Down Home – Curtis Fuller
A simple, gospel-infused medium swinger that really grooves! Lead sheets as well as recorded Quintet and Sextet arrangements are available plus a transcription of pianist Richard Wyands' melody interpretation (melody transcription) from Roy Haynes' trio recording.
- Recording: Curtis Fuller - Sliding Easy
- Recorded on: March 9, 1959
- Label: United Artists (UAL 4041)
- Concert Key: G
- Style: Swing (medium up)
- Trumpet - Lee Morgan
- Tenor Sax - Hank Mobley
- Trombone - Curtis Fuller
- Piano - Tommy Flanagan
- Bass - Paul Chambers
- Drums - Elvin Jones
Aptly titled, Down Home is a 16-measure song with the same swinging gospel-jazz vocabulary as Horace Silver's classic The Preacher. The dotted eighth notes alternating with sixteenth notes, such as on the fourth beat of the first measure of A, are in fact more exaggerated, broader swing eighth notes.
This was the first recording of Down Home, and our audio clip starts with Curtis playing his melody. You can immediately hear this is a great head that can be played in any quartet context, with only one melody instrument. It also works great in just a trio format: check out Richard Wyands with Roy Haynes trio recording (click on the album cover). Our lead sheet editions also contain Curtis's sixteen-measure interlude solo section which Curtis likes to use as the first sixteen measures for each soloist. You'll see that the interlude gives the soloist a lift, starting on the IV chord instead of the I chord. Here's how the interlude is set up coming out of the melody [clip].
Unfortunately, this album doesn't seem to be available on Amazon or iTunes.
This was the first recording of Down Home, and our audio clip starts with Curtis playing his melody. You can immediately hear this is a great head that can be played in any quartet context, with only one melody instrument. It also works great in just a trio format: check out Richard Wyands with Roy Haynes trio recording (click on the album cover). Our lead sheet editions also contain Curtis's sixteen-measure interlude solo section which Curtis likes to use as the first sixteen measures for each soloist. You'll see that the interlude gives the soloist a lift, starting on the IV chord instead of the I chord. Here's how the interlude is set up coming out of the melody [clip].
Unfortunately, this album doesn't seem to be available on Amazon or iTunes.
Like Benny Golson's sextet arrangement of Bit Of Heaven, Gigi Gryce's arrangement is a lot of fun, with plenty of interplay between the three horns. There is a background to Curtis' solo, which Gigi adapted as a shout chorus for his own recording (see "Saying Somethinn'!" album cover above).
Note from Don Sickler:
Many years after this arrangement was recorded, when I was playing with Curtis' sextet (with the same instrumentation), and later with Curtis Fuller's Brasstet, which was also a sextet but featuring brass only, Curtis asked me to make a simpler arrangement for the head, something everyone could easily memorize. He asked me to keep his pedal idea for the intro (which is also what Gigi used in his arrangement). My arrangement is what was recorded on Curtis' 2011 "Down Home" album, and we're making that sextet arrangement available. We're also making Gigi Gryce's quintet arrangement available from the "Saying Somethin'!" album, which doesn't have the interlude section.
Note from Don Sickler:
Many years after this arrangement was recorded, when I was playing with Curtis' sextet (with the same instrumentation), and later with Curtis Fuller's Brasstet, which was also a sextet but featuring brass only, Curtis asked me to make a simpler arrangement for the head, something everyone could easily memorize. He asked me to keep his pedal idea for the intro (which is also what Gigi used in his arrangement). My arrangement is what was recorded on Curtis' 2011 "Down Home" album, and we're making that sextet arrangement available. We're also making Gigi Gryce's quintet arrangement available from the "Saying Somethin'!" album, which doesn't have the interlude section.
- Recording: Gigi Gryce - Saying Somethin'!
- Recorded on: March 11, 1960
- Label: New Jazz (NJ 8230)
- Concert Key: F
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Trumpet - Richard Williams
- Alto Sax - Gigi Gryce
- Piano - Richard Wyands
- Bass - Reggie Workman
- Drums - Mickey Roker
Aptly titled, Down Home is a 16-measure song with the same swinging gospel-jazz vocabulary as Horace Silver's classic The Preacher. The dotted eighth notes alternating with sixteenth notes, such as on the fourth beat of the first measure of A, are in fact more exaggerated, broader swing eighth notes.
The last two measures of the head are slightly different in the three versions available here. In Gigi Gryce's arrangement, there is a "walk down" both times through the head, with the bass descending (measure 7 of the B section) in quarter notes F, E♭, D, D♭ with C on the next measure. The piano voicings (horn voicings as well the second time through) start with A, C, E♭ (F7) and go down chromatically.
Gigi's quintet arrangement has an important piano part, with a riff similar to that played by Horace Silver on The Preacher. There is a rhythm section intro, with the piano soloing and setting up the horn melody. The horns start out in octaves, with some parts harmonized; in the second time through the head the alto sax joins the piano riff for a few measures. The trumpet part is almost the same in the two repeats of the head, but the second time there are some added grace notes. There is a "shout" chorus after the solos, also based on the piano riff; it is actually softer and more relaxed than the head. The coda is a classic IV-I "Amen!" cadence.
Besides a 1st part for trumpet and a 2nd part for alto sax as recorded, E♭ 1st and B♭ 2nd parts (alto sax and tenor sax) are available. There is a separate piano part as noted above; bassists and drummers should use the Concert Condensed Score.
The last two measures of the head are slightly different in the three versions available here. In Gigi Gryce's arrangement, there is a "walk down" both times through the head, with the bass descending (measure 7 of the B section) in quarter notes F, E♭, D, D♭ with C on the next measure. The piano voicings (horn voicings as well the second time through) start with A, C, E♭ (F7) and go down chromatically.
Gigi's quintet arrangement has an important piano part, with a riff similar to that played by Horace Silver on The Preacher. There is a rhythm section intro, with the piano soloing and setting up the horn melody. The horns start out in octaves, with some parts harmonized; in the second time through the head the alto sax joins the piano riff for a few measures. The trumpet part is almost the same in the two repeats of the head, but the second time there are some added grace notes. There is a "shout" chorus after the solos, also based on the piano riff; it is actually softer and more relaxed than the head. The coda is a classic IV-I "Amen!" cadence.
Besides a 1st part for trumpet and a 2nd part for alto sax as recorded, E♭ 1st and B♭ 2nd parts (alto sax and tenor sax) are available. There is a separate piano part as noted above; bassists and drummers should use the Concert Condensed Score.
"Saying Somethin'" was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.
This is the second recording of Down Home. Curtis originally recorded it a year and two days earlier, on his United Artists album "Sliding Easy" (click the first album cover above for details). This version features a sextet arrangement, also by Gigi Gryce, and one of the hardest hard bop lineups of all time: Lee Morgan, Fuller, Hank Mobley, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Elvin Jones. (To hear more from this all-star session, check out Bit of Heaven.)
As Gryce adapted the song from Fuller, pianist Richard Wyands adapted it further from Gryce in his "Just Us" recording with Roy Haynes. "Sayin' Something" was the first of four studio albums of Gryce's that feature Wyands, all from 1960.
This is the second recording of Down Home. Curtis originally recorded it a year and two days earlier, on his United Artists album "Sliding Easy" (click the first album cover above for details). This version features a sextet arrangement, also by Gigi Gryce, and one of the hardest hard bop lineups of all time: Lee Morgan, Fuller, Hank Mobley, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Elvin Jones. (To hear more from this all-star session, check out Bit of Heaven.)
As Gryce adapted the song from Fuller, pianist Richard Wyands adapted it further from Gryce in his "Just Us" recording with Roy Haynes. "Sayin' Something" was the first of four studio albums of Gryce's that feature Wyands, all from 1960.
- Recording: Roy Haynes - Just Us
- Recorded on: July 5, 1960
- Label: New Jazz (NJLP 8245)
- Concert Key: F
- Style: Swing (medium up)
- Piano - Richard Wyands
- Bass - Eddie de Haas
- Drums - Roy Haynes
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This trio version is based on Gryce's quintet arrangement. There is no intro, just a measure of drum fill before the pickup. The last two measures of the head again have a "walk down" both times, with the same piano voicings, but here the bass starts descending on the second beat: F on beat 1 and A, A♭, G leading back to F.
Richard's variation of the shout chorus (see the Concert Condensed Score from the quintet arrangement) is played both before and after the drum solo; the coda is also the same as Gryce's quintet arrangement. Pianists can use our basic C lead sheet for their own trio treatment, with or without the shout chorus from Gigi's quintet arrangement. Richard Wyands is the pianist on both of these recordings, and we're also making a transcription of his interpretation of the in head available; see the Piano Corner tab for information about his style.
Richard's variation of the shout chorus (see the Concert Condensed Score from the quintet arrangement) is played both before and after the drum solo; the coda is also the same as Gryce's quintet arrangement. Pianists can use our basic C lead sheet for their own trio treatment, with or without the shout chorus from Gigi's quintet arrangement. Richard Wyands is the pianist on both of these recordings, and we're also making a transcription of his interpretation of the in head available; see the Piano Corner tab for information about his style.
"Just Us" was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.
This song was titled Down Home Blues on the original album. Pianist Richard Wyands had recorded with Roy Haynes three times before this, on albums by Cal Tjader, Oliver Nelson and Etta Jones. Also in the early '60s, they recorded together again with Nelson and Jones as well as with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.
Dutch bassist Eddie De Haas had played with several American musicians visiting Europe in the early '50s, including Chet Baker and Zoot Sims, before coming to New York in the late '50s. "Just Us" was Eddie's only album with Haynes or Wyands; he later settled in Chicago in the '70s.
This song was titled Down Home Blues on the original album. Pianist Richard Wyands had recorded with Roy Haynes three times before this, on albums by Cal Tjader, Oliver Nelson and Etta Jones. Also in the early '60s, they recorded together again with Nelson and Jones as well as with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.
Dutch bassist Eddie De Haas had played with several American musicians visiting Europe in the early '50s, including Chet Baker and Zoot Sims, before coming to New York in the late '50s. "Just Us" was Eddie's only album with Haynes or Wyands; he later settled in Chicago in the '70s.
Piano Melody Transcription In addition to being a composer, Richard Wyands is a marvelous pianist, known for always being able to adapt to the style of the composition or arrangement.
He interprets this melody in a distinctive way. Specifically, his articulation is bouncy; this is indicated in the transcription by staccato triplet quarter notes alternated with triplet eighth notes (versus the broader dotted-eighth/sixteenth notation in the other lead sheets). Wyands anticipates a lot of the chords on the upbeats in the left hand; these chords are staccato 8th notes and are often just the root and 3rd or 7th. He plays the first phrase of the melody with two-handed voicings, but anticipates the bottom note of the chord for the second, third and fourth notes. clip
He interprets this melody in a distinctive way. Specifically, his articulation is bouncy; this is indicated in the transcription by staccato triplet quarter notes alternated with triplet eighth notes (versus the broader dotted-eighth/sixteenth notation in the other lead sheets). Wyands anticipates a lot of the chords on the upbeats in the left hand; these chords are staccato 8th notes and are often just the root and 3rd or 7th. He plays the first phrase of the melody with two-handed voicings, but anticipates the bottom note of the chord for the second, third and fourth notes. clip
- Recording: Curtis Fuller - Down Home
- Recorded on: May 24, 2011
- Label: Capri (74116-2)
- Concert Key: F
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Trumpet - Al Hood
- Trombone - Curtis Fuller
- Tenor Sax - Keith Oxman
- Piano - Chip Stephens
- Bass - Ken Walker
- Drums - Todd Reid
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This sextet arrangement by jazzleadsheets.com's Don Sickler is based on Gigi Gryce's arrangement from Curtis' 1959 album "Sliding Easy". Like that version, there is an arranged intro, voiced in fourths, over an F pedal point. The melody is harmonized throughout. The last two measures of the head, as in Gigi's sextet version, differ between the first and second times. The first time is a "walk-up" starting on the third beat: G minor to G♯ diminished to F over A anticipating the last measure. The second time, however, is a chromatic "walk down" all in dominant 7ths, from A♭ to F - and then on the head in from D♭ to B♭. Each solo begins with a 16-measure interlude chord progression, different from the head, starting on B♭7 before returning to the form of the head. The coda is again a IV-I "Amen" cadence.
There is a separate Bass part; pianists and drummers should use the Concert Condensed Score.
There is a separate Bass part; pianists and drummers should use the Concert Condensed Score.
The album "Down Home" is Fuller's most recent recording; the same personnel can be heard on his 2009 album "I Will Tell Her." The other players are based in Denver; all have recorded together on albums by saxophonist Keith Oxman and pianist Chip Stephens.
This new arrangement was created for Curtis because he's no longer as comfortable with the trombone's high register; the original 1959 arrangement had a higher and more involved trombone part.
Note from Don Sickler:
Many years after the first arrangement was recorded, when I was playing with Curtis' sextet (with the same instrumentation), and later with Curtis Fuller's Brasstet, which was also a sextet but featuring brass only, Curtis asked me to make a simpler arrangement for the head, something everyone could easily memorize. He asked me to keep his pedal idea for the intro (which is also what Gigi used in his arrangement). My arrangement is what was recorded on Curtis' 2011 "Down Home" album, and we're making that sextet arrangement available. We're also making Gigi Gryce's quintet arrangement available from the "Saying Somethin'!" album, which doesn't have the interlude section.
This new arrangement was created for Curtis because he's no longer as comfortable with the trombone's high register; the original 1959 arrangement had a higher and more involved trombone part.
Note from Don Sickler:
Many years after the first arrangement was recorded, when I was playing with Curtis' sextet (with the same instrumentation), and later with Curtis Fuller's Brasstet, which was also a sextet but featuring brass only, Curtis asked me to make a simpler arrangement for the head, something everyone could easily memorize. He asked me to keep his pedal idea for the intro (which is also what Gigi used in his arrangement). My arrangement is what was recorded on Curtis' 2011 "Down Home" album, and we're making that sextet arrangement available. We're also making Gigi Gryce's quintet arrangement available from the "Saying Somethin'!" album, which doesn't have the interlude section.
Curtis Fuller
December 15, 1934 – May 8, 2021
After J.J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller is likely the most influential modern jazz trombonist. Born in Detroit and raised in an orphanage, he was a relatively late starter: he did not take up the trombone until age 16. But it was not long until he was cutting his teeth with saxophonists in the area like Pepper Adams and Yusef Lateef and guitarist Kenny Burrell, eventually building up his skills enough to move to New York in 1957. Curtis' first recording session, however, was in the previous year, with Pepper and also Detroit's Paul Chambers. This was also Curtis' first session with John Coltrane and Philly Joe Jones (check out High Step). Read more...