BARRY HARRIS- “MOOSE THE MOOCH”
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
Below is a transcription of Barry Harris’ solo on “Moose The Mooch” from the record BARRY HARRIS AT THE JAZZ WORKSHOP, a trio record featuring Sam Jones and Louis Hayes. Harris, even after all these years on the scene and tremendous acclaim as an educator, is still imho a very underrated pianist, not as quickly mentioned along with some of his contemporaries, as one of jazz’s foremost performers. the solo here is an example of Harris’ beautiful, undiluted bebop conception…
When people ask who my favorite saxophonists are, Yusef Lateef is always among my first responses. in the solo below, you can hear why he’s so impressive to me. he’s such a patient and deliberate improviser, he reminds me of Oliver Nelson in that respect. there’s always that blues element in his lines. the thing i love most is how he shapes his notes. he constantly tweaks them with subtle tonguing, bends, smears and slurs. he also might split a note by over blowing it, or add a throaty growl to it. he constantly blurs the edges of his sound, adding a bit of ambiguity and dissonance to his lines. he sings, in other words. his solos have the quality of slow-simmering pot of something or other, sitting at the back of the stove- makes the whole kitchen smell funky..! the song “Koko’s Tune” is from Lateef’s very nice record, 