Coleman Hawkins

The first president of the tenor sax.

Mr. Coleman Hawkins...

Happy Birthday, Sonny Rollins

Happy Birthday, Sonny Rollins. I owe you so much.

 7.9.1930 - he is still alive!

Stardust - inspired by and dedicated to Ben Webster

Jimmy Heath about storytelling and Ben Webster

Jimmy Heath talks about storytelling in jazz, and in ballads especially. What a great storyteller himself...

"Storytelling is gathered information from life, the way you live and what's going on with your life - you try to tell that story. So, say if for example, if I tell a student, say, ok now you're playing Ram Ramirez' song called Lover man. And I say, ok, the lyric says 'I don't know why, but I'm feelilng so sad', so if you play that (sings just the notes), you're not saying anyting! But if you say 'I don't know why, but I'm feeling sooo sad...' (sings as if spoken), you're putting in the emotional part of the lyric - you're interpreting the lyric... for what it says.
Yeah, Ben Webster, the great saxophonist, said he never played a song if he didn't know the words - as far as ballad is concerned. So, he was one of the greatest ballad players of all times - he sang the song to the people..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9LmNNnwMJo

Happy Birthday, Charlie Parker.

Happy Birthday, Bird...

You would be 90 years old today...you flew high.

Thank you for everything. Please stay with us forever, through your music...

Charlie "Yardbird" Parker
(29.8.1920 - 12.3.1955)

Advice for young musicians

Interview with Sonny Rollins:

What advice do you have for young musicians?
"I would say that they have to love what they are doing. Never mind the material. A lot of people come to me — a lot of kids — "Gee, Sonny. What should I practice? How can I get to be a successful musician?"
You have to love what you are doing, and if you are not hurting anybody or harming anybody else, that's it. Just stay on that path. If you are looking for money for material success, I have no advice, because I don't want to think like that, I don't believe that's the meaning of life. I am not a materialist, I don't believe in consumerism."

The great Sonny Rollins! God bless him!

Sonny Rollins' solo on The Eternal Triangle

This is a first part of my marathon transcription of The Eternal Triangle from album Sonny Side Up (1957). For now, this document contains the head and Rollins' solo.
More is to come... I'm planning to transcribe the complete Stitt's solo and then the trading between the two giants of tenor saxophone...
Enjoy!


Sonny Rollins - The Eternal Triangle for Bb tenor