September 25, 2020, was the release date of Charles McPherson’s ambitious new album, “Jazz Dance Suites.” Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in December 2019, this album is dedicated to his daughter Camille McPherson, who is a dancer with the San Diego Ballet. Charles has written three suites for the San Diego Ballet, and this album contains two of them and an excerpt of the third. One title from the album is now available on jazzleadsheets.com. The Gospel Truth is the final movement of Charles’ most recent suite, “Song Of Songs.” It’s a joyous, gospel-infused song with swinging rhythm section figures throughout the head. In composing for dance, Charles has put special emphasis on articulation and phrasing, with detailed parts for the rhythm section. More movements from “Jazz Dance Suites” are coming to jazzleadsheets.com very soon, so stay tuned!
Charles McPherson
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Jack Montrose and more
Two compositions by Jack Montrose are now available on jazzleadsheets.com. A tenor saxophonist of the West Coast cool school, Montrose is best known for his arrangements for Clifford Brown’s classic 1954 Pacific Jazz sessions. Our two Montrose songs, Quiet Knowing and Long Story Short, come from a big band album; however, they definitely work in a small group setting as well.
Also now available are five piano transcriptions of Meade Lux Lewis. The Blues, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are solo improvisations which were recorded at the very first Blue Note session in 1939. Our detailed transcriptions are by Shaye Cohn, who is guitarist Joe Cohn’s daughter and saxophonist Al Cohn’s granddaughter.
Another, very different slow blues piano solo transcription is now available: Larry Young’s Larry’s Blues. This is the only recording of Larry on piano in a trio setting; our transcription has detailed dynamics and articulations for an in-depth look at his unique style. Larry’s Luny Tune, from Grant Green’s “Talkin’ About” album, is also now available.
We also have yet another slow blues now up, again very different: Jonny King’s Blues For Andrew Hill. Besides lead sheets, we have a solo piano arrangement which Jonny plays on the recording, a duo setting with Steve Wilson on alto sax.
Finally, we’re continuing to add Charles McPherson compositions. Promise is a medium-up modal song from his 1977 album “New Horizons," and Dee Blues, although not a blues, is a bluesy riff in D from the same album.
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