Jack Dejohnette plays Tennessee Waltz! One of the most cursed tunes in the standard repertoire. I don’t know what’s going through his head here— maybe he’s having a wonderful time. I know a couple of […]
Category: Sonny Rollins
Sonny Clark comping
Something a little different: transcribed piano comping rhythms. Played by Sonny Clark on Funky Hotel Blues, a bonus track on the CD release of Sonny Rollins’s The Sound of Sonny. I’ve written out the first […]
Daily best music in the world: Sonny plays Surrey
Sonny Rollins and Philly Joe Jones play Surrey With The Fringe On Top, duo, on Sonny’s record Newk’s Time. This has got to be the purest essay on bop drumming ever.
How to play Pent Up House
Or, how to play it the way it was played originally. What we’ll do in this series is look at the definitive recorded versions of some commonly played jazz tunes, and nail down all the […]
Groove o’ the day: Shelly Manne — Way Out West
Here are a couple of very famous things by Shelly Manne, from the album Way Out West by Sonny Rollins. Sonny could be a little perverse in his tune selections, often choosing things that would […]
Transcription: Blue Seven
UPDATE: PDF link working now! I can’t believe I’ve never transcribed this one before. This is a very famous drum solo by Max Roach, on the tune Blue Seven from the album Saxophone Colossus by […]
Quick takes
– Jon McCaslin @ Four on the Floor shares this video of Marvin “Bugalu” Smith, who I had actually not heard of before. He was in Sun Ra’s and Archie Shepp’s bands in the 80’s. […]
Transciption: Pete LaRoca – Oleo
I must apologize for the light posting- I’ve been occupied with work and with my still-upcoming, really-going-to-happen this time recording session for my new record. Allow me to make it up to you by offering […]
Ron Hudson 1940-2011
Via Rifftides: Seattle photographer Ron Hudson has died at 71. Jazz musicians were his primary subject, and during his career he photographed many of the greats, including Count Basie, Woody Herman, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, […]