Insanely Beautiful Intro by Shai Maestro (LOTW #152)
If you haven’t already listened to Shai Maestro, this track will blow your mind! Shai came up in Avishai Cohen’s trio and is known for his complex rhythms and beautiful classical stylings. The intro to “Sleeping Giant” from his first record, Shai Maestro Trio (2012), is a rhapsodic, Brahms-like passage which leads into a fearsome […]
Bud Powell’s Scorching Intro to “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” (LOTW #151)
Bud Powell lays down a scorching intro to his burning original tune, “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm.” He ends the intro with an altered line made from a tritone substitution. This is some classic Bud playing through some two-five-one’s at a breakneck pace. See if you can keep up! https://youtu.be/HcNrywHyplI CLICK HERE TO GET A […]
Eric Reed’s Nasty Triplet Solo on Monk’s “Evidence” (LOTW #150)
Eric Reed comes out swinging on his album “The Baddest Monk.” Listen how he interprets Thelonious Monk’s classic tune “Evidence” with a relentless triplet feel. This excerpt comes from the last A section of the melody, then all bets are off as he heads into the solo. Watch out! https://youtu.be/DsFSWC20tqM CLICK HERE TO GET A […]
Bill Evans’ Opening Line from “Peri’s Scope” (LOTW #149)
Hear how Bill Evans opens up his solo from this classic track off of “Portrait in Jazz” (1960). Once he drops into the solo, he instantly starts creating melodies which stem from the line at the beginning. See for yourself why this solo is one of the greats! https://youtu.be/7GaIillNoLM CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION […]
Classic Sonny Clark Lick (LOTW #148)
Sonny Clark opens up the track “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise” from his album Sonny Clark Trio (1957) with this short but sweet lick. Sonny is known for his swinging time feel and classic content. The rest of this album is a gold mine of jazz language! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx6pi9fNzgo CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION […]
The Must-Know Freddie Freeloader Piano Solo (LOTW #147)
This is one of those solos that all jazz pianists NEED TO KNOW. It comes off of Miles Davis’ iconic album, “Kind of Blue” (1959). Wynton Kelly’s solo sets the tone for this blues. His melodic development and sense of swing are unparalleled, and have been imitated by future generations ever since. Check out this […]
Keith Jarrett Shreds on “The Meaning of the Blues” (LOTW #146)
Keith Jarrett takes it to another level in the second chorus of his solo on “The Meaning of the Blues” from his iconic trio record “Standards Vol. 2.” He adds some chromaticism to harmonic minor to disguise the scale, and uses it to burn his way through the chords. His melodies are not to be […]
The Oliver Nelson Lick (LOTW #145)
This week’s lick comes to you from an Oliver Nelson record called “More Blues and the Abstract Truth.” It is an iconic pattern from Oliver Nelson’s tune called “Hoe-Down.” Oliver was known for his affinity for using patterns, and this one is no exception. The lick traces a set of major triads descending in major […]
Some Burning Modal Melodic Action by David Kikoski on Charlie Parker’s “Cardboard” (LOTW #144)
This week we’re coming at you with a burning post-bop solo by David Kikoski on his tune “Cardboard,” off of a 2009 album with Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums and James Genus on bass. He repurposes a Charlie Parker Composition to use as a vehicle for some intense modal jazz. Listen as he sequences a […]
Bill Evans Rips Through Solo Breaks on “Night and Day” (LOTW #143)
On his record with Stan Getz in 1973, Bill Evans rips through some solo breaks over the tune “Night and Day.” Check out the way he navigates these chord changes with bebop vocab and throws in a triplety sequence in the middle! https://youtu.be/DXjNLVu0GNk CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION OF THE LICK If you have […]
