Example 1 jazz education Example 2
Example 1 Example 1
& œ œb œ œ œ œ Œ C7
Example 2 Example 2
Describing our cliché in these terms reminds me of one of my favorite Keith Jarrett solos. It occurs on the title track of Charles Lloyd’s 1966 recording, Forest Flower (Atlantic SD1473). At the
& ### ‰ [ œ & œ bœ œ
& œ œb œ œ œ œ Œ C7
& ### ‰
& ### ‰ [[ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œœ œnœ#œœnœ#œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
A œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ maj7
œœ œ œ œ ]œ œ]
Example 3: Keith Jarrett solo, Forest Flower (1966) Amaj7
C7 œ œœ œœ œ œœœbœ
& 4 4 œ œ œb œ œ œ Œ
exactly: they both begin with a three-note step-wise descent, get interrupted by a leap in the opposite direction, then end with the next two notes in the scale. The second two ideas in Example 2 simply invert the pattern.
& 4 4 œ œ œb œ œ œ Œ
œ œb œ œ œ œb
bœ œb œb œ œb œb œ bœ œb œb œ œb œb œ
Œ
the fifth and sixth note of the pattern si- multaneously serve as the first two notes of the next iteration of the pattern.
œ #œ œœ#œœ #œœ œ ] œ œ# œ œ œ# œ Œ
œœ œœ œœ Œœ œ œbœ œœb œ œ œ œŒbœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œn œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ œŒbœ œn œ œ œ# œ Œ Œ
beginning of his solo on Forest Flower: Sunrise, Jarrett plays the idea in Example 3. There is no chromaticism involved, but the rhythm and shape are similar to our “bebop lick.” There is a three-note descent, a syncopated leap away in the opposite direction, then a leap back to the next note in the scale.3
In Jarrett’s hands,#Œœ œ Example 3: Keith Jarrett solo, Forest Flower (1966)
Example 3: Keith Jarrett solo, Forest Flower (1966) Amaj7
Notes:
1. The American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College ed., s.v. “Lick.”
2. Jerry Coker’s excellent book The Elements of Jazz Improvisation dedicates individual chapters to both devices, labelling them “the bebop lick” and the “Cry Me a River lick.”
3. The scale in this case is a major scale without 4̂ .
Mathew Buchman is a pianist, composer and director of jazz studies at UW-Stevens Point. Email:
mbuchman@uwsp.edu
bœ œn œ œ œ# œ Œ
Did Jarrett come up with this brilliant run by creating a variation on a cliché? That’s difficult to say, but by working with ideas rather than “licks” we stand a bet- ter chance at original contributions to the vocabulary rather than simply borrowing from it. Which brings me to the topic of my next article on developing improvisers: Love and Theft.
bœ œn œ œ œ# œ Œ
& 4 4 œ œ œb œ œ œ Œ
bœ œb œb œ œb œb œ
Wisconsin School Musician
53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63
