News

April showers bring new composers

It’s a new month, a new batch of lead sheets, and most exciting of all, two new composers added to our roster!

We’re very excited to be welcoming GEOFFREY KEEZER and VALERY PONOMAREV to the jazzleadsheets.com family. These two virtuosos represent all that is great about the jazz scene today — not only are they two of the most talented musicians on their respective instruments, but their compositions are out of this world. We’re starting off with one piece from each of their first solo releases.

Geoffrey Keezer’s first album as a leader was recorded when he was only 17 — a fact that is all the more incredible when you hear his complex, edgy, irresistible composition Babes In McCoyland. With elements of Latin, rock, and gospel all mixed together, this piece is nothing short of addictive.

Valery Ponomarev’s first solo release came a bit later in life, but his composition Take Care is equally impressive. It fits in perfectly with many of our hard-bop compositions even though it was recorded years later — that’s how much soul and style Valery has as both a composer and a player.

But the new releases from our other composers are just as enticing. If it’s a ballad you need, look no further than Myles. This sensitive, haunting composition by Billy Pierce is simply breath-taking. If it happens to make you tear up a bit on the first listen, you’re in good company.

It’s been a while since we’ve treated you with a composition from maestro Al Cohn, and there’s no better piece to come back with than Danielle . This versatile composition (recorded as a bossa, slow swing, or ballad) has a plaintive, nostalgic quality to it and a melody so lovely you’ll be humming it for days.

And singers: we’ve got a great pick for you, too! Over The Brink comes from Judy Niemack’s fantastic tutorial book, Hear It And Sing It: Exploring The Blues, but it’s a great chart in its own right. The instrumental composition, Push Come To Shove, is by Julian Priester, and Julian and Judy make quite a team. Over The Brink is a sultry, unusual, exciting blues (complete with a minus you audio track) that will push your ear and really work your chops.
New in March

We’re back with another batch of new releases! This week, we’re featuring the compositions of some of our favorite pianists of yesterday and today. From hard bop to modern jazz, these pieces are sure to inspire and excite you, no matter what instrument you play.

LOW TIDE by Elmo Hope: An unconventional swing with an easy melody but a surprising harmonic progression over eight bars. Available as a lead sheet, quintet edition, or solo piano arrangement.

STAIRWAY TO THE STEINWAY by Freddie Redd: Get ready for some fun on this whirlwind head — a little bit of this sunny, upbeat piece will be sure to take away any residual winter blues.

BEAUTY WITHIN by James Williams: Celebrate your own beauty within! This magnificent ballad has such unusual soloing changes that it’s bound to bring out the best in your improvisation. Available as a lead sheet or solo piano arrangement — plus an exclusive audio track featuring Kenny Drew Jr.!

SONG FROM WITHIN by Michael Cochrane: A lyrical, meditative ballad that will have you humming for days. Available as a lead sheet or solo piano arrangement.

Plus, a bonus! Sevens by Roland Alexander — as a lead sheet or a drum transcription of the incomparable Charli Persip!

We hope you love these charts as much as we do! Let us know how you like them by tweeting us — @jazzleadsheets.
Hank Mobley in February

We hear “Keep the Hank Mobley coming!” from jazzleadsheets customers. As we continue with our celebration of Blue Note Records 75th year, we find that February was a big month for Hank Mobley as a leader. We already have four titles available from Hank’s classic "Soul Station" album (recorded on February 7, 1960). Now we’ve added Third Time Around to the three already up from his February 5, 1965, “The Turnaround” session (also released on the “Straight No Filter” album and recorded again on the “A Caddy For Daddy” album). That composition was also recorded in December as a sextet, and both arrangements are available, plus drum transcriptions of Billy Higgins’ playing on both sessions.

In addition to the two compositions we already have up from Hank’s "Peckin’ Time" album (February 9, 1958), we’re adding Stretchin’ Out and Git-Go Blues.

There’s one more Hank Mobley February Blue Note leader session ("Third Season" - February 24, 1967) which has five more Mobley compositions. This was a septet session, with the melody sometimes moving from instrument to instrument. We’re putting out regular lead sheets, so anyone can play the whole melody. For now, we’ve selected Don’t Cry, Just Sigh and Boss Bossa from that session.

Here’s an alphabetical list of Hank’s compositions that were recorded in the month of February and that are on jazzleadsheets.com:
Boss Bossa (new!)
Dig Dis
Don’t Cry, Just Sigh (new!)
Git-Go Blues (new!)
High And Flighty
Pat ‘N Chat
Peckin’ Time
Soul Station
Split Feelin’s
Straight Ahead
Stretchin’ Out (new!)
Third Time Around (new!)
This I Dig Of You
The Turnaround

We have more proof that jazz is alive and well: check out 15-year-old drummer/leader Julius Rodriguez and his quintet as they perform the Bobby Timmons hit, A LITTLE BUSY. This group is all high school students! These remarkable young men are on a very important mission — they’ve been selected as finalists in the Next Generation High School Open Combo Division contest. If they win, they’ll play at the Monterey Jazz Festival, but they need help to get there. Hear them talk about the great opportunity that awaits them and the music that inspires them.
It's cold out there -- stay in and practice!

Hello again, jazz fans! It’s been colder than ever at our New York office, but that’s not slowing us down — in fact, we’re back with another update this week.

Our [minus-you] tracks for Brian Lynch’s Unsung Heroes project were such a hit that we thought we’d release some more! Musicians of any instrument can play along with a professional ensemble on our [minus you] series, with custom tracks for each instrument. This week, we’re releasing The Plain But The Simple Truth, a quirky and catchy Lucky Thompson blues. If you’re looking to kick back with a great recording, be sure to also check out our exclusive audio track of rising bass star Daryl Johns, recorded specially for jazzleadsheets.com.

This week, we’re celebrating the collaboration between Blue Note and legendary trumpeter Kenny Dorham with two K.D. releases: Philly Twist and K.D.’s Motion. Philly Twist, from the “Whistle Stop” album and written for Philly Joe Jones, is distinctive for the strong rhythmic drive in the head that’s propelled by the syncopated rhythm section hits. K.D.’s Motion, from the “Afro-Cuban” album, is a more laid-back take on the blues, but like Philly Twist, it shows what a genius Dorham was at writing unusual, intriguing rhythms for his melodies.

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up to your winter blues, try Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s My Delight. As the title suggests, this medium-up swing is sweet, happy, and thoroughly appealing. A contrasting Latin groove in the B section adds some intrigue to the head, making it an all-around winner.

Vocalists, check out Baby, I’m Coming Home, a charming blues with music and lyric by guitar master Chuck Wayne. If you’re looking for a piece with a classic sound but are sick of overdone standards, you’ll love this chart!

Finally, we have another transcription for our drummers — Billy Drummond on A Peck A Sec from trumpeter Jim Rotondi’s recording of the Hank Mobley classic. This chart shows Billy’s mastery of the straight-ahead tradition and his fantastic soloing as evidenced on the trading section. On this recording, Billy really locked in with bassist Dwayne Burno, who very tragically passed away in December. Listening to this recording again reminded us how talented and special Dwayne was. He is sorely missed by the jazz community.
Lots of news for the new year!

Have you noticed all the latest developments on jazzleadsheets.com? 2014 has barely begun, but it’s already proving to be a huge year for us! If you haven’t been on our site in a while, check it out — you’ll see some new categories, with even more exciting changes to come as the year goes on.

At the beginning of this month, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of Blue Note Records’ first session with the releases of Melancholy and Solitude, both from that historic January 6, 1939 date. But our celebration of the long partnership between our composers and Blue Note Records is far from complete! We’re introducing our Blue Note collection. Now you can easily find all of the compositions that have been featured on Blue Note releases throughout the years. But even more good news — we’ll be adding to this collection every month to celebrate more anniversaries throughout the year!

This release, we have several anniversaries to celebrate, which means of course another set of top quality lead sheets. January 19th saw the 46th anniversary of a great Hank Mobley session that culminated with the release of “Reach Out!” In honor of Hank (and all of his fans at jazzleadsheets.com), we’re commemorating this anniversary with Lookin’ East, a laid-back medium groove piece with a bit of Latin flavor. Second parts available.

The next day, January 20th, marked the 52nd anniversary of a lesser-known release: saxophonist Ike Quebec’s “Easy Living,” featuring Congo Lament by Bennie Green. This composition also has a Latin influence — maybe a touch more than Lookin’ East — and features a nice bluesy lick for the melody. Second parts available.

Just a few days later we celebrated the 64th anniversary of the recording of Kenny Drew’s Fuguetta (Jan. 23rd, 1950). Originally recorded by trumpeter Howard McGhee, Fuguetta is an unexpected combination of Baroque and bebop, which go together surprisingly well. Try it for yourself and see!

With all that celebrating, we thought we’d add a couple of ballads to cool us off. First, we’re introducing J.J. Johnson to the jazzleadsheets.com family with his classic ballad Enigma. Many musicians are familiar with the way Miles Davis recorded it, but only at jazzleadsheets.com can you find the original leadsheet, drawn from J.J.’s own manuscript and notated the way he first heard it. We’re very excited to offer this exclusive look inside such a tender, lyrical ballad.

Finally, a treat for vocalists and their accompanists: Rob Bargad’s Another World. This sensitive, dreamy 20-bar ballad comes complete with an accompaniment-only track so singers can practice along with a professional ensemble to back them up. After you hear Dena DeRose’s plaintive rendition of it, we’re sure you’ll want to try it yourself.
Introducing MINUS YOU: a brand new way to practice

It’s been busy here in our New York office — on Monday, January 6, we celebrated Blue Note’s 75th anniversary with two Meade Lux Lewis piano transcriptions (Melancholy / Solitude) which comprised BN-1, the actual first Blue Note release. On Wednesday, January 8, we celebrated the anniversary of the recording of Kenny Burrell’s classic Blue Note album Midnight Blue. Today we’re back with another round of great charts — and a new collaboration with a new series of audio editions!

In addition to making leadsheets and arrangements available, jazzleadsheets.com is starting a new series of instrumental audio play-a-long editions for every member of the recorded ensemble. We call it our [minus you] editions. We've long offered practice tracks of our Singer's Corner compositions so vocalists could sing with a professional ensemble, but with our [minus you] series, we're taking it to the next level. We're now offering tracks of the highest caliber musicians with options for each part removed -- so you can practice with professionals.

I’m starting this new series with the help on one of my old friends, fellow trumpet player, Brian Lynch. We’ve always had the common quest to pay tribute to very important trumpet player/composers who haven’t received their due. Several years ago Brian came up with his “Unsung Heroes Project” recording concept and came to us to get some music by three of their mutual heroes: Idrees Sulieman, Tommy Turrentine and Joe Gordon.

We’re starting this marriage of jazzleadsheets.com and Brian’s Hollistic Music with one composition each by these important trumpet/composer giants:
Big Red (Tommy Turrentine)
Terra Firma Irma (Joe Gordon)
Orange Blossoms (Idrees Sulieman)

Big Red was recorded as a quintet by Brian.
Terra Firma Irma was as a sextet by Brian, and also originally recorded by Joe Gordon as a quintet.
Orange Blossoms was recorded by Brian in a quartet context. Judy Niemack also wrote a lyric to this beautiful ballad, which required a new title for the lyric version: With You.

The written music is available in separate editions: go to each song page for a list of what is available.

Transcribed trumpet solos are also available for Terra Firma Irma (for Brian and Joe) and Big Red (Brian only).
Specific [minus you] editions are also available: you can substitute yourself for any instrument in the ensemble!

"Front line" is the term used to signify the melody player along with anyone else in "the front line" playing harmony parts, as in a quintet or sextet. Our [minus you] editions for front line players feature them as the only soloists; they play in the ensemble for the melodies.

Solos for front line players: On the original recordings there are often various soloists. On our [minus you] front line editions, you are the only soloist. Rhythm section players play with the whole original recorded track.
51 Years Ago Today: "Midnight Blue"

January 8, 1963: Kenny Burrell’s “Midnight Blue” album was recorded in Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs studio, featuring the title track which was an instant classic, Midnight Blue. Rudy says, “I built the studio for music like that, where people are comfortable playing and the music fits the space that they’re playing in.”
Happy 75th Birthday, Blue Note Records!

On January 6, 1939, Blue Note Records was born when Alfred Lion brought pianists Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis into the recording studio (probably WMGM Studio in NYC) and recorded 19 tracks. The first pressings on the Blue Note label became part of a 12” 78 rpm series. The very first pressing (BN-1) was Meade Lux Lewis’ solo performances of Melancholy on side 1A and Solitude on side 1B. On the 75th anniversary of these important recordings, jazzleadsheets.com is proud to make available piano transcription editions of these important Meade Lux Lewis works.

Of course, music recorded in 1939 sounds very different from the music of today. However, in 1939, these two much in demand young pianists (in their early 30s) surely felt they were recording cutting edge music for the new young record producer in town, 30-year-old Alfred Lion. This experience took over Alfred Lion’s life and became the foundation for one of the most significant jazz record companies ever.

Both of Meade Lux Lewis’ compositions explore the softer, slower side of boogie-woogie. The contrasts in textures, dynamics and techniques within each of these compositions is truly stunning, and we’ve captured it all here in our detailed piano transcriptions.

Albert Ammons’ Changes In Boogie Woogie from this same historic session is also on jazzleadsheets.com. It’s a seven-chorus solo piano blues journey through six keys.

1939 may have been 75 years ago, but with these transcriptions, you can relive history right at your own piano. So celebrate Blue Note’s 75th with us and check out these two historic compositions — we’re sure they won’t disappoint.

P.S.: For our New York City area friends, be sure to check out Blue Note’s own celebratory concert on Wednesday, January 8, at Town Hall, featuring two innovative contemporary pianists, Robert Glasper and Jason Moran. Tickets are available here.
end-of-2013 additions from jazzleadsheets.com

Here are our last additions to jazzleadsheets for 2013. We’re looking forward to adding many more, plus new features, in 2014. We can't wait to see you then! And we wish you a Happy New Year.

Freddie Redd’s sunny Latin So, Samba! celebrates its 25th recording anniversary. It’s a lot of fun with one melody instrument, and it was first recorded as a quintet arrangement so second parts are also available.

The beautiful ballad Dark Beauty by Kenny Drew, trio & quintet versions with second parts, plus Drew’s piano arrangement from his original manuscript.

Arioso, James Williams’ soaring melody, plus his solo piano arrangement recorded by Kenny Drew, Jr.

J.R. Monterose’s lilting Waltz For Claire, a quartet version.

New composer Grachan Moncur III debuts with Riff Raff, from Jackie McLean’s “Destination … Out!” Blue Note album, plus Grachan’s trombone solo.

A memorable & delightful vocal, All Because Of You, from new composer/pianist/organist/vocalist Rob Bargad.
The holidays are here at jazzleadsheets.com

The holidays are just around the corner, and it’s been getting snowy here in New York. We’re celebrating the season through great charts — check them out and join in our holiday revelry!

Kicking off our new additions is a swing/Latin hybrid by Elmo Hope - Abdullah. The minor melody is tuneful and memorable — it might just get stuck in your head. Since Elmo originally recorded this composition with his quintet, we have the original parts available to try out with your own quintet (alternate parts are also available). If you want to play it solo or try out your own arrangement, we offer a regular leadsheet as well. Either way, it’s a strong addition to any set.

On the slower side of Latin is Los Milagros Pequenos, a mysterious and alluring piece by Norman Simmons. The melody of this chart is slow and meditative; it floats over a repeating bass line that anchors the piece. Norman originally recorded this chart with his quintet, but also wrote a solo piano arrangement for it. The piano arrangement is a great choice for intermediate pianists looking to brush up on their Latin skills — it’s not simplified at all, but isn’t too tricky either. To go along with the piano arrangement, we have an exclusive audio track featuring Kenny Drew Jr. It’s a great example of how to play this beautiful composition.

If you’re looking for something with a bit more pep, look no further than Ray Bryant’s Bebop Irishman. This chart is as whimsical and fun as the name suggests — it has a jig-like pace with long bebop lines set over a simple folk-like chord progression. This is a good pick to feature the piano, since the long chromatic lines showcase pianistic dexterity. This is not to say that this piece is only for pianists. On a Buddy Rich recording, both flute and vibes are added to the melody, and George Shearing added guitar as well as vibes to the melody. We also have horn editions as well. For drummers, though, we have Evan Hughes’s transcription of Jo Jones’ playing. The transcription includes the drum introduction, time over the in head, trading fours with the piano, and the out chorus. The brushwork on this piece is so incredible that many drummers regard this recording as a sort of bible for brush playing. Now you don’t have to guess what Jo Jones was playing — you can try it all out yourself with this meticulously detailed transcription!

For singers, we’re releasing the vocal version of the Gigi Gryce jazz standard Social Call. Jon Hendricks’s clever lyric is the perfect foil for the unforgettable melody, making the vocal version a popular choice for decades of singers. Try this chart out for yourself and join the ranks of Ernestine Anderson, Betty Carter, Earl Coleman, Karrin Allyson, Diane Reeves and Cecile McLorin Salvant — all of whom have recorded this classic composition.

Finally, we have an exotic 7/4 blues from Julian Priester and Judy Niemack. Eros, Judy’s lyric version to Julian’s instrumental Blues for Eros, is a sexy musical retelling of the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche. Eros, the son of the goddess Aphrodite, seduced Psyche until she figured out his godly identity. He abandoned her, forcing Psyche to seek counsel from Aphrodite, who sent her on a difficult quest to win back her love. Judy draws out the theme of blind passion so strong it verges on desperation; this theme is amplified by the seductive melody by Julian and the driving odd-meter pulse of the bass.

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