Blues For The High Brow – Al Cohn
This laid-back, slow blues combines a classic “cool” sound with subtly intricate, bebop-style changes. Full Score and parts are available for the original septet arrangement; also lead sheets.
- Recording: Al Cohn - The Sax Section
- Recorded on: June 28, 1956
- Label: Epic (LN 3278)
- Concert Key: B-flat
- Vocal Range: , to
- Style: Swing (slow)
- Tenor Sax - Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Eddie Wasserman
- Bari Sax - Sol Schlinger
- Piano - Hank Jones
- Bass - Milt Hinton
- Drums - Don Lamond
Video
- Description
- Historical Notes
- Solos
- Piano Corner
- Bass Corner
- Drum Corner
- Guitar Corner
- Inside & Beyond
- Minus You
A slow blues with a “bop to cool” sound. The smooth melody and laid-back tempo conceal an intricate, “highbrow” chord progression in a classic bebop style. Though recognizably a blues, there are plenty of chromatic approaches and other passing chords added to the basic blues changes; these would be quite challenging at a faster tempo.
Our lead sheet shows the melody and solo changes, which are slightly different from the head changes. Also included is the coda, which tags the “turnaround” over a pedal point and adds six more measures to the out head.
About the arrangement: Full score and parts are available as recorded. In this arrangement, Al Cohn really showcases the lush low-register harmonies of the four-horn lineup—three tenor saxes and baritone sax. The head starts with only horns and drums, with the bass coming in for a pickup to the fifth measure. Tenor 1 (Al Cohn on the recording) has the first solo chorus, starting with stop-time breaks. The next chorus begins with an arranged stop-time “send-off” going into the tenor 2 solo (Zoot Sims). For both of these choruses, horn backgrounds continue after the stop-time. Pianist Hank Jones plays the third solo, without backgrounds; our score and parts indicate that this last chorus can be opened up for more solos.
The head has no piano comping until the last two measures; in the lead sheet, the chord symbols on the head come from the four-horn harmonies. Our piano part shows the bass line of the head as a cue.
Our lead sheet shows the melody and solo changes, which are slightly different from the head changes. Also included is the coda, which tags the “turnaround” over a pedal point and adds six more measures to the out head.
About the arrangement: Full score and parts are available as recorded. In this arrangement, Al Cohn really showcases the lush low-register harmonies of the four-horn lineup—three tenor saxes and baritone sax. The head starts with only horns and drums, with the bass coming in for a pickup to the fifth measure. Tenor 1 (Al Cohn on the recording) has the first solo chorus, starting with stop-time breaks. The next chorus begins with an arranged stop-time “send-off” going into the tenor 2 solo (Zoot Sims). For both of these choruses, horn backgrounds continue after the stop-time. Pianist Hank Jones plays the third solo, without backgrounds; our score and parts indicate that this last chorus can be opened up for more solos.
The head has no piano comping until the last two measures; in the lead sheet, the chord symbols on the head come from the four-horn harmonies. Our piano part shows the bass line of the head as a cue.
For another from this session check out The Mellow Side, now also available with Full Score and parts as recorded. The lineup of three tenor saxes and baritone sax is often known as the Four Brothers sound, after a Jimmy Giuffre song written to feature the sax section of Woody Herman’s big band, which had this instrumentation. Zoot Sims also played on the original recording of Four Brothers in 1947; though Al Cohn was arranging for Herman’s band at the time, he wouldn’t join as a player until early the following year.
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- Recording: Dave Frishberg - Let's Eat Home
- Recorded on: August, 1989
- Label: Concord Jazz (CCD 4402)
- Concert Key: B-flat
- Vocal Range: , to
- Style: Swing (medium slow)
- Trumpet - Snooky Young
- Valve Trombone - Rob McConnell
- Piano - Dave Frishberg
- Bass - Jim Hughart
- Drums - Jeff Hamilton
Video
- Description
- Historical Notes
- Solos
- Piano Corner
- Bass Corner
- Drum Corner
- Guitar Corner
- Inside & Beyond
- Minus You
This rather faster, shuffling version of Blues For The High Brow is part of a medley of five Al Cohn compositions. Though rearranged for a two-horn lineup, the harmonic details are essentially the same as the original; the rhythm in the fifth and sixth measures is the only major difference. Dave Frishberg’s medley includes only one chorus, with a pedal-point tag ending, before going into the next song.
In the five-song Al Cohn medley on “Let’s Eat Home”, Blues For The High Brow is directly preceded by Al's Tasty Pudding. Check out the latter song for our Condensed Score based on this recording.
Related Songs
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Al Cohn
November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988
Al Cohn, born in Brooklyn, NY, went on to become not only a brilliant jazz tenor saxophonist, but an arranger, leader and sideman par excellence. From the "Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection," East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania website: "His career in jazz spanned more than 45 years. He performed with the bands of Henry Jerome, Joe Marsala, Georgie Auld, Alvino Rey, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw, Elliot Lawrence and others. Many of the arrangements used by these bands were written by Al, and he also arranged for Gerry Mulligan, Quincy Jones, Terry Gibbs and Jimmy Rushing. Read more...
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