Carvin' The Rock – Elmo Hope

"New Faces, New Sounds, Vol.1" was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's legendary Hackensack Studio.

This album, the Lou Donaldson 10 inch Blue Note release, was the original release and contained only the master take track.

"The Rock" was what musicians, and others, called Riker's Island, one of New York City's large jail facilities. Drug problems caused quite a few musicians to be detained at "The Rock." The only time Sonny Rollins recalls being detained at Riker's with Elmo was for a portion of 1950, so, if pressed, he feels Carvin' The Rock was written at that time. This would therefore be three years before the recording. There seems to be no word from Elmo as to when this composition was written.

We are fortunate in that the audio for all three recorded takes is available, so you can examine the variations the musicians made from take to take. Clifford Brown's solo from each take is also available separately. Comparing solos from different takes of the same song can give you further valuable insights into the soloist.

For more details about Elmo Hope's recordings, check out the Elmo Hope Discography on Noal Cohen's Jazz History website.

Transcribed Trumpet Solos: The three Clifford Brown solos are available separately. Comparing solos from different takes of the same song can give you further insights into the soloist. For example, our audio teaser compares how Clifford starts each of his solos trumpet. For our excerpt, the start of each solo chorus is heard in the order they were originally recorded: alternate take 1 / master take / alternate take 2. You will immediately hear that Clifford had a way he wanted to start his solo. First (alt 1) he tried his opening phrase pattern in the lower octave. On the second take (which became the master take) he started with the same first-measure-notes up an octave, and then immediately went a different direction. At the end of the whole recording session, they decided they wanted to try one more take, which is now alternate take 2. That time, Clifford essentially played the first two measures the same as he did on the master take, with only a couple of minor alterations you'll see when you compare these two transcriptions. Then he headed off in a totally new direction.

The CLIFFORD BROWN MEMORIAL ALBUM contains all the solos takes recorded.

"The Rock" was what musicians, and others, called Riker's Island, one of New York City's large jail facilities. Drug problems caused quite a few musicians to be detained at "The Rock." The only time Sonny Rollins recalls being detained at Riker's with Elmo was for a portion of 1950, so, if pressed, he feels Carvin' The Rock was written at that time. This would therefore be three years before the recording. There seems to be no word from Elmo as to when this composition was written.

We are fortunate in that the audio for all three recorded takes is available, so you can examine the variations the musicians made from take to take. Clifford Brown's solo from each take is also available separately. Comparing solos from different takes of the same song can give you further valuable insights into the soloist.

For more details about Elmo Hope's recordings, check out the Elmo Hope Discography on Noal Cohen's Jazz History website.

Transcribed Trumpet Solos: The three Clifford Brown solos are available separately. Comparing solos from different takes of the same song can give you further insights into the soloist. Our audio teaser compares how Clifford starts each of his solos. For our excerpt, the start of each solo chorus is heard in the order they were originally recorded: alternate take 1 / master take / alternate take 2 clip.

You'll immediately hear that Clifford had a way he wanted to start his solo. First (alt 1) he tried his opening phrase pattern in the lower octave. On the second take (which became the master take) he started with the same first-measure-notes up an octave, and then immediately went a different direction. At the end of the whole recording session, they decided they wanted to try one more take, which is now alternate take 2. That time, Clifford essentially played the first two measures the same as he did on the master take, with only a couple of minor alterations you'll see when you compare these two transcriptions. Then he headed off in a totally new direction.

"Hope Is In The Air" was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.

The New Stories trio, a Seattle-based group, took a few weeks off their regular lives to work on Second Floor Music/jazzleadsheets.com music at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, studio. They had immersed themselves in Elmo Hope music in preparation, and when they met saxophonist Bobby Porcelli in the studio, magic happened.

The magic continued after the musicians went home and we discovered the tracks were suitable for Minus You tracks. Click the Minus You tab for details.

Exclusive Minus You audio tracks
Separate melody and rhythm section parts are available under LEADSHEETS. Any melody part can be used with any minus melody track as well as the trio (bass & drums only) tracks. The Piano part is for any harmonic instrument (Piano, Guitar, Vibes, etc.) and can also be used with either the MP3 minus piano track or the trio (bass & drums only) tracks.
CLIP Format of the full track:
-- melody
-- sax solo 2 choruses
-- piano solo 2 choruses
-- 8s (alto - drums) 1 chorus
-- out melody (piano solos on B)
Because the form is divided into 16-, 8-, and 12-measure sections, in the chorus of trading 8s the last drum solo section is 12 measures long.

mp3  minus melody
-- count off sets up the melody
-- play the melody
-- solo
     performance edition: 2 choruses
     practice edition: 4 choruses: 2 with full rhythm section, 2 with Bass and Drums
-- trade 8s with drums 1 chorus
-- play the out melody (tacet at B)

mp3 minus Piano The Piano part can also be used with the MP3 trio (bass & drums only) tracks.
-- count off sets up the melody
-- comp/play figures for the melody
-- comp for the alto solo 2 choruses
-- solo 2 choruses
-- comp for alto/drums trading 8s 1 chorus
-- comp/play figures for the out melody (solo at B)

mp3  minus Bass
-- count off sets up the melody
-- walk/play figures for the melody
-- walk for the alto and piano solos (2 choruses each)
-- walk for alto/drums trading 8s 1 chorus
-- walk/play figures for the out melody

mp3  minus Drums - sticks throughout (snaps added on trading)
-- count off sets up the melody
-- comp/play figures for the melody
-- comp for the alto and piano solos (2 choruses each)
-- trade 8s with alto (alto first) 1 chorus clip
-- comp/play figures for the out melody

mp3B ass & Drums only - to feature piano, guitar, vibes, or any melodic instrument that likes to play without harmonic accompaniment
-- count off sets up the melody
-- play the melody
-- solo
     performance edition: 2 choruses
     practice edition: 4 choruses
-- trade 8s with drums 1 chorus
-- play the out melody

Check out the rest of Elmo's songs on this session: Freffie, Happy Hour, Hot Sauce, Mo Is On, and Stars Over Marrakesh.

This Elmo Hope session was only the fourth Blue Note session recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's home studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. "New Faces - New Sounds" was Blue Note's name for sessions by up-and-coming musicians in the early to mid-'50s, including the first three that Rudy recorded before this one: two by saxophonist Gil Melle, who introduced Rudy to producer Alfred Lion, and one by pianist Kenny Drew.

A piano melody part is available showing how Elmo played the melody on this recording. Notable left-hand punctuations are shown below the staff, either as single notes (written one or two octaves higher with 8vb and 15vb) or hits for left-hand chords. Two-note right-hand voicings are also shown, which add a further set of punctuations for one or two melody notes at a time. Bassist Percy Heath solos on the bridge of the last chorus, and Elmo's complete comping voicings for this bridge are shown condensed onto single staves.

Our bass part is similar to the piano part in that it shows the piano melody. In addition it includes the bass rhythms in measures 5 through 8 of the A section (and the first four measures of C which are the same). Percy Heath walks on only the roots in the second half of the A section, which is also indicated on the part. Rhythms are shown under the staff for Elmo's comping on Percy's solo bridge.

There are several places where Elmo anticipates chords while Percy is still walking; the chord symbols on the bass part are shown right on the beat while they are anticipated in the piano part.

For more from "Estate", check out Grant Stewart's original songs 3 For Carson and Systems, both of which also feature saxophonist Eric Alexander. Joe Cohn has played on two other Grant Stewart albums so far: "+4" (2004) and "Recado Bossa Nova" (2008).

Grant has also recorded Elmo Hope's Roll On as the title track of a 2016 trio album on Cellar Live featuring the Stewart brothers (Grant and Phil) with bassist Paul Sikivie.

Just over a year before the recording of "Estate," Joe Cohn recorded on saxophonist Grant Stewart's album "+4." At this point in his career, Cohn had also developed a strong rapport with bassist Joel Forbes, with whom he had played on numerous sessions, as part of the Harry Allen quartet.

clip On this fast-paced Elmo Hope swinger, Joe Cohn unleashes six-stringed fury. Featuring both long, winding bebop-inflected lines as well as bursts of lyricism, Cohn demonstrates his range as an improviser. Our transcription features the minute details in Cohn's slurs and articulations in order to accurately reflect his phrasing.

This solo is best suited for advanced guitarists looking for a technique workout.

While Joe Cohn takes an obviously virtuostic and engaging solo (which we discuss in the Solo Notes), much attention should also be given to his expert phrasing of Hope and Rollins' percussive and intricate melody alongside Grant Stewart. Playing the harmony part beneath Stewart's husky tenor sound, Cohn comfortably matches Stewart's articulations while also blending his guitar tone to create a powerful frontline sound.

In all, Cohn's performance on Carvin' The Rock is a great study in rhythmic phrasing and articulation for intermediate and advanced guitarists.