Neil, a friend of mine here in Tokyo, hipped me to this video of saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Paul Jeffrey making music and discussing performance, practice, communication, isolation, self- awareness, etc…
NEWK’S TIME, Sonny Rollins’ date from Blue Note, includes a great version of “Surrey With A Fringe On Top” featuring the duo of Rollins accompanied by Philly Joe Jones. A beautiful take. I’ve often heard people speak of Rollins as a compositional improviser and this song provides ample evidence to support that argument. he employs a particular device throughout his solo to really nice effect: he often sounds like he’s highlighting different voices from a multi-part harmony. he’ll play one of the lower voices like the tenor or bass, then answer it in the upper voices. he demonstrates his rock solid grasp of voice leading, playing melodically and also delineating the movement of the inner voices at times. Rollins is a thinking man’s improviser. he’s a master at taking thematic materials and incorporating them into his solos with logic and taste. of course there’s the broad, fat sound he’s so famous for as well as the fact that he swings like there’s no tomorrow, and how could he go wrong with a partner like Jones hanging on his every note?
Gary Thomas’ rendition of “Bye Bye Blackbird”, from Tony Reedus’ ENJA recording, INCOGNITO, is another animal altogether. after loosely stating the melody, Thomas makes virtually no other allusions to it in his solo. although Thomas and Reedus adhere to song’s form, the blowing, while not totally free, is only connected to the progression by fragile threads. his playing is angular and aggressive. Thomas uses a great deal of chromaticism and plays many pentatonic and quartal patterns. as atonal as his solo sounds, he almost always highlights the form by making the turnarounds at the ends of the choruses. he rides Reedus’ groove using phrases constructed mainly of eighth notes. his eighth note is very flat and streamlined, and his overall sound is almost free of any ornamentation. his sound and articulation create an almost clinical atmosphere. yet, there is a great emotional intensity which is generated by the ever increasing density of his phrases the dissonance created by his use of chromaticism and Reedus’ constant rhythmic commentary. it’s interesting to imagine the chord progression while listening to Thomas blow. his drive and command make everything sound right… Thomas delivers an incredible display of virtuosity…
SONNY ROLLINS
SURREY WITH A FRINGE ON TOP (mp3)
GARY THOMAS
BYE BYE BLACKBIRD EXCERPT (mp3)
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