My Blog this week is dedicated to John Coltrane. A positive force in this music, a person who never stopped learning,a player and a benchmark for all.Thank you sir for your life long inspiration and guidance.
Coltrane's playing had the blues in it- just listen to " COLTRANE PLAY'S THE BLUES"...On Atlantic records or "Blue Trane". If you play jazz, and your playing is void of the blues feel, and sound you are lacking in something very basic, and a vital element to this art form.From Louie Armstrong to Ornette, it's heard and felt.
This weeks Rico Blog is highlighting improvistaion using blues and pentatonic ;
In Pentatonic scale use you can use a C Pentatonic scale over these
chords;
C maj 7
C7
Dminor7
D7sus 4
Emi7b5
Fmaj7
G7sus4
Ami 7
B7b9sus4
Bbmaj7
F# dom7
F#mi7b5
A player like "Thin man Watts" is a very strong blues&pentatonic
player. He know's what he's doing.
To take it a step further....
On a D minor7th....chord you can use C pent. over it & its gonna be
funky. On a C maj 7....chord you can also use a D pent and is going to be
singing and funky.
This one by the way...is a fav of Pharoah Sanders on Maj 7th
chords...it sounds beautiful.
BUT. Also on a C dom 7th chord you can build a pent scale off the SHARP
4th..and it will be hip to. EG~ C7...use F # pent.
Check out this blues lesson I have on Sax On The Web about Thin man
Watts;
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Blues1.html#Watts
Its a lick from his CD-" Return Of The Thin man".
The tune- " SLOP BUCKET."
IT GOES THRU EVERY KEY OF THE BLUES...within Thin mans rhythmic bag.
You can't beat his-TIME-feel of' being funky.
Thin man played things that you could FEEL.
Thin man was a running buddy of the Adderly brothers...was in school
in Florida with them as a young dude.
More folks NEED to get hip to Noble Thin man Watts...as his playing
carried a message. He told a story!! That aspect today is becoming a
lost art.
NOT ONLY..could he funk the club down but he was a strong jazz player
as well. As a kid,, I heard a 60s organ band at this club in my home town.
The club was a semi-famous joint called the "Grand Hotel".
It was aside of a railroad station, and had organ groups on
weekends. I played Wednesday nights...and could slide in for free, and under
age on weekends to catch stuff. SO,,one weekend there's this wild band from
NYC there. The sax player was as skinny as a telephone poll !!!
Later I found out it was a guy named -NOBLE THINMAN WATTS.
As I got in the club and stood at the side door....near the band...I
Ya could hear him on 2 blocks down the street...PREACHING TENOR .
I NEVER FORGOT THIS GUYS PLAYING...it was like a tattoo on my soul.People for
months in that joint " the Grand Hotel" were still talkin' about the THIN MAN on sax
playing there.
Check out these Sax On The Web lessons of mine for ideas and phrases on the
blues. Each lesson is very different but still deals with some aspect of blues playing via jazz.
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Blues2.html
http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/RootlessMajorChord.html
Look further down in this one...I have a lick on Birds "Now's The Time" thru 12
keys.
ALSO CHECK OUT FOR YOUR EAR ;
http://www.geocities.com/saxontheweb/Price/Sept01.html
This lesson , also has some ear training
via a nice line to play thru the keys by ear.
Then, as usual, a line thru all keys thru some important progressions.
Also , for those interested , start to take
the past lessons and memorize them. Then take
the lines and re-write them for yourself.
Try to use some different intervalic connections
and even the use of rests and rhythm.
Keep in mind- I teach in NYC and Pa. and
do clinics.I'm interested in
ALL aspects of education.I teach all levels
also. Just ask me- I travel worldwide.
I hope this brings some light to your shed time and also let me add,
my feeling is that if you've absorbed a lot of the known vocabulary of the
greats , then you'll naturally gravitate to looking for other things ,
or even begin to hear things of a different nature, that the basis of this is an individual wanting to create something that is personal.Personal isn't always something new and different,but sometimes it is,it's personal.Coltrane ,when he was interviewed in Downbeat in 1961 said something to the effect of : " The artist tries to convey to the listener a sense of all of the things he knows of in the universe ... " Knowledge, there is the factor as far as I'm concerned, you know! Depth and conviction should be your motivation no matter what.Conviction ,,, there's the real prize .
HERE'S A LESSON ALSO- Replace the vapid youtube videos you watch on youtube with classic jazz recordings- why not check out some Coltrane records...such as ;Complete Savoy Sessions John Coltrane, Wilbur Harden. Check THAT out!
Till next week- enjoy the fall weather and see you next week.
~ Tim Price
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