Piece:BlueSeven

Composer:SonnyRollins
Source:TheRealEasyBook
Genre:HardBop,12barblues
PerformedonAlbum:SaxophoneColossus
Quartet:SonnyRollins(tenorsax),MaxRoach(Drumset),TommyFlanagan(Piano),Doug
Watkins(Bass)
Parts:1,2,3andabassline
Produced:1956byPrestigeMusic.

Background:
SonnyRollinsstartedplayingsaxophonein1946whenhewas11yearsold.Herehearsed
recordedandperformedwithmusicianslikeTheloniousMonk,MilesDavis,CharlieParker,Max
Roach,ArtBlakey,CliffordBrown,andtheModernJazzQuartettonameafew.BlueSeven
washailedbyGuntherSchullerasdemonstratinganewmannerofthematicimprovisationin
whichthesoloistdevelopsmotifsextractedfromhistheme.Rollinswasaleadingfigureinthe
HardBopstyle.ThematicimprovisationsomesayisSonnysgreatestcontributiontojazz.The
NewGroveDictionaryofJazzdescribesRollinsimprovisationsadheretotheboppracticesof
varyingandelaboratingalargerepertoryofformulasand,inawiderangeofmaterial,showsa
rhythmicimagination,harmonicsubtlety,andfreedomofdesignthathaveperhapsbeen
surpassedonlybyCharlieParker.1

HardBop:
TheGroveDictionaryofAmericanMusicdefinesHardBopasaheavier,earthierfeelthan
bebopandgenerallyreliedonafairlyrigidthemesolosthemestructureandacloseadherence
totheunderlyingchordprogressionsincreatingmelodicimprovisations.Perhaps,themost
importantfacetofHardBopisthedevelopmentoffeel.Thatrelianceontheprimalsoundsand
tonalitiesofblues,rhythmandblues,folkandgospelidiomscreatedanemphasisthat
generatedthesoulfulandfunkycharacteristicsassociatedwiththeform.2

MusicSkills:
AuralSkillsStudentswillhavetheopportunitytodevelopanauralperceptionoftheBbblues
withinthecontextofaHardBopstyle.InthetraditionofHardBop,studentswillgetto
experimentwiththematicmotifswhiledevelopingtheBbbluespalette.

Thismelodywillalsostretchtheearofastudentinmiddle/highschool.Thepieceitselfhasthe
underlyingstructureoftheBbblues.Aurallyhoweverthepiecesoundsbitonal.Accordingto
GuntherSchuller,TheThreeprimarynotesofthetheme(D,Ab,E)whichtakenbythemselves,
makeuptheessentialnotesofanE7chordthusrevealingthemselvesasperformingadouble
Kernfeld,B.(2002)

TheNewGroveDictionaryofJazz.NewYork,NY:MacmillanPublishers
Limited,LondonGrovesDictionariesINC.
2
KennyMathieson."Hardbop."GroveMusicOnline.OxfordMusicOnline.OxfordUniversityPress.
Web.1Aug.2016.<http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2249696>.
1

function:theDisthethirdofBbandatthesametimetheseventhofE,theAbistheseventhof
Bbandalso(enharmonicallyasG#)thethethirdofE,theEistheflattedfifthofBbandthe
tonicofE.Furthermorethefirstintervalinthemelodyisatritone(dAb),andthenextinterval
isaMajorthird(AbE).