Archives: February 2016

  • Rudy's Place, a radio show playing recordings made by legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder

    If you're a fan of jazzleadsheets.com, you're probably a fan of Rudy Van Gelder, the engineer who recorded most of the early Blue Note and Prestige catalogs, along with many other great albums. Here's something you might like to know about: a radio show dedicated to his work.

    “Rudy’s Place”
    Sundays 10:00pm to 1:00am Eastern Standard Time
    Broadcast over Internet Radio which is heard worldwide. Listeners type WFDU.FM into their browser and click on HD2 "Jazz and What's More." See the end of this article for more ways to hear it.

    Nick Scheuble hosts “Rudy’s Place,” a jazz show dedicated to playing music recorded by the most famous engineer in jazz history, Rudy Van Gelder, whose legendary studio is nearby in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

    Van Gelder’s career has spanned over 6 decades, recording Jazz icons such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk; for labels such as Blue Note, Prestige, Impulse and others. He is the engineer who recorded Coltrane's “A Love Supreme,” Oliver Nelson's “Blues and the Abstract Truth,” Wayne Shorter's “Speak No Evil,” Wes Montgomery's “Smokin' at the Half Note” and countless other masterpieces. His name on a recording is a bonafide jazz “seal of approval.”

    Your host Nick Scheuble is a professional jazz drummer who has performed with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Steve Turre and Bill Crow. In the fall of 2013, Rudy Van Gelder recorded his daughter Leonieke Scheuble’s album entitled, “Debut.” Nick drummed on half the record and Jimmy Cobb (drummer on Miles Davis’ "Kind of Blue") drummed on the other half.

    The magic of Rudy’s studio--Rudy saying “Those are the steps where John Coltrane sat after he recorded 'A Love Supreme'” and hearing “The Old Girl,” (the organ that Jimmy Smith played on those historic Blue Note sides), along with Rudy’s genius--inspired the concept for this show.

    From his first recordings for Blue Note in 1952, through his most current recordings, be prepared to hear the very best in Jazz through the mastery of Rudy Van Gelder. Tune into “Rudy’s Place” Sundays at 10:00 p.m.

    Please visit Nick’s website at www.nickscheuble.com.
    WFDU(FM) is owned and operated by Fairleigh Dickinson University

    Ways to hear the program:
    -- Listening live: WFDUHD2 Sundays at 10 pm Eastern time US (for this method, you need an HD2 or internet radio--some modern cars have these).

    -- The next way is to type WFDU.FM in your browser (on your computer) and click the HD2 icon. Again, this is done live Sunday's at 10pm Eastern time and can be accessed anywhere in the world.

    -- The last way is the access archives so you can hear the broadcast any time of the day or night. In your browser, type WFDU2.streamrewind.com. Once there, select a "Sunday" and click on "Rudy's Place."

    If anyone wants to tell Rudy how his work has affected your life, send a short email to don@secondfloormusic.com.

  • New Hank Mobley and more . . .

    A new one from saxophonist Hank Mobley: UP OVER AND OUT, a 16-measure blues with Mobley's signature swing and groove. Guitarist George Benson and the rhythm section establish an infectious vamp figure that the horn melody further elevates before swinging out the last eight measures of the head. A great energy opener or closer!

    Pianist Elmo Hope's NIETA has an unusual 32-measure form (eight bars of the same chord progression repeated three times under the melody). Elmo sets off the melody with a Latin intro and adds a tutti rhythmical interlude at the end of the melody to set up each soloist. First and second parts are available, plus a Concert Condensed Score for the rhythm section.

    Trombonist Curtis Fuller's ability to write music that sounds (and is) simply fun to play is demonstrated in his SYMPTOMS. Recorded by Curtis and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, second parts are available for all instruments as well as a Concert Condensed Score for the rhythm section.

    Pianist Milton Sealey, new to jazzleadsheets.com, is represented by his BLACK DIAMOND, a lilting, delightful 3/4 romp recorded first by multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk. An Easy Solo Piano Arrangement by Don Sickler is available, plus lead sheets.

    Now for additions to our Singers' Corner:
    Transformed into a dark, haunting tale, Sealey's Black Diamond became
    THE DRAGONFLY AND THE PEARL with lyric added by vocalist Roberta Gambarini and lyricist Bebe Herring.

    ICE WHITE BLUES, by Judy Niemack and Jeanfrançois Prins, shows one side of breaking up that feels like two: ice and fire. A blues with a bridge, the melody is notated as Judy performed it. Exclusive complete track and minus-you audio available, plus a video of the composers performing it together.

  • New titles in February, 2016

    These titles were originally recorded in the month of January, various years.

    DEEP PASSION by Lucky Thompson.
    A classic ballad by one of the masters of ballad writing and playing, on tenor sax. Lucky recorded this one twice, once in a quartet format with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Osie Johnson; and once with the Oscar Pettiford Orchestra. We're providing lead sheets (the same for both recordings) as well as Lucky's Melody and Solo Transcriptions from both recordings. A perfect opportunity to examine in depth the melodic and rhythmic artistry of this great artist and composer. Our own Elijah Shiffer and pianist Isaiah Thompson demonstrate their version on video.

    A LADY'S VANITY by Lucky Thompson.
    Lucky Thompson's exploration of the two sides of a woman, body and soul, in music. Lucky improvised this track over the standard's changes. Take a look at his improvisation; available in B-flat and C.

    Here are three more compositions from pianist David Hazeltine's album, The Classic Trio Volume 2. These obviously all work great in a trio context, but try them featuring front line instruments for a real treat.

    David's FACE TO FACE uptempo trio swinger, lead sheet complete with two shout sections for soloist send offs, which on the recording is where David and master drummer Louis Hayes face off.

    Another one from David, FROM HERE TO THERE: 3/4 swing, melody floating over the momentum, tension-producing chords to resolve. A trip begging to be taken.

    TOO SWEET TO BEAR, also from David Hazeltine. Medium tempo, even eighths, no key center, fascinating to solo over. David's Solo Piano Arrangement is also available so you can get inside all of his voicings.

    McGheeHoward_DavisMiles

    And out of the past, a very important trumpeter player and composer coming to jazzleadsheets.com for the first time. Howard McGhee's READY FOR LOVE features Howard playing his melody as a set up for the great tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins' solo. If you're not familiar with Howard McGhee, all you need is one look at this picture of Miles Davis looking on as Howard plays to understand Howard's importance. Starting as a master in the swing era, he joined Charlie Parker in the bop world and then continued to grow in the hard bop world and beyond. One of the few artists who transitioned successfully through many jazz styles.

  • DEEP PASSION In Depth

    Unlike many of his contemporaries who looked to American Songbook standards for the ballad portion of their repertoire, saxophonist Lucky Thompson wrote several of his own ballads. One of the most beautiful and heartfelt of these is Deep Passion, which we are now making available on jazzleadsheets.com. Lucky recorded this song twice: first with a quartet in January 1956, and then with Oscar Pettiford's 12-piece big band in June of the same year, arranged by Lucky himself. Both versions feature Lucky as a soloist.

    For both of these recordings, we have transcriptions of not only his solos, but also his interpretations of the melody. Lucky was a master interpreter of ballads, both standard and original, so we feel it's important to present his own ballads exactly as he played them. The Melody Transcriptions highlight the rhythmic alterations and fills with which he embellishes the melody; they show both the "in" and "out" heads. The Solo Transcriptions include some substitute chords that Lucky's lines imply, notated below the staff. Both transcriptions show his articulations clearly; note that many passages in these solos lack slurs/phrase markings because each note is lightly tongued.

    With these transcriptions, you can analyze Lucky's melodic and harmonic technique and let it serve as an inspiration for your own interpretation of this song.

    About Lucky Thompson, from Noal Cohen's Jazz History website:

    Thompson has been described as enigmatic, elusive and underrated but there is no disputing his brilliance, originality and importance in the evolution of modern jazz. During his three decades on the international jazz scene, he worked and recorded with just about every giant: Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Kenton, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk to name just a few. He transcended stylistic and geographical barriers playing in a wide variety of settings on the East and West Coasts of the U.S. and for extended periods in Europe.

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