating Major and Melodic Minor scales.

Major and Melodic Minor in a diatonic context work together like yin & yang, dark vs. light, Adam & Eve, Abbott & Costello...................
KnowwhatI'msayin'!?

This 4 bar line typifies everything bebop, and it's elements have been a staple of the vocabulary for about 75 years, so there's nothing new here, unless of course, you happen to be new to it!

In that case I would recommend checking out some of the earlier blog posts, starting here, on Melodic Minor harmony.

What still amazes me to no small degree, is and has been the historical misunderstanding and confusion on the subject, in both the available literature as well as our hallowed institutions of "higher learning".

It Never Gets Old! - Etude: "Body and Soul"

9/30/2013

Here's a short etude I scribbibled out recently over the changes to the ever popular standard American song from the 1930's, "Body and Soul", the music having been written by Hollywood composer / orchestrator Johnny Green, who also composed other well known standards, such as "Out of Nowhere" and "I Cover the Waterfront". All three of these tunes have been popular vehicles for improvising musicians for many years.

"Body and Soul" has since been played and / or recorded by just about everybody......., and I mean everybody. Of course, the definitive version is Coleman Hawkins 1939 classic recording, where he completely abandons the melody after the first 2 bars.

Then, there's John Coltrane's awesome, reharmonized version from 1960, which included his famed 'Trane or Giant Steps Changes (Cycle of Descending Major Thirds) on the bridge. (Both YouTube vids embedded below).

Korner Karnataka #4 - Mela #18 - Hatakambari

9/19/2013

I thought I'd do another Melakarta post, this time featuring #18 - Hatakambari. If you're not hip to what a Melakarta is, then please check out my post from June 7th, 2013 entitled "Korner Karnataka #2 - Melakarta #15, Double Harm. Maj. & Graha Bedham", where a complete set of mp3 drone pitches can be downloaded, to facilitate in practicing these scales.

The Melakarta presented here, is related to #15 in that they are from the same "chakra", or group of six, and share the same lower tetrachord. In fact, the only difference between the two is the sixth step, or "da", of #18 being raised two semitones from D1 to D3, or in the key of C, from G# to A#. This scale could also be seen as "Ionian b2, #6", in western terms

1235 Melodic Minor Circle - Apt. #251

9/9/2013

Our old friend Mel Minor (MM to friends and family) is back with an exercise featuring an alteration of Major's basic 1-2-3-5 diatonic pattern. To begin with, we know that MM is an altered form of Major in itself.

If you are familiar with running Major 1-2-3-5 combinations such as CDEG FGAC, DEFA GABD, FGAC BCDF, etc., this MM version will be at once familiar, yet strange and exciting.

Using a four bar ii-V7 phrase, measure 1 of Line 1 starts out with a 4 note 1-2-3-6 grouping starting on D (D-E-F-Bb), the root of the Dmin7b5 chord (Locrian #2 mode) and the sixth step of it's parent scale, F Melodic Minor.

The second 4 note grouping starts, as with it's Maj. counterpart, by turning back a whole step, to Ab in this case. It then does a MM diatonic 1-2-3-5 (Ab-Bb-C-E).

Another way to think of this is to start the first group on the sixth step (D) of F Melodic Minor and the second group on it's third (Ab).

In measure 2, G7alt (Ab MM) the first group mimics the shape of it's measure 1 counterpart (1-2-3-6), while the second grouping, again turning down a whole step and starting on Ab, breaks the symmetry and resolves to the fifth of the tonic chord (C Maj. or min.).

Although not notated here, if we flip the scrip' and start the first measure pattern on the third of F MM (Ab-Bb-C-E), drop a whole step again and continue on it's sixth (D-E-F-Bb), the symmetry continues in measure 2, G7alt (Ab MM) with straight 1-2-3-5s (Ab-Bb-Cb-Eb and Db-Eb-F-Ab) outlining a Db7 (tritone sub) resolving again to a G in bar 3; maybe a bit more symmetrical and logical, but who says symmetrical and logical are always the best or the most fun, anyway?

Check 'em both out!

Read earlier posts on the subject of Melodic Minor, starting with
"Sympathy for Melodic Minor - Major's Evil Twin, Pt. 1"

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Treble Clef Bass Clef

B. Stern

Rhythm Changes - ReCycling the Cycle

9/4/2013

Here is an exercise utilizing a 4 note, whole tone pattern, based on steps b7-1-2-3 of a dominant seventh chord, taking it two-thirds the way around the cycle of 5ths.

A common use for this cycle device in the jazz vernacular is as a substitute progression for the first 4 bars of each of the three "A" sections of "Rhythm Changes", the 32 bar AABA song structure based on "I Got Rhythm" by George Gershwin, on which so many bebop era standard tunes have been based.

Lucky 13 - Major Scale Polymodal 13th Chord Arpeggios

8/19/2013

I came up with this 13th chord, seven note arpeggio exercise for myself a long time ago, as I wanted to practice the complete major scale and it's modes as 7-note arpeggios.

Originally, I probably saw a totally diatonic version of this exercise in "Technique of the Saxophone - Vol. 1 - Scale Studies", by acclaimed Berklee woodwinds guru, the late Joe Viola. But, due primarily to each chord containing the inherent tritone, playing diatonic 13th chord arpeggios on each degree of the Major Scale just didn't sound good, right or "natural" to me somehow.

Sonny Stitt - "How Many Keys on the Saxophone?"

8/7/2013

Sonny Stitt - How Many Keys on the Saxophone?

From the mid 1970's until the early '80's I lived in Munich, Germany. Aside from being a beautiful, culturally oriented city lying at the foothills of the Alps, Munich hosted (somewhat unceremoniously, it seems in retrospect) one of Europe's premier jazz venues at the time, known as the "Domicile"

The "Domicile" was on par with Ronnie Scott's in London, the Montmartre in Copenhagen, and several other major European clubs. It was part of "the circuit", so one got to see all the major jazz legends who came over from the States (plus some of the top European musicians), on a consistent basis, with the usual length of engagement being 5 or 6 nights. Eventually, even I had the opportunity to play there with some frequency. I got to see people like Dizzy, Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, Johnny Griffin, Woody Shaw, Archie Shepp, etc. I took a lesson from George Coleman and sat in with Freddie Hubbard.

The Domicile was also, in the Summer of 1980, where I got to experience the likes of none other than one Edward "Sonny" Stitt.

Marvin Gaye Sessions #3 - Tomorrow's Gone

7/20/2013

Part 1 Part 2
When "Midnight Love" finally hit the streets in the autumn of 1982, it marked the triumphant return of Marvin Gaye. I first got wind of it when, half asleep in the back seat of a car riding through Belgium on a November afternoon, en route to a gig in Luxembourg, I heard this tenor saxophone coming over the radio and, in my half conscious state, thought it sounded like Michael Brecker on one of his top forty disco type solos of that era. But when I heard the unmistakably familiar voice of Marvin Gaye as well as the vague familiarity of the tune itself, I suddenly realized, "Holy shit! That's me!" The tune was "Joy", one of the album cuts I played on. When we got to Luxembourg, I found the nearest record store and bought the album (Vinyl LPs were still the main medium for recorded music).

Kissin' Cousins - 1-2-5, Pentatonics & P4ths

7/16/2013

1-2-5s (027 Trichords) everywhere! I'm seein' 'em in my sleep!

This time it's 1-2-5 and it's dear cousins, Pentatonic and Perfect 4th (P4th), that gets our attention.

The notes of a Maj. pentatonic scale are formed by two 1-2-5 patterns a whole tone apart (C-D-G + D-E-A = C-D-E-G-A).

The close relationship to these 1-2-5 patterns and the pentatonic scale, as well as the pentatonic scale and the interval of a perfect fourth (E-A-D-G-C) is a somewhat obvious one.

A 1-2-5 pattern contains at least one P4th, and in it's first inversion (D-G-C) contains those final two consecutive P4ths.

1-2-5 Pattern - Coltrane Changes

7/9/2013

The 1-2-5 Pattern (027 Trichord) intrigue continues with this single unit exercise (one 3-note unit per chord, including inversions) over the Cycle of Descending Major Thirds (aka "Coltrane Changes").

The small numbers over the first line indicate (see graphic or download):

The pattern numbers (ie. 1-2-5 = C-D-G).

When necessary, in parentheses, the scale/chord degree relative to the chord symbol above it (ie. 1(9) 2(3) 5(13) in relation to Eb7 = F-G-C ).

Small letters next to a number indicate a pattern inversion and a deviation from the six basic 1-2-5 pattern shapes. An "a" means ascending or "above". A "b" means descending, or "below".

As I mentioned before, 1-2-5s are a great way to create lines intervalically.

But yet, another road to Rome.

Download PDF

Get it! Got it! Gone!

Click to enlarge

B. Stern

1-2-5 Patterns - ii-V7-I Applications

7/3/2013

These 1-2-5 Patterns (027 Trichords) have been intriguing me lately, especially after getting around to practicing the stuff I've previously posted here and here, myself.

Each three note, 1-2-5 unit has six basic shape combinations: 125, 152, 215, 251, 512 & 521.

Adding a second 1-2-5 grouping, a major 3rd apart (Maj 7#11) or minor 3rd apart (min 7 11) increases that number to 36 (eg. 125-125, 125-152, 215-125, 512-251, etc.) in each case.

Marvin Gaye Sessions #2 - Tomorrow Comes

6/26/2013

After seemingly scoring some points with Marvin (Gaye) and Harvey (Fuqua) with a brief tenor solo on "'Til Tomorrow" (see Part 1), I talked my way into having them invite me back for some more fun the next day.

When I found out they were going to be recording in Munich for a few more days, before Marvin headed back over to Ostend, Belgium, I had to try to convince them I could still be useful; and while I don't consider myself one of those individuals born with the gift of gab, whatever I told them worked.

Marvin Gaye Sessions - 'Til Tomorrow, Pt 1

6/20/2013

Marvin Penz Gaye

It was a typical Munich summer's afternoon in 1982 when I got back to my apartment and found a message, that I was to call Arco Studios back about a "Marvin Gaye Session".

I had been doing a modest amount of studio work in those days, mostly as a tenor saxophone soloist, as saxophone solos were common on many pop recordings of the '70's & '80's.

Munich, as far as Europe went, was a pretty major recording town. It was a center of the "Disco" boom of the '70's, and the city boasted several film music recording studios, hosting rooms large enough to hold entire orchestras. Arco was one of those places.

I called the number which was left with the message and a guy with a deep, resonant Barry White type voice answers. I gave him my name and that I was contacted about a session.

Korner Karnataka #3 - "Yagapriya", The Jazz Version

6/13/2013

Let's take a look at a very hip sounding scale, Melakarta #31, known as Yagapriya. As you can see on the keyboard graphic to the left, Yagapriya has an unusual interval makeup:

1 1/2 steps - half step - half step - whole step - half step - half step - 1 1/2 steps

The interval scheme of the second four notes (tetrachord) is the reverse of the first four notes, separated by a whole step.

Yagapriya can also be thought of, in western terms, as 4 triads: (In C) C Maj., C min., F Maj., & F min.

Korner Karnataka #2 - Melakarta #15, Double Harm. Maj. & Graha Bedham

6/7/2013

A Melakarta, in Carnatic (South Indian) Music is a scale consisting of seven notes (swaras), which among meeting other qualifications, must include a root (Sa) and a perfect fifth (Pa).

The individual swaras of a Melakarta are identified with syllables, similar to Western solfege:
Sa - Ri - Ga - Ma - Pa - Da - Ni - Sa
(Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do)

There are 72 Melas, organized into 12 chakras (groups) of 6 Melas each. The second-half group of 36 Melas is identical to the first half, except that each of the Melas belonging to the second half has a raised 4th degree (M2).

Korner Karnataka - Charlie Mariano - Konnakol/Solkattu & Prof. Dave King

5/29/2013

Charlie Mariano with his nadaswaram in the early 1970's

One of the legendary alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano's greatest and lasting legacies has been exposing an entire generation of Western musicians (including yours truly), primarily in Europe, to the highly intricate beauties of South Indian (Carnatic) Classical Music culture.

Carnatic Music probably contains the most sophisticated, mathematically derived rhythmic system on the planet. It's no wonder that the city of Bangalore, Karnataka, a megalopolis of 8.5 million people, is considered the "Silicon Valley" of India.

"But with all that math", you ask yourself, "can the music swing"?

Oh man, and how!!

Mariano himself was first exposed to this deep musical culture in the late 1960's on a trip to Malaysia, and began serious study of the Nadaswaram, the popular Carnatic double reed instrument, with a teacher/guru named M. Muthaiah, in India.

One of the musicians, originally introduced to Carnatic music through Charlie Mariano, and who has really gotten into it seriously, is bassist and long time friend Dave King. Dave is originally from Louisville, KY, and is currently a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim, Germany.

Changing 'Trane's, Part 2

5/21/2013

Leaving the dusty little town of Giant Steppes has been no easy task. While sitting in the bar down- the-road-a-piece from the 'Trane Station, known as "The Cycle of Descending Major Thirds", I ran into this demonic looking, but sophisticated gentleman of dubious nobility who introduced himself as Count Down. I thought he looked more like Screamin' Jay Hawkins, but I didn't mention it.

It was very difficult to understand him at first, since (aside from the noise in the bar) he spoke extremely fast, in short clipped syllables and long sentences, with an accent I failed to recognize. However, after a short while (and a few mugs of Jazz Juice, the local brew), as I started to get the Count's speech patterns in my ear, I found him to be genuinely erudite and our conversation stimulating.

Changing 'Trane's, Part 1

5/16/2013

This week, on our way back from 1-2-5 St., we'll take a little detour to the tiny town of Giant Steppes, where, thirsting for knowledge, we'll descend the stairs to a local establishment known as "The Cycle of Major Thirds" to get a taste of some "fluid" voice leading.

Are ya with me?

As in a previous "Coltrane Changes" exercise posted here, this line resolves to the Maj. 3rd of each of the 3 tonic Major chords in the cycle, from the b7th of each of it's preceding V7s (ie., C7 - C-E-G-Bb resolves to F Maj. - F-A-C).

1-2-5 Street, Part 2 - 3 Note Group Combos & Maj7#11

5/8/2013

Last time, in Part 1, on our little trip to "1-2-5 St." we got acquainted with a pair of 3 note groupings from scale steps 1-2-5 (known among the uptown 12-tone crowd as "027 trichords"), spaced a minor 3rd apart which formed a min7 (11).

This time, we meet some of their relatives, namely two more groups of "1-2-5's", spaced a Major 3rd apart. Together, these 2 groups (in C: C-D-G & E-F#-B) form a Maj.7#11 chord.

Again, these 6 notes form a hexatonic scale (in C: C-D-E-F#-G-B), as well as the triad pairs C Maj & B min.

1-2-5 Street, Part 1 - 3 Note Groupings & Min7 (11)

5/3/2013

This week, we hop on the subway of our minds and get off at 1-2-5 St., where we'll hang out with a couple of three note groups, co-mingling to form a min7 (11) chord. We don't even need a token (remember those?), except possibly, a token of your appreciation.

Specifically, we're talking C-D-G (1-2-5 in C), as the first basic group; then Bb-F-Eb (5-2-1 in Eb). Together, they form a C-7 11, six note chord (C-Eb-G-Bb-D-F).

These two groups were chosen because there are no repeating notes, which means they form a hexatonic (6 note) scale (C-D-Eb-F-G-Bb), which can also be viewed as the triad pair of C min. and Bb Maj.

The Augmented Scale as Sub for Melodic Minor Harmony

4/26/2013

The Augmented Scale is a symmetrical six note (hexatonic) scale.

It can best be described as being formed by two augmented triads a minor 3rd apart (C aug & Eb aug) or, with different inversions, a half step apart. (C aug & C# aug).

It can also be viewed as being made up of three Major (or minor) triads, a Major 3rd apart. From C, the resulting hexatonic scales would be:
C - Eb - E - G - G# - B (stepwise: -3, 1/2, -3, 1/2, -3), or C - C# - E - F - G# - A (1/2, -3, 1/2, -3, 1/2).

Since the Augmented Scale can have three tonal centers which divides the octave into three equal parts, this results in only 4 mutually exclusive Augmented Scales.