Horn Salute – Kenny Dorham

This lesser-known composition is one of the most advanced and highly arranged Dorham compositions. As with many other Dorham titles, the arrangement is the composition, particularly with regard to the rhythm section (see About the K.D.Challenge for more insights). The rhythm section parts are truly part of the composition. The melody is accompanied by a barrage of rhythm section figures and changes of feel, including stop-time hits, a 12/8 Latin groove, implied half-time feel, and pedal on beats 2 and 4. In fact, there is no point in the head where the rhythm section is just playing swing "time," though the bass does walk through piano and drum figures in some of the bridge. This activity continues for the solo section; at the beginning of each chorus, the soloist is accompanied by bass figures that fill breaks between piano and drum hits. On this recording, the B and C sections of the 42-measure solo chorus (E and F in our parts) are played with a 2-feel.

Over all this rhythmic activity, the melody is flowing and diatonic. The chord progression is also relatively diatonic, with diversions to a descending series of key centers in the bridge. We have chosen to use the key signature of E♭ major instead of E♭ minor to make it easier to read, especially for the piano and bass.

Check out K.D.'s use of his unique tonic minor chord, basically voiced (from bottom to top) root/minor 3rd/sharped 5th and 9th (NO 7th). Listen to how great the melody's natural 5th sounds above this voicing! Don Sickler: For years, pianists Cedar Walton and Ronnie Mathews, both of whom played extensively with Kenny Dorham, would bring up the uniqueness of this chord to me, calling it "the K.D. chord."

The form consists of three 14-measure sections, with the C section a variation of the A. The beginning of the C section, with its stop-time, has a push ahead feeling on this recording; we have honored this in our "K.D. Challenge" version, and indicate "lean forward" in the parts (as an opposite of "lay back").

Click on the Bass Corner tab for more information specifically regarding the bass part.

Our "K.D. Challenge" version of Horn Salute is taken at approximately the same tempo as the original recording. In the original two-horn arrangement, the beginning of the melody has a bit of counterpoint with the sax playing the melody pick-up and downbeat of the second measure, holding the latter note out while the trumpet enters with melody again on the "and" of the first beat. All these notes are important parts of the melody, so, we have created a composite melody from the original two parts.

Another alteration from the original recording: the B and C sections of the solo choruses on our recording are played with a 4-feel instead of a 2-feel as on the original version.

In most of our "K.D. Challenge" songs but especially in this one, we consider it of the utmost importance for the pianist, bassist, and drummer to know what else is going on around their parts. Accordingly, in all three rhythm section parts we have included the melody on a separate smaller size upper staff, and notable figures that one instrument in the rhythm section has but another does not are shown below the lower staff. Click About The K.D. Challenge for more details.