Tim Price Bloggin' For D'Addario- Rock Saxophone 101- Jackie Kelso- Flutter tongue on Sam Cooke's hit song " Twisting The Night Away".

Jackie Kelso- Saxophone solo on Sam Cooke " Twisting The Night Away". Listen and learn right here ...http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com/premiumjackiekelso/index.html .....What Jackie is talking about in the above Wrecking Crew video is -Honky Tonk Part 2 by Bill Doggett. Clifford Scott used it in his 4th solo. Jr. Walker performed the effect on Shotgun. Joel C. Peskin on a more recent 1989 Top 40 hit titled With Every Beat of My Heart by Taylor Dayne. Check Bobby Keys' solo on Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones. Jackie on the Sam Cooke hit was the crystallization of this effect heard world wide on a pop hit. Off the hook greatness by Jackie!! To learn this effect, read this chapter from my Hot Rock Sax book ; Several other examples: Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy - Gil Bernal - Tenor; The Stroll - Diamonds - King Curtis - Tenor ;Urgent - Foreigner - Jr. Walker - Tenor. John Joseph Kelson Jr. (February 27, 1922 – April 28, 2012), better known by his stage name Jackie Kelso, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist. Born in Los Angeles, California, Kelson was the eldest child of John Joseph Kelson Sr. and Lillian Weinberg Kelson.[1] He started clarinet lessons at age eight, studying with Caughey Roberts. At fifteen, Jefferson High School classmate Chico Hamilton urged him to take up the alto saxophone, and he soon made his professional debut with Jerome Myart. By the time he graduated from Jefferson, he was playing with Hamilton, Buddy Collette, and Charles Mingus at clubs on Central Avenue.In the 1940s he played with C.L. Burke, Barney Bigard, Marshal Royal, Lucky Thompson, Kid Ory, Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, and Roy Milton. He enlisted in the Navy in October 1942 with Marshal and Ernie Royal, and, after training at Camp Robert Smalls, he was stationed with the Royals with the St. Mary's College Pre-Flight School band. In the 1950s he also performed with Johnny Otis, Billy Vaughan, Nelson Riddle, Bill Berry, the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut, Ray Anthony, Bob Crosby, and Duke Ellington. He joined Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps in 1958 and is featured on several fine recordings from that period, including Say Mama, She She Little Sheila and Ac-centu-ate the Positive. He worked as a studio musician between 1964 and 1984, in addition to recording with Mercer Ellington and Mink DeVille, touring worldwide with Hampton, Ellington, and Vaughan, and appearing in The Concert for Bangladesh. He semi-retired music in 1984, but returned to performance in 1995 with the Count Basie Orchestra, where he became a regular in 1998. He reverted to his birth name of Kelson that year as well. He died on April 28, 2012, in Beverly Hills,California. - - Jackie Kelso was a musician's musician- a brilliant example of a humble together man at one with his music. Study that solo and study the beautiful vibe Jackie had while explaining it too- What a fantastic musician he was. Till next week- TIM PRICE

Tim Price Bloggin' For D'Addario Wooodwinds- making the most of your ultimate musical skills.

Being a well-rounded saxophonist and making the most of your ultimate musical skill, which is the melody: Let's start with looking at the market place today from a professional standpoint. I feel your training and education must be at a very high professional level. There are few college-level teaching positions and sometimes even fewer gigs, so our key in the marketplace is being well-rounded.One of the basic approaches to this, I found, is keeping an open mind. Don't shut yourself off to saxophone quartets, rhythm and blues gigs, teaching beginning students, or playing in big bands. By doing these and embracing many styles musically, you will start to develop skills that are as diverse as they are vital to your survival. If you can play the Omnibook of Charlie Parker solos, you should also work with Guy Lacours (28 Etudes), which all are on altered dominant scales. I use it a lot in my teaching. Another great book for sight-reading which I feel all students, no matter what level they're at should be checking out, is my buddy Fred Lipsius' book called "Reading Key Jazz Rhythms," published by Advance Music. This book is a must! Those are some key things to consider before I start my main topic of melodic improvisation below. Learning to Use Basic Melody Music is communication. In order to communicate your ideas to others, you must speak the same language. Whether you choose to speak with slang, proper English, or beatnik poetry, there are certain spelling and grammatical conventions required to talk musically. Musical Ideas When musical phrases are constructed of basic elements such as chords or scales, they are organized into ideas and sentences much the same way that speech is just a combination of spelling and grammar. Phrases, like sentences, have beginnings and endings. This is one of the most important aspects. We separate our phrases with space and pauses. We punctuate our ideas with accents and rhythms. The tools and tech of music are there to help us express our ideas in much the same way language helps us speak. Melodic Possibilities Within Personal Musical Style There are as many melodic possibilities as there are people to play and hear them. The beauty of jazz and improvising is that you should be able to communicate your own ideas. That is the difference between reciting someone else's story and telling your own. Learn to believe in yourself and let your own musical personality enhance the melody. Whether it's the melody of a tune or your improvisation. Tracking 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. The Three Aspects of Melody #1- The Melodic Curve #2- Harmony #3- The Melodic Rhythm The melodic curve is a melody's linear or graphic structure. A melody is basically a line of notes that can move up or down by step or by skip. It can be primarily horizontal or very vertical in shape. The melodic curve is the horizontal and vertical shape of the melody. The melody- harmony relationship refers to the relationship of the melody note to a chord progression. This aspect of melody corresponds to the concept of modality. The melody notes we use should have varying degrees of consonance or dissonance within the harmony. Melodic rhythm refers to the length and time feel of the melody and the phrasing. Melodies tend to sound like sentences and tend to have pauses in between ideas. The pauses and space between ideas can also be a form of rhythm as it defines the larger pattern of the phrase relationships. Play in phrases. Your going to study a lot here- take your time- and enjoy= = TIM

Tim Price Bloggin' For D'Addario Woodwinds- STUFF TO SHED.

I practice everyday, and I practice for at least 2 hours before I do anything. I do it because it's the one thing in life that has been a constant for me. So few things in life ever remain the same, if any. But the saxophone < and my woodwinds > is the same every day.To me, it's the best ever deal you can make in life. If you work hard and practice at your saxophone , you get better. It's that simple! Think about it. Still grateful to be playing and learning. Looking forward to each gig and rehearsal and student, trying to stay in that vibe. And learn what I can from it. All human beings are linked together through the timeless, universal chain of history and events.The musician links to the practice room and the bandstand. Various life developments have been born in both environs. ~ The first stage of the artistic process involves absorption of principles and techniques that have already been accepted as standard in the field , the artist personalizes past and contemporary styles, meaning active participation in real world. This is why, I've always felt the need to play with all kinds of musicians, any age and of course working heavily with students to develop their "real world" skills. Here's some things to work on also ; Check it out and enjoy.... also- for some more ideas....check through these ; IF...you want some ideas on ii-v's...look here; http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/iiV.pdf If your looking for a nice warm up / sax sound study-look here; http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/sax_warmup.pdf for info on tune study; look here; http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/learningatune.html reed info, look here; http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/dealingwreeds.html sax players food for thought:look here; http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/creativepurity.html A nice jazz line using II-V. http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Dec00.html And a I-VI-II-V...of course http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Jul01.html If you check my web page- you'll find some intervallic studys on II- V. http://www.timpricejazz.com/lessons/intervalic1.jpg For those interested in some Bird & bop to shed...check out; http://www.saxontheweb.net/Price/Bird-ologyStudy.html

Tim Price Bloggin' For D'Addario Woodwinds- Moody's Mood For Love ( sax transcription)

Moody's Mood For Love ( alto sax key)2 pages. In teaching jazz, and talking to students for decades....One of my main concerns has been roots. To often people want to play complex things, and jump into areas that should be dealt with AFTER basic skills, roots and history are dealt with.Knowing what came before and the study of it, is the only way to realize what there is to do. Imitation is timeless and a must if you want to have foundation in your playing. To be blunt....if you do not know " Moodys Mood For Love" then you really are not ready for " Giant Steps". This solo of James Moody, is one of those things. Many times people just do NOT know about it. Listen to all the versions of this you can find. The things Moody did with it, be it playing or singing were amazing. James Moody was together in places that most people don't have! LOL...He gave me a lesson in the old " Hotel Taft" in 1973- in NYC. He told me the lesson was on him, he wouldn't take the money. This man could play a major scale & make it sound hip. I'll never forget him. Just thought this would be of interest -and something any player worth their salt needs to know. Thank you....remember the great James Moody. Enjoy- and learn this- Tim Price