In honor of Yusef Lateef, who we just lost a few days ago, at age 93, here is the thing that inspired yesterday’s post: Lex Humphries playing on Ching Miau, a one-chord modal tune in 5/4, played over a one-measure vamp, from Lateef’s album Eastern Sounds. The transcription starts at the beginning of the saxophone solo, at 0:29, and ends shortly before the head out:
The vamp has the rather unusual 2+3 phrasing, while Humphries’s time has a 3+2 feel; I don’t suppose the crossing interpretations is intentional; it seems more likely that that is the only way Humphries knew how to play in 5 at the time. He likely plays the bass drum (lightly, at least) on every beat one, but I’ve only notated it where it’s audible.
Audio after the break:
And to ease Yusef’s passing, here is one more tune from that record, The Plum Blossom:
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