Category Archives: Form Type

Guest Post by Reid Kennedy – Lewis Nash, Sea Changes

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Lewis Nash - Photo by Professor Bop

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Download the transcription: Drums

Sea Changes is an original composition from pianist Tommy Flanagan and serves as the title track from Flanagan’s 1997 trio date featuring bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash.  The tune itself is a simple 12-bar form that evolves from a bouncy island groove on the in head to a straight-ahead swing feel for a majority of the soloing.  Prior to the out-head, Nash trades two choruses with Flanagan, both of which are transcribed here.

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Michel Warlop/Stephane Grappelli/Eddie South, Lady Be Good

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Download the PDF: Concert, Bass Clef, Bb, Eb

Lady Be Good, written by George/Ira Gershwin and performed by: Django Reinhardt, guitar; Michel Warlop, violin I; Stephane Grappelli, violin II; Eddie South, violin III. From the album ‘Django Reinhardt Crazy Rhythm,’ released on the Iris Records, recorded in 1937.

This is the third transcription I’ve done in a row featuring Stephane Grappelli, and after this one I’ll do something different – but this trifecta of violin solos was just too cool to pass up.

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There Will Never Be Another You, Sonny Stitt

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Photo by Tom Marcello

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Download the Transcription: Eb, Bb, C, Bass Clef

This track came from a compilation album called The Art of the Jazz Saxophone: Bebop & Beyond.  Unfortunately I do not know the original album that this track appeared on or the other artists that are present on it.  If someone else does please let me know so I can update that information.

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Stephane Grappelli, Minor Swing

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This Thursday sokillingman.com broke 1,000 views, so thank you!  We’re really excited to have so many people interested in this project and we have all sorts of plans for development.  Here’s a little bonus post in celebration:

 

Download the PDF: Concert, Bass Clef, Bb, Eb

Minor Swing, music written by Django Rienhardt and performed by: The Quintette du Hot Club de France, featuring Django Rienhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.  From Djangology, recorded in 1949 and released by RCA Bluebird.

 

This tune is absolutely classic, and very well could have been the first tune I heard that convinced me that I understood what Gypsy Jazz sounds like.  It’s just that kind of recording.  While it’s not the whole picture by any means, this tune exemplifies a lot of the rules and conventions of the genre and has a very balanced ratio of variety to continuity.  So I figured this would be a great study tool for said reasons, and I love the solo, so it was a no-brainer. Continue reading →

Guest Post by Ari Nahum – Brad Mehldau, Wonderwall

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Photo courtesy of Brad Mehldau

Wonderwall, written by Noel Gallagher (Oasis) and performed by: Brad Mehldau, piano; Larry Grenadier, bass; Jeff Ballard, drums.  From Brad Mehldau Trio Live, Nonesuch Records 2008.

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Download the transcription: Concert Pitch

I remember the first time I heard this song.  I was in the kitchen cooking and I turned on the radio to Jazz 88 FM.  Brad was about a third of the way into his solo when I first tuned in.  I remember that almost instantaneously I knew it was him.  This was somewhat expected as once you come to know a great player’s voice it is as easily recognizable as your Mom’s.  But after listening for about 10-15 seconds or so, something else happened, something that perhaps speaks more uniquely to Brad’s playing – I knew he was playing the tune “Wonderwall”.  I had never ever heard this tune in a jazz context before, and the last time I heard it was probably in high school.  Furthermore all of the harmonies had been thoroughly changed.  But I knew, without a doubt that he was improvising on the tune Wonderwall.  And when his solo ended and he came back in on the bridge I just smiled, shook my head and chuckled to myself.

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Tom Harrell, Joy Spring (unaccompanied solo)

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(photo credit: Claus Willemer)

Joy Spring, written by Clifford Brown and performed by Tom Harrell.  From Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown, released 1994 on Polygram Records.

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Download the PDF: Bb, Eb, C, Bass Clef

Legendary. That’s all I’ve got to say about this solo. Legendary.

Seriously, that’s not all I have to say. First of all, let me just issue an official promise to our readers that my next transcription will not be a trumpet player. Trumpet players, I am sorry. That being said, I just heard this track for the first time a few weeks ago and I knew I had to transcribe it. It’s just so amazing. Continue reading →

Joe Henderson, Isfahan

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With Neil Swainson, bass, at Harpo's, Victoria. Photo by Guy MacPherson

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Download the transcription: Eb, Bb, C, Bass Clef

“Isfahan” composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn and performed by Joe Henderson, Tenor Sax; Christian McBride, Bass.  From Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn, Verve Records 1992.

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Nicholas Payton, You Stepped Out of a Dream

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Download the Transcription: Bb, Eb, C, Bass Clef

I got this disc when I was a freshman in college. My wife (girlfriend at the time) got it for me, and the first track that stuck out was this one. The groove is what first got me. The groove is this really great double time feel that is real open in the drums and piano. It just feels so good! And after hearing Nicholas’ playing on this track I knew I had to one day transcribe it. The first thing I noticed when I took some time to dig in was that they play with a double time feel, so it sounds like the chord changes go by at half speed. Payton’s solo fits so gently in to the groove, he’s simply an extension of the rhythm section.

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Greg Cohen and Dave Douglas, Charms of the Night Sky

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Download the PDF: concert pitch, Bb, Eb

Charms of the Night Sky, written by Dave Douglas and performed by: Dave Douglas, trumpet; Greg Cohen, acoustic bass; Mark Feldman, violin; Guy Klucevsek: accordion.  From Charms of the Night Sky, recorded 1998 and released on the Winter & Winter label.

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Clifford Brown and Harold Land, The Blues Walk

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This album is pretty special to me because it was one of the first jazz albums I ever really got into.  Harold Land and Clifford Brown are probably the first two jazz musicians that I really studied and tried to emulate and have had quite an influence on me.  This selection in particular has stuck with me a) because it’s just really fun to listen to Clifford and Harold trading all the way down to 1/2 measures and b) it demonstrates a high level of communication between these musicians.

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