Tim Price Bloggin' For Rico - In My Own Dream....You gotta leave the house and live it....Reflections of David Sanborn, Paul Butterfield and more.

~~ In the day....I saw the Paul Butterfield band twice, with David Sanborn. At thay point, nobody knew him in jazz circles, and he hadn't hit in the multitude of exposure that he did in pop solos that everyone is aware of as we speak.One of the last truly great blues bands that played as great live as they recorded, and in my opinion,was the band that started the avalanche of electric blues bands throughout the USA!

~ I ALWAYS THINK BACK....To this time of the year when I was a second year Berklee student in Boston. My girlfriend at the time had a great car-a new Fiat. We heard that Butterfield was going to be at a local blues bar on Cape Cod. So off we went, driving down to the Cape armed with wine, some items for the beach and great interest in hearing this band live. In that "era"...you could hear the band on the radio in Boston a few times a day. Not "pop" radio mind you, but serious radio stations that the DJ's actually took an interest in prompting things they knew of. Novel idea yes? HA-it was something that very much needs to be done today to boost REAL music back into the ears of those who can tell, and care.

~ So my friend and I get to the club, after checking into a great, and still existant beach motel in a close town. Man, the lure of that fresh air, the then inexpensive Lobster rolls, and a few glasses of wine in the motel and we are ready to go check out Butterfield. I was curious as there was a track the local radio played with a severely funky-blues sax solo on alto. We arrive, and as the band takes shape I note that Bloomfield had already departed for " The Electric Flag". The addition of guitarist Buzzy Feiten, a man whose take-no-prisoners style turned out to be a muscular combination of the sound of his two predecessors, Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. Led by Butterfield wailing on lead vocals and his patented Southside of Chicago harmonica, the band sounded as powerful as ever with a horn section that included David Sanborn on alto sax, Gene Dinwiddie on tenor and Keith Johnson on trumpet. From the first tune, there was no question that the band fired on all cylinders.

~ Sanborn was taking care of big business. His saxophone rose over the band in a way that was soulful funky and so real you could feel the grit in his message. For a guy that wasn't to much older than myself...I heard some real _dues_in this young artists style. The club had the vibe of that era....dumpsters of beer, wine and whiskey bottles in the back of the club facing ocean side, you could hear the band clearly on the parking lot- and chairs outside the club in the sand. It was a beautiful thing! As the night went on...and the band kept the flame high I noted with extreme interest the thumbprint David was playing with and placing on this music. As the summer ended, and fall hit New England we trekked out to a North Shore jazz club to hear the band again. This time they were at the famous " Lennys On The Turnpike". Again- the same band. David set the saxophone on fire with his beautiful concept. The band at this time was on the local stations in Boston had made rotation into the domain of John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, Percy Mayfield, Lowell Fulson, Big Joe Turner, James Cotton, Mike Bloomfield, Jake Walker and more. The stand outs were not only the great horn section, Buzzy and Paul....but David Sanborns innovative sax solos drenched in a man with an agenda and story to tell. ~ THE BANDS INFLUENCE WAS ALSO INFUSED WITH THE BRILLIANCE OF TENOR PLAYER... Gene Dinwiddie. His presence was strongly felt, and forward motion in the music as well in years to come. Check out- FULL MOON someday. You'll love it.

~ In this ear what set the stage for years to come was.....DUES. To be blunt,David Sanborn has the depth and greatness that only comes with a player who has spent time....ON THE BANDSTAND. Time on the band bus in transit and time listening to the masters and finding a_TRUE_voice of his own. Time studying as well- via George Coleman for one. A clear path of a career of a master player who influenced generations! This kind of player-left the house! He took the road traveled...and as he did it influenced and inspired us all. Big love and respect to you David Sanborn for carrying the torch and setting a benchmark . Also, the passion and need to play is deep.

~ A consummate perfectionist with no bounds,always playing from the heart. CHECK OUT THESE YOU TUBE TITLES...To hear the era I'm talking about with the great Paul Butterfield ; Paul Butterfield blues band...In My Own Dream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WllnGLeqQGw Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Morning Sunrise (Live At Woodstock 69') http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlKJjCN_ZI8&feature=related ~ So there you have it. Till next week, take a venture away from procrasta-net and hear some live music, check out where todays masters came from and do something nice for someone while your at it. ~ Tim Price www.timpricejazz.com

Tim Price Bloggin' For Rico- Listen, shed & play.

LISTEN ! The late George Russell,jazz legend has offered this knowing appreciation of his Jaki Byard: "Jaki Byard always personified the past, present and future of jazz, wherever or whenever one might have been fortunate enough to experience his challenging ideas. An icon in the history of jazz, Jaki was Art Tatum, Earl Hines, Bud Powell, Ran Blake, Cecil Taylor, and Bill Evans, all in one. Yet, like these fellow icons, he was his own uncompromising, unique, living entity. He isn’t a household name, but most likely his low profile is the result of an irresistible need to constantly reinvent himself, the sure sign of the consummate artist. His history, from Boston’s Storyville to the countdown year of the millennium, leaves us with a rich history of his music, his life and times, allowing us to experience the intense struggle of a dedicated artist to keep his essence alive while still making us laugh with him along life’s corridor. There will never be anyone who can take his place."

I remember when I got that first Live LP. I remember when the first notes of "Twelve" I'd never heard anything like "Twelve." I've still got it in my head decades later. Jaki, Joe Farrell and George Tucker and Alan Dawson. Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike as a small room, tight, compact, holding the sounds solidly in. Years later I heard Jaki at Lennies, with Alan Dawson, Harvie Swartz and Sal Nistico. Opposite Professor Irwin Cory the comedian. Music to live by- be inspired by and never forget. If your a musician you need to learn "Diane's Melody" that he wrote for his daughter and in the early years Herb Pomeroy recorded it for him.

SHED ; If your practicing improvising, knowing these will improveyour facility fast. All major scales All minor scales (natural, harmonic, ascending melodic) All (2) whole-tone scales Pentatonic scales Blues scales All diminished scales Chromatic scales Bebop scales (ionian add #5; mixolydian add Maj.7; melodic minor add #5; mixolydian b2 b6 add Maj.7; dorian add Maj.7; locrian add Maj.7) All of the above scales in 15 keys (7 sharp keys, 7 flat keys and the key of C) All dom 7th, min 7th, maj 7th, half dim 7th, dim 7th (and in versions) Dominant 7th arpeggios chromatically ii-V progression arpeggiated from the root ii-V pattern chromatically ii-V pattern moving up in minor thirds Flat 5 substitutes in all keys

LISTEN ; ~ Go find some recordings of Zoot Sims.Listen to Zoot for a few days. On you tube, buy some CD's and just enjoy this artist.Zoot Sims was one of the greatest tenor saxophone players in jazz.Remarkable,powerful emotional and irresistible.

Play; http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/PATFN2.pdf http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/newpdfs/majorthirdsinwholestepmotion.pdf http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/newpdfs/majorthirdsinwholestepmotion.pdf

SO.... Listen, shed & play. ~ Tim Price

ALSO- PLEASE REMEMBER ; Tim Price is available for a wide variety of tours, festivals, guest appearances and workshops. Tim Price is also available as a guest soloist with a small group or big band, and as a jazz clinician or guest lector. Tim is a Rico Reeds and Selmer saxophone artist. His books are published through Hal Leonard. Please contact Tim at: TimPriceJazz@aol.com Phone ; 610-370-1544 I TEACH IN NYC- READING, PA AND ON SKYPE. SKYPE MUSIC STUDY WITH TIM PRICE These SKYPE sessions with Tim Price are informal and relaxed, yet highly structured. If you are a novice improvisor or even a pro who has always felt there was more to learn, you'll truly enjoy these lessons. Hands-on "Real World" Learning , you'll more than simply learn-you'll do. By gaining new knowledge you'll create momentum that can transform your musical future. You'll sustain results. You'll discover multiple ways to produce real, sustainable results. Take advantage of Tim Price's 35 plus years of teaching, performing, recording & writing experience. Step by step online videos to help you improve your playing at a logical pace. On screen spoken help explaining how to reach your next level. Timpricejazz@aol.com for most current fee info.

Tim Price Bloggin' for Rico -Ella & Louis ! You can't live without it.

~ This is a CD that is a must for every listener,fan, student and musician. It's all here. A lesson to be enjoyed for decades.Two of the greatest popular musical performers of the 20th century, "Ella and Louis" together make beautiful music. "Stars Fell on Alabama," "Cheek to Cheek," "A Foggy Day," "Can't We Be Friends?," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Under a Blanket of Blue" - this is an unbeatable collection of pop standards.Truly a masterpiece for all time!

~ I have enjoyed this recording for years. For many reasons. It defines what jazz is. But also is available to every listener. The tunes are perfect, the band swings. Get my drift? For the student of jazz- this is one of the most important recordings in jazz. Not being aware of it is a crime. I have many of my University level students study these songs,learn them by ear to get a consummate swing feel- and melodic groove. They are also a must know- period.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/legends-of-the-20th-century-ella-louis-mw0002359703 ~For the listener, it is a recording that never gets old.It makes you feel good and has it's own health care plan going on every listen! Hope this opens some doors to something, you can't live without. Music like this offers the key to a gateway that you must travel for yourself. It's easier than you think! It's wonderful.This where it all comes together- it's all here. This amazing 1956 session is classic —"Cheek To Cheek" is a small classic—and the accompaniment by pianist Oscar Peterson and his trio joined by drummer Buddy Rich ups the swing ante considerably. Fitzgerald and Armstrong sound positively ebullient together, scatting and swinging their way through tunes by Gershwin, Berlin and Duke Ellington, and other well-known material, proving that putting two gifted performers with the right backing and the right song will create a magical song.

Enjoy your 4th of July everyone. Enjoy yourself and find the true place for you, you can be what you want to be, you can do what you want to do, you can have what you want to have. Your thinking is directed by your frame of mind.Spend some time with the people and thoughts that matter. Till next week- check out Ella and Louis. ~ Tim Price..... www.timpricejazz.com -

Tim Price Blogging for Rico- Melodic Improvisation & the abstract truth.

Back "in the day"..I created these studys to help students,sax players worldwide. Since then the "lessons" expanded to a free book & half worth of material. Sax on the Web > Saxophone Lessons with Tim Price > Melodic Improvisation Harri Rautiainen.."Oldies but goodies! Now revised lay-out." Sax on the Web > Saxophone Lessons with Tim Price > Melodic Improvisation http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/MelodicImprov.html Back "in the day"....LOL....I created these SOTW studys to help students,sax players worldwide. Since then the "lessons" expanded to a free book & half worth of material. Another thing was to get the people to understand the importance of BASICS. Von Freeman told me once, in the 70's in Chigago that if you knew major,minor, augmented and diminished...everything else was right there as well with WORK. Of course I expanded some things for players, to catch some of my harder stuff, such as _ http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Feb01.html 1969- I saw caught Monk & Charlie Rouse when I was 17 every night of the week-I heard elements in that band I never heard elsewhere. What got to me was how_IN_they could get and still sound far out. I could hear the tune, I got tight with Charlie Rouse. ( I was 17, had a fake ID as I was playing gigs since I was in 9th grade etc) Rouse was amazing, to the_classic_MK6- Link thing. But the lines came from the basics, ditto Wayne Shorter and the greats we love and hear everyday. Years later,I had the pleasure of meeting the great tenor player- BIG NICK. It was at a Guardala clinic,I brought him to. he was using a " post bop" piece but that was just a tool in this mans hands. ( He loved the piece) He was the guy Trane wrote BIG NICK for which is in all your fake books!!! We'd hang at the "China Song" in NYC, after gigs or to meet to shed during the day. ( see picture below) And Big Nick would kill shedding the UNIVERSAL BOOK. The SOTW studys I put up are things_most_players should know in one form or another. Nick & I would play stuff like this, take it into space, play it funky or even as a ballad. In real time NOT as a etude kinda thing. He also was into the FRANK VIOLIN piece. He had the music to that- and showed me what he hipped TRANE to in the piece. Again, as far out as THAT seems...if ya ain't got the basics...none of the other stuff makes sense. Ya know?! Even back, pre-Berklee for me. I could tell that knowing the basics had a essence that worked. At that point- it was learning stuff from records as there were no books or transcription services or internet. So you had to get next to the music, listen and play along. Playing those joints in my high school daze were an education... great memorys & saxophone DNA. An invasion of memories-and an education for me.LOL.. Many times I drift back to these times-I grew up in the city (Reading Pa) the world sure was different then. But playing those Jr Walker & Horace Silver tunes at gigs, along with Motown stuff and all was part of it. Simplicity and knowing. There were no APS for the chords, or real books- you had to learn- know and play. Another time period. Check junior here....so vivid a sound. Nice! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBY53...layer_embedded HE WAS...the thing.The cartoon image on the Jr Walker record always made me smile growing up. Autry DeWalt aka Jr Walker!! Music, life and compassion. You dig!:) Enjoy and work hard at what you love. ~ Tim Price www.timpricejazz.com

Tim Price Bloggin' For Rico Reeds- Roger Rosenberg & Baritonality.

Roger Rosenbergs new release is inspiring and totally enjoyable. My advise- go buy Baritonality now. You won't be sorry. Everything is here, a player with deep roots and committment to the art form. He plays his backside off on every cut- and the compositions are the kind of tunes that should be jazz standards. They are that great! Baritonality ( Sunnyside) is Roger's second CD as a leader. His sound is his own,I hear not only control but commitment to supreme musicianship. No cliches,but pure playing. Not only from study, paying dues and years on the scene but also a very expansive way of playing. I'm telling you, these tunes are just perfect choices,the title track and "The 8th Day" is case in point.Classic! Roger also plays on soprano on "Paradox") and bass clarinet on the ballad dedicated to Mike Brecker. There is world class support by fellow veterans—Mark Soskin (piano), Chip Jackson (bass) and Jeff Brillinger (drums)—as well as guitar groove by Peter Bernstein on the Landesman-Wolf beauty "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most." The support and swing from Chip Jackson purely defines his role in jazz as one of the masters of his instrument.This is also a great opportunity to hear Jeff Brillinger, one of my favorite players in this era.Mark Soskin is thoroughly ensconced in proceedings,beautiful comping and solos.Chip Jackson has something special happening every time he plays, I'm glad he's on this recording.Always loved what he played, and how he played it.You can hear these are musicians who've gelled on the bandstand before together.The band here is incredible! I loved the playing on "Someone To Watch Over Me" as much as the burning closer "Birds and Tranes." As I said before...Get this CD now. This is real jazz, done by an artist who deserves world wide attention. You can hear it in the music and compositions. Real jazz sessions like these show that great music is being played that can swing hard in straight ahead settings, and still have originality within it. Baritonality was produced by Walter Becker. Roger tours with Steely Dan, and has appeared on Two Against Nature, Everything Must Go, and Fagen's Kamakiriad and Morph The Cat.He is a first-call N.Y. session player and a highly accomplished woodwind doubler. His work has been acknowledged an NARAS MVP award. I've been enjoying Rogers playing for decades, and if you can find it search out the record he did with Chet Baker.It's called, Chet Baker Sings, Plays-Live at the Keystone Korner (High Note records 2003),and Roger is playing on baritone and and some really creative and fresh soprano saxophone on the Richie Bierach composition "Broken Wing." Other sessions that I enjoyed that he is part of are- John Lennons' Double Fantasy and Elvis Costellos' North. You can see by the diversity here, this is a player who is open minded and able to add his gift to a great amount of fantastic music. In closing,Baritonality by Rico artist and legendary New York City musician Roger Rosenberg is just what music needs. He is a creative master in the music of today,hear him! Till next week- Tim Price www.timpricejazz.com

Tim Pice Bloggin' For Rico Reeds- Tracking ( via improvising )

.....Tracking THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR PLAYING. . . . Tracking is the ability to listen to yourself. This is one of the most crucial things in melodic playing. Tracking is the ability to identify your own ideas and build on them. Music is not the combination of as many different ideas as possible in the shortest amount of time, (e.g. playing a lot of notes fast and all over the place) but, the flow and elaboration of a few ideas in a logical and coherent manner. The secret of tracking is to listen to yourself. Again, each idea should have a beginning and an end. Pause and listen to your last idea. Your next idea should be related to the last. Whether you repeat a rhythm, note, shape, or even stop and begin with a new idea, this will help you to direct your lines and phrases into a specific area. What you will hear coming out of yourself will be your own musical ideas. They are shaped by your feelings and the interactions of the people you are playing with, as well as your technical condition. All this will grow richer as you study more and practice harder and learn the repertoire. The secret is to create in the now, and not simply play all your memorized licks. The more you practice, the more you will be able to hear, and your abilities as a jazz improviser will grow and expand. Remember, what you hear is more important than what you know. ...... SUGGESTED LISTENING- CHARLIE PARKER ON DIAL. Volume 8 Recorded: Nov 8, 1947 – Sep 1948 The final volume of the series featured tracks taken primarily from a radio broadcast on November 8, 1947, where Parker played with Barry Ulanov and His All-Star Metronome Jazzmen. The group featured Bauer on guitar, Allen Eager on tenor saxophone,John LaPorta on clarinet, Fats Navarro on trumpet, Tommy Potter on double bass, Buddy Rich on drums, Tristano on piano, and, singing on "Everything I Have Is Yours", Sarah Vaughan.[7] Additional material was taken from a set with Tadd Dameron's Orchestra, featuring performances by Eager and Gray. LISTEN TO JOHN LA PORTA....On clarinet. One of the greatest in jazz clarinet and the teacher at Berklee who took the time to get "tracking" into my mind set as a young player/student. This man, played with Mingus and Bird.....jazz education needs more like him. Hope this helps you open some new doorways in what you do. TILL NEXT WEEK- Tim Price

Tim Price Bloggin' For Rico Reeds / The Song Of Singing // Singing the song.

The Song of Singing is Chick Corea's fifth solo recording, released in 1970. The album features a trio with Barry Altschul on drums and Dave Holland on bass (together with Corea making up three fourths of Circle). The setting of the album is free and spontaneous with a few scripted pieces to keep everything on track. The lone piece composed by someone not in the band, Wayne Shorter's Nefertiti is now considered a jazz standard. At 26 Chick recorded...his adventurous yet lyrical trio LP- Now he sings, now he sobs, establishing him as a significant pianist and composer. Over three days in March 1968, Corea recorded with Miroslav Vitous and Haynes and produced a total of 13 great performances only five of which were used on the original albums. The material ranged from soon-to-be Corea classics like "Matrix" and "Windows" to extended improvised pieces like the title tune to creative interpretations of Monk's "Pannonica" and "My One And Only Love". This music-is beyond category. Some of my favorite " power trios" are these two Chick Corea recordings. The point is here- Chick though influenced by Horace Silver and Bud Powell and the music of Beethoven and Mozart as well had arrived at a personal destination. He wasn't trying to be someone else, or spend his life doing tributes to people. He created an idiom, compositions and forward motion that is inspirational. My point is, saxophonists need to branch out more and listen to the content,attitude and personal conviction of other instrumentalists. Especially from preceding eras. Chick k in this era is a great case study- and even if your a classical player, this is something that will touch you.To me this has been an extremely valuable source that provides philosophy behind the approach, a conceptual frame-work to apply this philosophy, and detailed repertoire selection,development, and implementation. The relevance of the research into other instruments and musics is exceedingly valuable- and important. These days there is to much attention given to players who are playing well, and very popular but more often students have no idea of things outside of that idiom. At this time of the year ( May-June) I always think of the recording " The Song Of Singing"...that's about when I bought it And, from the inspiration side, I had seen and heard some amazing playing by Chick with Stan Getz, Miles and others.The music was fresh. As it should be, even the Shorter tune, was not a cover.Nor was it destroyed by a time-signature experiment in 66/3 over 9/8. ha! It was swinging, and on track. The cover, also was a huge feature of the BlueNote records catalog, as my friend Vinny Golia did the cover art. Any RICO REEDS fan should well know that, Blute Note covers are history. EG- Rico Reeds and Blue Note Records came together for a multi-year licensing agreement in which Rico will launched sax straps featuring Blue Note session photography and album artwork.Inspired by the great jazz standards recorded on the Blue Note label, each sax strap features the artwork from classic recordings and famous album covers. Three kinds of inspired straps are available now: True Blue, inspired by the 1960 classic featuring saxophonist Tina Brooks; Afro Cuban , influenced by the 1955 recording by trumpeter Kenny Dorham featuring the Jazz Messenger ensemble (Hank Mobley on tenor sax and Cecil Payne on baritone sax); and Black Fire, inspired by the 1963 Blue Note debut recording of jazz pianist Andrew Hill featuring Joe Henderson on tenor sax. Vinnys art work on this record always impressed me- as did his playing. ( Check out Vinny Golia as well- he is a unreal woodwind player, arttist, composer and friend) To arrive at a personal destination you have to invest in yourself. Study, practice and life. Think about this great quote as well ; The characteristics of a good musician can be summarized as follows: 1. A well-trained ear 2. A well-trained intelligence 3. A well-trained heart 4. A well-trained hand. Seems like the most practical, right? Let me go further in the essence of jazz, there must be a constant equilibrium. As soon as one lags behind or rushes ahead, there is something wrong. Check out the music of the of the 20th century, from twelve tone Schoenbergian music to Broadway; from “Mac the Knife” to operas; from Brecht to Lotte Lenya;Hendrix, Satie, Debussy, Cecil Taylor, composers, arrangers, anyone and anything prolific and interesting to you. By accepting that challenge with an individualistc, interpretive approach,you will broaden and deepened YOUR artistic core as an improvisational musician. Study, listen well to the association of how rather than what. In other words don’t let a musical idea,vision or concept get borne out of the fingers rather than the music itself, and the try to keep the highest musical value or useful when searching for oneself.Be the best YOU that is available at the moment. After all,our goal is creativity and the use of the imagination. We are trying to enter the realm of feelings and emotions through music, and to arrive at a point where your fingers go where the ear dictates.Hopefully this blog can instigate the artistic process in an attempt to have a coherent and unified vision of what an art form concerns. Play, study and approach what you do to the maximum. Look for inspiration beyond your own instrument. Check out the trio I speak of as well. Till next week- Musical nourishment which is "rich in vitamins" is essential for all. Lunch for your ears! ~ Tim Price PS- LISTENING IS PRACTICE TOO!!!