Pianist and vibraphonist Buddy Montgomery was a unique and fascinating composer who deserves wider recognition. We've had his song Here Again on jazzleadsheets.com for a while; now we're making four more of Buddy's songs available. Three of these were recorded on his 1997 trio album, "Here Again."
Aki's Blues is a 24-measure blues head, full of Buddy's signature subtle harmonic detail.
The laid-back medium swing tempo of Hob Nob With Brother Bob makes it particularly fun, combined with its blues-infused melody. The piano transcription of Hob Nob With Brother Bob shows both in and out heads, for an in-depth look at how Buddy creatively and expressively interpreted his own melody.
Buddy recorded two completely different versions of 1,000 Rainbows, in 1977 and 1997. It's a funky song with a slightly mysterious mood; both versions are built around rhythmic bass lines. The very simple earlier version has lead sheets plus second parts. A piano melody transcription and bass part from the "Here Again" album are available.
The fourth newly available Buddy Montgomery song is My Sentiments Exactly, from his 1988 album "So Why Not?" This one is a funk classic that guarantees a good time. It has a stop-time intro that really showcases Buddy's effortless phrasing and rhythmic feel.
In 2019, rising star pianist Isaiah J. Thompson recorded a tribute album of Buddy Montgomery songs, including these four as well as Here Again. These versions feature Isaiah's own rearrangements, which are discussed on jazzleadsheets.com in the descriptions under his album cover for each song.
Four other newly added songs on jazzleadsheets.com include Booker Little's Larry-LaRue. Named for his son and daughter, this was Booker's second recorded composition. It's a beautiful song with that bittersweet mood that really defines the Booker Little style. Full score and parts are available for the original arrangement (3 horns, bass, and drums) played by the Max Roach Quintet.
Gwen is a unique song: a ballad written by master drummer "Philly" Joe Jones, originally played by the composer himself on piano! This romantic bebop ballad comes from Jones' classic album "Showcase." From trumpeter Joe Gordon we have Diminishing, a cooking, modal uptempo swinger with a tight two-horn arrangement.
Finally, Dexter Gordon's iconic Cheese Cake is now available. Perhaps his best-known composition, our lead sheet is quite detailed with several of Dexter's melody variations as well as Sonny Clark's piano fills. We also have a transcription of his solo--lyrical, catchy, and clearly articulated throughout, this is one of the all-time classic hard bop solos.