Whole Tone Stomp – Fritz Pauer
This simple rhythmic song with a funky Latin feel is based around a whole-tone scale, as the title implies.
- Recording: Art Farmer - From Vienna With Art
- Recorded on: September 7, 1970
- Label: MPS (15064)
- Concert Key: No key center
- Style: Latin (Mambo)
- Flugelhorn - Art Farmer
- Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax - Jimmy Heath
- Piano - Fritz Pauer
- Bass - Jimmy Woode
- Drums - Erich Bachtragl
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The "stomp" part of the title may not be particularly descriptive, but the "whole tone" part is certainly apt. The entire harmonic basis of this 16-measure composition is the whole tone scale of A, B, C♯ (D♭), D♯ (E♭), F, G. This is expressed as a dominant 7th with a 9th, a flat 5th and a sharp 5th. Though the chords change, the shared chord quality means that the same scale can be used throughout the song. The melody develops the first four-measure phrase again for the third and fourth four-measure phrases, successively lower by a whole step while the chords mostly ascend. There is no coda; the "out" head ends abruptly on the "and" of beat 4 in the second to last measure.
This is the only recording of this song. Jimmy Heath had been a member of Art Farmer's working quintet in New York in the mid-'60s. The first recording of Heath playing soprano saxophone was actually with the other players on this album, when Farmer, Heath, and Jimmy Woode recorded as guests with trombonist Erich Kleinschuster's quintet (with Fritz Pauer and drummer Erich Bachtragl) in Vienna. Heath also played soprano on his brother Tootie's album "Kawaida" and Charles Earland's album "Black Drops" before this Art Farmer session.
For more from this album check out Con-Fab.
For more from this album check out Con-Fab.
Fritz Pauer
October 14, 1943 – July 1, 2012
Born in Vienna, Austria, acclaimed European pianist and composer Fritz Pauer began his career in the early 1960s, making his first recording (at age 19) with the Hans Koller quartet in 1962. He moved to Berlin, Germany, 1964-68, and played at Dug's Night Club & Jazzgalery as accompanist for Herb Geller, Johnny Griffin, Don Byas, Booker Ervin, Dexter Gordon, Leo Wright, Carmell Jones, Pony Poindexter, Jimmy Woode and vocalist Annie Ross, recording with many of them. Read more...