PRACTICE PORTAL

PRACTICE PORTAL is more or less back to normal. i’m still in the process of restoring the MP3 files. that will take some time for editing… in the switch to a new host for this site, several of the most recent posts were lost. fortunately the PDF’s were saved offsite so i will post those here. as for the commentary, if i can remember what babbled about, i’ll repost the it. for now, help yourself to the PDFs…

ABBEY LINCOLN w/ STAN GETZ- BIRD ALONE

ABBEY LINCOLN- BIRD ALONE (MELODY) (mp3)

ABBEY LINCOLN- BIRD ALONE (MELODY) (pdf)

STAN GETZ- BIRD ALONE (SOLO) (mp3)

STAN GETZ- BIRD ALONE (SOLO) (pdf)

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JOHN COLTRANE- SATELLITE

JOHN COLTRANE- SATELLITE (mp3)

JOHN COLTRANE- SATELLITE (pdf)

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MULGREW MILLER- ANOTHER TYPE THANG

MULGREW MILLER- ANOTHER TYPE THANG (mp3)

MULGREW MILLER- ANOTHER TYPE THANG (MELODY) (pdf)

MULGREW MILLER- ANOTHER TYPE THANG (SOLO) (pdf)

MULGREW MILLER- FOR THOSE WHO DO

MULGREW MILLER- FOR THOSE WHO DO (mp3)

MULGREW MILLER- FOR THOSE WHO DO (MELODY) (pdf)

MULGREW MILLER- FOR THOSE WHO DO (SOLO) (mp3)

MULGREW MILLER- FOR THOSE WHO DO (SOLO) (pdf)

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JOHN SCOFIELD w/ JOE LOVANO- SINCE YOU ASKED

JOHN SCOFIELD w/ JOE LOVANO- SINCE YOU ASKED (mp3)

JOHN SCOFIELD- SINCE YOU ASKED (MELODY) (pdf)

JOE LOVANO- SINCE YOU ASKED (SOLO) (pdf)

JOHN SCOFIELD- SO SUE ME

JOHN SCOFIELD- SO SUE ME (mp3)

JOHN SCOFIELD- SO SUE ME (pdf)

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GROVER WASHINGTON JR- MESSAGE FROM THE METERS

GROVER WASHINGTON JR- MESSAGE FROM THE METERS (mp3)

GROVER WASHINGTON JR- MESSAGE FROM THE METERS (pdf)

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26-2 STUDY

26-2 STUDY (pdf)

NARDIS STUDY

NARDIS STUDY (pdf)

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CEDAR WALTON- MOSAIC

CEDAR WALTON- MOSAIC (mp3)

CEDAR WALTON- MOSAIC (pdf)

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MISCELLANEOUS PATTERNS

MISCELLANEOUS PATTERNS (pdf)

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BODY AND SOUL DIATONIC TRANSPOSITION

BODY AND SOUL (pdf)

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ANDREW HILL

ANDREW HILL- REFUGE (mp3)

ANDREW HILL- REFUGE (pdf)

ANDREW HILL- PUMPKIN (mp3)

ANDREW HILL- PUMPKIN (pdf)

ANDREW HILL- GHETTO LIGHTS (mp3)

ANDREW HILL- GHETTO LIGHTS (pdf)

ANDREW HILL- BLACK FIRE (mp3)

ANDREW HILL- BLACK FIRE (pdf)

PRACTICE PORTAL is being renovated (resurrected) at the moment. the most recent posts were lost but will be restored shortly. the PDF files in the posts below are still available for download. the MP3 files however, are not yet restored but will be up and running in the coming days. i am happy to report that PRACTICE PORTAL is now on a faster, more reliable host. the PRACTICE PORTAL’s new URL is:

http://jamesmahonemusic.com/wordpress

it can also be accessed at:

http://jamesmahone.com

thanks for your patience and check back soon…

Lately i’ve been rereading a great book, the second part of Chester Himes’ two volume autobiography entitled “My Life Of Absurdity”. Himes, an awesome writer and contemporary of James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, John A. Williams, etc., spent a large part of his adult life as an expatriate artist searching for and eventually finding a measure of success after leaving the U.S., where he was largely neglected. as the title suggests, Himes’ tale is one filled with enough adventure, humor, heartbreak and stories so bizarre that they test the limits of credulity. he speaks with gritty, bitter honesty about the lifestyle of expatriate black artists in postwar Europe. the first volume, “The Quality Of Hurt”, which deals with his life before leaving the states, is just as incredible. perhaps Himes and Mal Waldron have nothing more in common than spending the larger part of their artistic life living abroad. unlike Himes, Waldron didn’t want for work while in New York. he was busy as a leader and sideman before his departure. also, unlike Himes, he seemed to adapt to his new environment in Europe without too much difficulty… below are two of Waldron’s compositions from different points in his career. the first, “Fire Waltz”, is from the record, ERIC DOLPHY LIVE AT THE FIVE SPOT, VOL. 1, recorded in New York in 1961, which features forward thinkers Dolphy, Booker Little, Ed Blackwell, Richard Davis and Waldron. listening to Waldron blow, after to the iconoclastic wail of Dolphy and the fertile linear conception of Little, one is struck by how stark and stubborn Waldron’s solo sounds. he takes very specific melodic and rhythmic ideas and ceaselessly reexamines them. his approach to improvising is very personal and unique. “Fire Waltz” is a sixteen bar song built over a common turnaround. it opens with a funky four bar intro from Waldron and Blackwell, then the melody by Dolphy with comments by Little and the rhythm section. “Autumn Dreams”, recorded thirty years later in Germany, is from the album by the same name, and features the beautiful alto of Charlie Mariano along with paulo Cardoso on bass and John Betsch on drums. it’s a thirty two bar AABA ballad. the melody and harmony are pretty conventional but contain some subtle tweaks that set it apart…

MAL WALDRON- FIRE WALTZ (mp3)

LEAD SHEET FOR FIRE WALTZ (pdf)

MAL WALDRON- AUTUMN DREAMS (mp3)

LEAD SHEET FOR AUTUMN DREAMS (pdf)

I received a request from a friend here in tokyo for a transcription of Hancock’s song “Oliloqui Valley”, which comes from the his record, EMPYREAN ISLES. it features many of the same personnel from his more well known date, MAIDEN VOYAGE (Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter). this is a great recording that features what seem to be general sketches that the musicians are able to expand upon. it’s an excellent example of the post bop attitude- musicians who were willing and able to reference traditional styles as well as work at the boundaries of free playing with confidence and authority. what i love most about this record is how relaxed and assured it sounds… “Oliloqui Valley” is built off of a vamping bassline under a piano figure and a simple four note melody by Hubbard. the song then moves into a short improvised passage. the whole passage is repeated before it moves into the blowing section. the chords are related by color more than anything else. Hancock plays a great solo, the right hand of which is transcribed below…

HERBIE HANCOCK- “OLILOQUI VALLEY” (mp3)

LEAD SHEET- “OLILOQUI VALLEY” (pdf)

HERBIE HANCOCK SOLO- “OLILOQUI VALLEY” (pdf)

Well, PRACTICE PORTAL went off the grid for a while and when it came back online, the last two posts, featuring Ornette Coleman and the World Saxophone Quartet, were nowhere to be found. since i’ve forgotten just about everything i wrote in those posts, i’ll just redo the links here for you. three words of advice for you bloggers: BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP! the mp3’s and pdf’s will be back online shortly all mp3’s and pdf’s are working properly… oh yeah, the missing Andrew Hill material is coming soon (thanks Matt, i totally forgot).

ORNETTE COLEMAN- PEACE (mp3)

ORNETTE COLEMAN- LAW YEARS (mp3)

ORNETTE COLEMAN- MOB JOB (mp3)

ORNETTE COLEMAN- THE GARDEN OF SOULS (mp3)

ORNETTE COLEMAN- LOVE WORDS (mp3)

ORNETTE COLEMAN- HIM AND HER (mp3)

TRANSCRIPTON OF ORNETTE MELODIES (pdf)

WORLD SAXOPHONE QUARTET- FULL, DEEP AND MELLOW (mp3)

TRANSCRIPTON OF FULL, DEEP AND MELLOW (pdf)

WORLD SAXOPHONE QUARTET- FEED THE PEOPLE (mp3)

TRANSCRIPTON OF FEED THE PEOPLE (pdf)

WSQ ON DAVID SANBORN’S NIGHT MUSIC