Booker Little

  • New standards to play all summer

    Summer is heating up -- and with new lead sheets and arrangements, things are hotter than ever at jazzleadsheets.com. This week, we're welcoming new composer Sara Cassey, whose beautiful pieces are a favorite of those in the know. Be sure to check out our Recording Anniversaries video to hear the great music we're celebrating every day this week. And if you're looking for a piece to play with your quintet or sextet, check out our Quintet/Sextet list, which you can navigate to by clicking FEATURES then "Quintet/Sextet."

    JAMES WILLIAMS: Alter Ego
    A subtle, classic bossa nova

    SARA CASSEY: Windflower
    A subdued & meditative minor blues variation. Full arrangement available.

    BOOKER LITTLE: Bee Vamp
    A vamp-based uptempo swing. Full arrangement available.

    BOOKER LITTLE: Aggression
    Open-ended and forward-thinking.

    KENNY DREW: Callin'
    A hard bop swinger with a short form.

    Plus, celebrate Philly Joe Jones with a special treat! When you visit his composer page, you can hear a clip of Philly Joe telling his favorite joke.

  • new to jazzleadsheets.com December 5, 2011

    In addition to four new lead sheets (including a melody transcription) and a transcribed solo, jazzleadsheets.com introduces our new Drum Corner with an in-depth look at the artistry of master drummer Philly Joe Jones.
    Drum Transcription: Philly Joe Jones’s performance on No Room For Squares (the master take).
    Of course, drum solos are important to drummers, but equally important (if not more important) is how a master drummer accompanies the ensemble. Therefore, our transcription starts with Philly Joe’s great hi-hat work on the intro under the horn line, followed by his intricate interplay during the opening melody. Everything Philly Joe plays during his delicious exchanges of “fours” with Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan is also transcribed. Joe’s interplay during the out melody and coda ends the transcription.
    Also, unique to our drum transcriptions, the melody sections are shown above the drum staff (in concert key). Now you can see exactly how the drummer is reacting to the horns!
    The transcription was done by drummer Evan Hughes, a new member of my staff.
    Please visit our Drum Corner and tell your drummer friends it, and also about Evan Hughes’ jazz drummer blog at JazzDrumCorner.com. It’s a great resource for anyone interested in jazz drumming.

    Blue Bossa - Kenny Dorham
    jazzleadsheets.com gave me the opportunity to create a new edition of this important Kenny Dorham “jazz standard.” I’m sure practically every musician has at least heard “Blue Bossa,” if not played it. But have you really checked out the first recording of it? Are you aware that K.D.’s melody was created around a bass line that was equally important to Kenny? Now, in our C edition, you’ll see the melody with the bass line added under it on a separate staff for both the head and K.D.’s shout chorus.

    It’s No Time To Be Blue - Kenny Dorham, Kenny Burrell and Larry Jackstien
    When Kenny Burrell called and told me he wanted to write a lyric to his good friend Kenny Dorham’s composition, Blue Bossa, I knew his lyric would fit K.D.’s melody perfectly. Kenny Burrell sang this lyric on his 2003 CD “Blue Muse” on the Concord label.

    Minor Ballade - Don Friedman
    This is a beautiful modulating ballad by Don Friedman, described more fully in our notes. I feel it’s important to be able to examine in detail an artist/composer’s interpretation of his melody, so I’ve also transcribed his performance of the opening melody.

    Minor Mode - Booker Little (plus Booker’s trumpet solo)
    This is Booker Little’s first recorded composition. His recording career started only a month earlier. Although Booker only lived to be 23 years of age, fortunately he left us with quite a few recorded compositions and solos to study. He was one of the great jazz trumpet players and a mature composer at an early age.

    --Don Sickler

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