Archives: June 2020

• New Minus You, Ray Starling, and more new arrivals

  Just in time for Father’s Day, we have a message from Justin Robinson. Love Thy Father is a ballad with colorful harmonies, which Justin recorded both in 1997 and 2017.

  We have more new titles up on jazzleadsheets.com. Two of them have exclusive “Further Explorations” audio available in Minus You format. The first of these is May Moon, a dreamy, lyrical 3/4 song by pianist/vocalist Dena DeRose. Lost In You is a warm, impassioned ballad by jazzleadsheets.com’s Don Sickler. This song is available in a unique duo Minus You setting accompanied only by piano. Now’s your chance to work on your ballad playing with legendary pianist Ray Bryant!

  We’re welcoming another new composer to jazzleadsheets.com. Ray Starling was a trumpeter, mellophonist, and pianist who played in several big bands in the ‘60s. He wrote Mellophobia and Four Of A Kind to feature the mellophone section of Stan Kenton’s big band, which he both played in and wrote for in 1961-62. Our lead sheets for these songs show the intros, codas, and a few countermelodies from the big band arrangements; both songs certainly work just as well in a small group setting.

  Also new to jazzleadsheets.com are two easy, laid-back blues heads in a classic hard bop style. Nice ’N Greasy is a funky riff head by Adriano Acea, originally recorded by trumpeter Lou Donaldson. The JAMFs Are Coming is a Johnny Griffin classic; Johnny recorded it many times from the ‘60s to his very last album in 2008. Not a blues but in a similar vein, The One Before This is one of Gene Ammons’ best-known compositions. We have condensed scores and horn parts for the two-horn arrangement from the classic Ammons/Sonny Stitt album “Boss Tenors,” as well as a three-horn arrangement recorded in 1995 by organist Jimmy Smith.

• Jack Montrose and more

  Two compositions by Jack Montrose are now available on jazzleadsheets.com. A tenor saxophonist of the West Coast cool school, Montrose is best known for his arrangements for Clifford Brown’s classic 1954 Pacific Jazz sessions. Our two Montrose songs, Quiet Knowing and Long Story Short, come from a big band album; however, they definitely work in a small group setting as well.

  Also now available are five piano transcriptions of Meade Lux Lewis. The Blues, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are solo improvisations which were recorded at the very first Blue Note session in 1939. Our detailed transcriptions are by Shaye Cohn, who is guitarist Joe Cohn’s daughter and saxophonist Al Cohn’s granddaughter.

  Another, very different slow blues piano solo transcription is now available: Larry Young’s Larry’s Blues. This is the only recording of Larry on piano in a trio setting; our transcription has detailed dynamics and articulations for an in-depth look at his unique style. Larry’s Luny Tune, from Grant Green’s “Talkin’ About” album, is also now available.

  We also have yet another slow blues now up, again very different: Jonny King’s Blues For Andrew Hill. Besides lead sheets, we have a solo piano arrangement which Jonny plays on the recording, a duo setting with Steve Wilson on alto sax.

  Finally, we’re continuing to add Charles McPherson compositions. Promise is a medium-up modal song from his 1977 album “New Horizons," and Dee Blues, although not a blues, is a bluesy riff in D from the same album.

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