Fairy Tale – David Berkman
A dramatic song that develops a single theme through a non-tonal harmonic progression. The bass walks on the roots only throughout. This song has been recorded in trio, quartet, and quintet settings.
- Recording: David Berkman - Dark Street
- Recorded on: December 15, 1993
- Label: Freelance (FRLCD 022)
- Concert Key: No key center
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Piano - David Berkman
- Bass - Mike Richmond
- Drums - Eliot Zigmund
Fairy Tale develops a single two-measure phrase and rhythmic cell that morphs its way through the non-repeating chord progression somewhat in the manner of a Bach Prelude. Tension is created by a rising melodic line, as the intervals of the phrase keep changing to fit each new chord (one chord per measure). As the melody rises, the roots of the chords generally descend, with more varied root motion toward the end of the form. There is no key center, and the chords move in rather unpredictable ways connected by the melody and voice leading. The bass never walks, but instead plays only the roots in quarter notes, giving the song a distinctly eerie feeling. This is accentuated by the dynamics, which build steadily with the rising melody for 16 measures. After the peak of the 17th measure, the melody and dynamic level generally descend for eight more measures of a nine-measure section. The ninth measure is silent in the head. In the solo section, this last measure can be treated as a break for the soloist, an extra measure of the last chord, or kept silent.
The bass vamps the first eight measures of roots as an intro. This trio recording starts with eight measures of solo bass, then eight measures of bass and drums before the piano enters for the melody. For this first recording, our audio excerpt starts when the piano enters with the melody. Please click on the other album covers above to hear variations on the introduction.
Unlike other recordings, there is no vamp before the out melody. Berkman and bassist Mike Richmond trade choruses soloing; Richmond walks throughout Berkman's solo choruses. As on the other two recordings, the head is played twice in and once out.
The bass vamps the first eight measures of roots as an intro. This trio recording starts with eight measures of solo bass, then eight measures of bass and drums before the piano enters for the melody. For this first recording, our audio excerpt starts when the piano enters with the melody. Please click on the other album covers above to hear variations on the introduction.
Unlike other recordings, there is no vamp before the out melody. Berkman and bassist Mike Richmond trade choruses soloing; Richmond walks throughout Berkman's solo choruses. As on the other two recordings, the head is played twice in and once out.
This is one of Berkman's earliest compositions, and one of five recorded on "Dark Street," his first full album. It is characteristic of a number of interests in Berkman's writing style, most significantly repetitive patterns that are developed through a series of chords.
David Berkman: "I like to write songs that are "about" something. I don't mean about something in the sense of being about a feeling, a place or an event, or having lyrics that tell a story—I mean that the song feels like it is telling some kind of abstract musical story; there's development or a dramatic timeline to the piece and it feels like it is going somewhere. When I first went to college, I studied creative writing and I thought of becoming a novelist before I decided to stay focused on music. This song is called Fairy Tale because it has a kind of ominous mood from the repeated bass notes and the motive that outlines a moody chord progression. What happens to that motive is the story of the song."
David Berkman: "I like to write songs that are "about" something. I don't mean about something in the sense of being about a feeling, a place or an event, or having lyrics that tell a story—I mean that the song feels like it is telling some kind of abstract musical story; there's development or a dramatic timeline to the piece and it feels like it is going somewhere. When I first went to college, I studied creative writing and I thought of becoming a novelist before I decided to stay focused on music. This song is called Fairy Tale because it has a kind of ominous mood from the repeated bass notes and the motive that outlines a moody chord progression. What happens to that motive is the story of the song."
A piano melody arrangement is available, showing the melody with accompanying two-hand whole-note voicings. David plays similar voicings on the "Dark Street" recording. These are open-position voicings with the roots and all important chord extensions.
On both the later quartet and quintet recordings, Berkman plays the melody. However, other pianists may want to comp and let the horns take the melody. We have a set of comping voicings (Piano Voicings), which are footballs ; they are similar to the whole-note voicings Berkman uses to accompany his own melody.
On both the later quartet and quintet recordings, Berkman plays the melody. However, other pianists may want to comp and let the horns take the melody. We have a set of comping voicings (Piano Voicings), which are footballs ; they are similar to the whole-note voicings Berkman uses to accompany his own melody.
- Recording: Scott Wendholt - Beyond Thursday
- Recorded on: June 8, 1997
- Label: Double-Time (DTRCD 128)
- Concert Key: No key center
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Trumpet - Scott Wendholt
- Electric Piano - David Berkman
- Bass - Tony Scherr
- Drums - Andy Watson
The continuous melody makes this song an unexpected challenge for a horn player; any breaths must be very short in order to play the entire melody. Trumpeter Scott Wendholt deals with this by holding the first note of one measure in each repeat of the head as a dotted half note; Berkman doubles the melody with him throughout, and fills in the measures that he leaves out. The audio clip for this version plays eight measures of solo bass, then the bass is joined by the drums; piano enters on the melody, a similar intro to the original trio recording (above left).
Berkman performed this song a lot in the 1990s, in Scott Wendholt's quartet as heard on this recording. This group played every Thursday at Augie's, a dive bar that featured a lot of great younger players coming up at that time in New York. In addition to this quartet, Berkman played there often with Matt Wilson, Joel Frahm, Chris Potter, Ugonna Okegwo, Joe Martin, Doug Weiss, Scott Colley, Ari Hoenig, Billy Drummond and others. Berkman: "We'd play late, starting after 10 and going until 3 or 4 when more musicians came to sit in. I played a Fender Rhodes electric piano, and for a while I kept it locked up and chained to a pipe in the back of the club." Many of the musicians who played at Augie's still play at its successor in the same location, Smoke.
A piano melody arrangement is available, showing the melody with accompanying two-hand whole-note voicings. David plays similar voicings on the "Dark Street" recording. These are open-position voicings with the roots and all important chord extensions.
On both the later quartet and quintet recordings, Berkman plays the melody. However, other pianists may want to comp and let the horns take the melody. We have a set of comping voicings (Piano Voicings), which are footballs ; they are similar to the whole-note voicings Berkman uses to accompany his own melody.
On both the later quartet and quintet recordings, Berkman plays the melody. However, other pianists may want to comp and let the horns take the melody. We have a set of comping voicings (Piano Voicings), which are footballs ; they are similar to the whole-note voicings Berkman uses to accompany his own melody.
- Recording: David Berkman - Handmade
- Recorded on: February 16, 1998
- Label: Palmetto (PM 2039)
- Concert Key: No key center
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Trumpet - Tom Harrell
- Alto Sax - Steve Wilson
- Piano - David Berkman
- Bass - Ugonna Okegwo
- Drums - Brian Blade
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The audio excerpt for this recording starts after the solo bass/bass-drums intro where the piano plays voicings. David's voicings are available.
With more than one horn in unison as on this quintet version, the melody is more easily negotiated by having one horn player take a measure to breathe (or hold out the first note of a measure) while the other plays. This version has a longer intro, vamping the eight-measure phrase five times. The first is solo bass; the next three add ambient piano and drums fills, while the last time has whole-note piano chords. The intro is also vamped before the out head with a drum solo. Bassist Ugonna Okegwo plays only the roots at the beginning of the alto and piano solos, eventually walking.
With more than one horn in unison as on this quintet version, the melody is more easily negotiated by having one horn player take a measure to breathe (or hold out the first note of a measure) while the other plays. This version has a longer intro, vamping the eight-measure phrase five times. The first is solo bass; the next three add ambient piano and drums fills, while the last time has whole-note piano chords. The intro is also vamped before the out head with a drum solo. Bassist Ugonna Okegwo plays only the roots at the beginning of the alto and piano solos, eventually walking.
"Handmade" was David Berkman's debut album as the sole leader. Ugonna Okegwo played on Berkman's first four albums, and Brian Blade on the first three. Berkman's second album, "Communication Theory," featured the same personnel as on "Handmade" except for Tom Harrell, adding Sam Newsome on soprano and Chris Cheek on tenor instead. For more from "Handmade," check out Tom Harrell .
A piano melody arrangement is available, showing the melody with accompanying two-hand whole-note voicings. David plays similar voicings on the "Dark Street" recording. These are open-position voicings with the roots and all important chord extensions.
On both the later quartet and quintet recordings, Berkman plays the melody. However, other pianists may want to comp and let the horns take the melody. We have a set of comping voicings (Piano Voicings), which are footballs ; they are similar to the whole-note voicings Berkman uses to accompany his own melody.
On both the later quartet and quintet recordings, Berkman plays the melody. However, other pianists may want to comp and let the horns take the melody. We have a set of comping voicings (Piano Voicings), which are footballs ; they are similar to the whole-note voicings Berkman uses to accompany his own melody.
David Berkman
born on December 28, 1958
Since moving to New York in 1985, David Berkman has been an important part of the jazz community. He is an award-winning composer/bandleader (2000 Doris Duke/Chamber Music America New Works Creation and Presentation Grant), a recording artist whose nine recordings as a leader have appeared on numerous best records of the year critic’s lists (the New York Times, the Village Voice, Downbeat, JazzIz, Jazz Times and others) and an award-winning jazz clinician who has performed and taught at numerous jazz camps, universities and conservatories around the United States, South America, Asia and Europe. Read more...