Cecilia Coleman

• Nine new titles at jazzleadsheets.com

  Another week means one thing at jazzleadsheets.com: new music. This week, we're proud to introduce three important new composers: pianist Buddy Montgomery, alto saxophonist Jerry Dodgion and trumpeter Ryan Kisor. It's a massive update with nine new titles in all by a wide range of composers from Hank Mobley to Cecilia Coleman. Make sure to check out this week's videos -- this update has exclusives from jazzleadsheets.com that feature the composers themselves with rising young artists.

  Here are this week's new titles:

  HANK MOBLEY: Space Flight
  Classic early Mobley: burning fast rhythm changes. Full quintet arrangement available.

  SONNY CLARK: Dial S For Sonny
  12 bars of hard bop with a stop time head.

  BUDDY MONTOMGERY: Here Again
  A hard bop swinger.

  RYAN KISOR: Horror Show
  A challenging workout for any instrument.

  HAROLD LAND: Reflections
  Simple melody, challenging form. First, second and bass parts available.

  HAROLD LAND: As You Like It
  A twist on rhythm changes. First and second parts available.

  CECILIA COLEMAN: So You Say
  A modern take on "You Stepped Out Of A Dream." Lead sheets and piano-bass duo available.

  DONALD BROWN: Havana Days
  Modal, modern uptempo Latin. Solo piano arrangement available.

  JERRY DODGION: Holunderkuchen
  A minor blues that switches between 3/4 and 4/4.

  Looking for something more visual? Browse the album covers in the gallery on the Albums page! To get there, click "FEATURES" in the top navigation bar, then "Albums" in the drop-down menu.

• New! EASY PIANO for beginning jazz lovers!

  If you love jazz piano, but aren’t quite at the level of our solo transcriptions, we’re releasing arrangements of our classics to accommodate pianists of all ages and abilities! These arrangements aren’t watered-down—they stay true to the original melody and harmonies—but aren’t overly intimidating, either. They make a great introduction for new students, classical pianists, or even someone looking to just have fun playing music.

  Three arrangements by site founder/trumpeter/arranger Don Sickler
  FOCUS by James Williams

  SOCIAL CALL by Gigi Gryce

  UH HUH by Hank Mobley

  One arrangement by vocalist/pianist/composer Pamela Baskin-Watson
  JOY RIDE by Bobby Timmons

  Two arrangements by pianist/composer Cecilia Coleman
  PECKIN’ TIME by Hank Mobley

  BOOTIN’ IT by Sonny Clark

  And some play-along tutorials featuring BOOTIN’ IT on our YouTube channel:
  BOOTIN' IT slowed down to practice
  

  BOOTIN' IT at full speed
  

  Check out our PIANO CORNER where all the above plus more can be found under EASY PIANO ARRANGEMENTS.

• October 15, 2011 ballads and more

  I’m a sucker for a great ballad, and this time three out of the five new compositions on jazzleadsheets are exactly that, ballads. They’re written by three great pianists, from three different generations, who are all known for their sensitivity as artists. It’s not surprising that the music is wonderful. I encourage everyone to check out our audio excerpts.

  Because the excerpts start at the beginning of the melodies, you don’t get an indication of the form of the compositions. Renaissance Lovers by James Williams is a beautiful continuously developing 12-measure melody. Richard Wyands’ Willow Tree spins out over 24 measures (ABA form), as does Cecilia Coleman’s 32-measure (AABA) Posie.

  If you listen to the intro of the recording of Charles Fambrough’s Alycia, where pianist Kenny Kirkland plays the C section of the AABC melody in a rubato ballad style, you could easily think that it’s also going to be a ballad, but Charles conceived it as a bossa. Of course, it could be performed as a ballad, as well.

  Our last composition this time is Ray Bryant’s Pawn Ticket, which is definitely not a ballad. It’s full of Ray’s wit and energy and will definitely put a smile on your face.

  --Don Sickler

• Five new composers May 28, 2011

  As I’m sure you’ve been able to see, we publish for a lot of great composers. This week we’re adding five new ones to jazzleadsheets.com. Except for Eddie Costa, who died five years before I got to New York, I’ve had the honor of knowing them personally.

  Of these additions, guitarist Chuck Wayne was the first on the jazz scene. He emerged in the early 1940s and contributed greatly to the new music that was being called bebop. His composition Slightly Dizzy will bring you right back to the energy of the bebop era. It illustrates a favorite device of composers and improvisers, borrowing and enhancing the chord changes of an American standard: this time, How High The Moon.

  Pianist Norman Simmons arrived on the recording scene in the early 1950s. Early on, he wrote a hit for prominent Chicago tenor saxophonist Paul Bascomb. This helped ensure a steady gig for his trio at important Chicago clubs that brought in guest artists, which in turn provided Norman the opportunity to accompany Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Wardell Grey and many more of the jazz greats. Norman has written many wonderful compositions that we’ll be exploring in the months to come. I decided to start your introduction to him with Stiffed, Norman’s clever composition based on the changes of Just Friends.

  Eddie Costa (piano and vibes) also emerged in the 1950s. He was the Down Beat Critics poll winner on both instruments in 1957. Unfortunately, he was killed in a car accident at thirty-one years of age, and he hadn’t spent much time writing his own original compositions. He did write a few, however, and we’ll be exploring them in the months to come. For now, enjoy his Blues Plus Eight.

  I miss bassist/composer Charles Fambrough, who died this past January, 2011. Charles had a long bout battling kidney failure. He loved music, and we always had beautiful conversations about music and musicians. Charles was still in his twenties when he wrote and recorded One For Honor with McCoy Tyner. He was not only one of the foremost bassists of his generation, but also a marvelous composer.

  Cecilia Coleman is the youngest of our five new composers, but she’s been on the NYC scene now for over a decade. She is originally from California, where she did some recording and composing before coming to New York. She’s a marvelous pianist/composer with a broad composing palette. If her name already looks familiar to you at jazzleadsheets.com, it’s because she’s the pianist on many of the tracks we’ve recorded for jazzleadsheets.com. Her own first composition to be posted is an interesting 3/4 adventure called Pearl.

  --Don Sickler

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