Ritha – Larry Young, Jr.
One of Larry Young's most beautiful compositions, with a lyrical melody that connects many key centers. The master take of the original recording has a trio lineup with Larry playing the melody, but there is also a quartet alternate take with Sam Rivers added on tenor sax. We have a quartet lead sheet showing how Rivers plays the melody, and a melody transcription of Larry's trio interpretation.
- Recording: Larry Young - Into Somethin'
- Recorded on: November 12, 1964
- Label: Blue Note (BLP 4187)
- Concert Key: C, No key center
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Organ - Larry Young
- Guitar - Grant Green
- Drums - Elvin Jones
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Video
- Miki Yamanaka (org), Alex Wintz (g), Jimmy Macbride (d), "The Music of Larry Young" Livestream, 6/8/22. (Cue to 44:47)
One of Larry Young's most beautiful and intricate compositions, Ritha is a classic of the hard-bop/post-bop style. The form is 56-measure AABC, and though the A and C sections resolve to C major at the end, many different key centers are visited within the chorus. The changes are mostly based on II-V7s, but with many unexpected twists. Our audio clip starts on the second A.
The A section starts with A7 as a chromatic approach to a resolution in D♭, similar to Benny Golson's Stablemates. The lyrical melody also recalls Stablemates, though it connects many seemingly distant key centers. The eight-measure bridge has a series of rhythmic hits; the harmony here contains some unexpected chromatic shifts such as A7-B♭7-Dmaj7 at the beginning. In the fifth measure of the bridge A♭maj7 is followed by D7 to Gmaj7.
On this trio take, Larry varies the articulation and phrasing of the melody a bit, particularly in the fifth and sixth measures of the A sections. We have a melody transcription for both the in and out heads, transposed for all instruments. All transpositions show Larry's important articulations, including where he plays some notes in octaves or holds a melody note while continuing the melody, as he often does in measures 11 and 12 of the A section. Notable left hand rhythms are shown below the staff.
Click on the album cover to the right, "The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Larry Young" for lead sheet editions for all instruments, based on the quartet recording.
The A section starts with A7 as a chromatic approach to a resolution in D♭, similar to Benny Golson's Stablemates. The lyrical melody also recalls Stablemates, though it connects many seemingly distant key centers. The eight-measure bridge has a series of rhythmic hits; the harmony here contains some unexpected chromatic shifts such as A7-B♭7-Dmaj7 at the beginning. In the fifth measure of the bridge A♭maj7 is followed by D7 to Gmaj7.
On this trio take, Larry varies the articulation and phrasing of the melody a bit, particularly in the fifth and sixth measures of the A sections. We have a melody transcription for both the in and out heads, transposed for all instruments. All transpositions show Larry's important articulations, including where he plays some notes in octaves or holds a melody note while continuing the melody, as he often does in measures 11 and 12 of the A section. Notable left hand rhythms are shown below the staff.
Click on the album cover to the right, "The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Larry Young" for lead sheet editions for all instruments, based on the quartet recording.
"Into Somethin'" was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.
Larry named this composition for his wife and the mother of his son Tyrone, Ritha. See also the composition Larry wrote for Tyrone.
The trio combination of Larry Young, Grant Green, and Elvin Jones also appears throughout Grant's album "Talkin' About," recorded two months before "Into Somethin'." One song on Grant's 1965 album "I Want To Hold Your Hand" also features this lineup; the rest of this album adds tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley.
Larry named this composition for his wife and the mother of his son Tyrone, Ritha. See also the composition Larry wrote for Tyrone.
The trio combination of Larry Young, Grant Green, and Elvin Jones also appears throughout Grant's album "Talkin' About," recorded two months before "Into Somethin'." One song on Grant's 1965 album "I Want To Hold Your Hand" also features this lineup; the rest of this album adds tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley.
- Recording: Larry Young - Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Larry Young
- Recorded on: November 12, 1964
- Label: Mosaic Records (MD6-137)
- Concert Key: C, No key center
- Style: Swing (medium)
- Tenor Sax - Sam Rivers
- Organ - Larry Young
- Guitar - Grant Green
- Drums - Elvin Jones
This quartet version has tenor sax alone on the melody, not doubled by organ as in some other songs from this session. Unlike Larry's interpretation of the melody on the master trio take, Sam Rivers
articulates the melody mostly the same way throughout the in and out heads; our lead sheet is based on this version. Some of the melodic rhythms in this version are different from Larry's rhythms in the trio take. For example, the F natural in the second measure, which Larry always plays on beat 3, is here anticipated on the "and" of beat 2. The E in the tenth measure is short on the "and" of 2, not tied to a half note as on the trio take. The quartet lead sheet and trio melody transcription are suggestions for phrasing this melody; anyone playing this song is welcome to vary the phrasing expressively.
Our audio clip starts on the second A section.
Click on the album cover for "Into Somethin'", above left, for our Melody Transcription of Larry's trio performance (available for B-flat, E-flat and C [organ]).
articulates the melody mostly the same way throughout the in and out heads; our lead sheet is based on this version. Some of the melodic rhythms in this version are different from Larry's rhythms in the trio take. For example, the F natural in the second measure, which Larry always plays on beat 3, is here anticipated on the "and" of beat 2. The E in the tenth measure is short on the "and" of 2, not tied to a half note as on the trio take. The quartet lead sheet and trio melody transcription are suggestions for phrasing this melody; anyone playing this song is welcome to vary the phrasing expressively.
Our audio clip starts on the second A section.
Click on the album cover for "Into Somethin'", above left, for our Melody Transcription of Larry's trio performance (available for B-flat, E-flat and C [organ]).
"Into Somethin'" was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.
This take was recorded before the trio master take. It was first issued on a Mosaic compilation, "The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Larry Young," before being included in reissues of "Into Somethin'." Ritha has been recorded several times, including by organists Erwin Schmidt, Darren Heinrich, Vito Di Modugno, and Brian Charrette—the latter on an album, "Backup," whose title track is another Larry Young song first recorded on "Into Somethin'."
This take was recorded before the trio master take. It was first issued on a Mosaic compilation, "The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of Larry Young," before being included in reissues of "Into Somethin'." Ritha has been recorded several times, including by organists Erwin Schmidt, Darren Heinrich, Vito Di Modugno, and Brian Charrette—the latter on an album, "Backup," whose title track is another Larry Young song first recorded on "Into Somethin'."
Larry Young, Jr.
October 7, 1940 – March 30, 1978
Larry Young was one of the most innovative jazz organists of all time. He was the first to develop an original voice on the organ in the post-bop and modal jazz style of the '60s. Later in that decade and into the '70s, he was instrumental in the development of fusion in his work with Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, and Tony Williams. Read more...