JAZZ SAX TRANSCRIBED by JOHN ROBERT BROWN and BILL CHARLESON ‘The Tenor Saxophone has always been a favourite with jazz musicians. Inovative players like Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, Lester Young, ‘Tubby Hayes and Ben Webster have helped establish the popularity of the instrument among jazz enthusiasts world-wide. Twenty of the finest examples of their playing and that of other contemporary tenor saxophonists have been transcribed from the original recordings and are featured in this book. Easy Living Wardell Gray | Didn’t Know What Time It Was Benny Golson Where Or When Lucky Thompson Lover Come Back Al Cohn Lover Come Back Zoot Sims Tangerine Oliver Nelson Tea For Two Lester Young Desafinado Stan Getz Stella By Starlight Stan Getz Love Walked In Tubby Hayes Falling In Love With Love Tubby Hayes Have You Met Miss Jones? Ben Webster All The Things You Are Coleman Hawkins Body and Soul Coleman Hawkins Imagination Johnny Griffin A House Is Not A Home Sonny Rollins With A Song In My Heart Sonny Rollins The More | See You Stanley Turrentine Lester Leaps In Lester Young You Took Advantage Of Me Bud FreemanForeword WARDELL GRAY (1921-1958) recorded ‘EASY LIVING’ in 1949 on Stateside 10144. One of the finest tenor players to come after Lester Young, Gray met an untimely death whilst working in Las Vegas. ‘Easy Living’, immortalised by Billie Holiday, is a perfect vehicle for Gray's harmonic approach and beautiful tone. ‘| DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT WAS’ is a good example of the way in which jazz musicians alter the chord progressions of a song as the performance unfolds. This solo was recorded by BENNY GOLSON (1920-1974) in 1959, on Esquire 32-108, 'WHERE OR WHEN’ was recorded by ELI (LUCKY) THOMPSON (b 1924) in 1954 on Saga XIC 4001. A featured tenor with Count Basie, he recorded with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and spent most of his later years in Europe. This solo is probably one of the finest ballad performances on record and should be studied by all who aspire to be judged a soloist. JOHN 'ZOOT SIMS (1925-1985) and AL COHN (b. 1925) were both originally inspired by Lester Young. These improvisations on ‘LOVER COME BACK’ were recorded at a live club session in New York in 1959, and issued by EMI on CLP 1471 In later years OLIVER NELSON became well known as a composer and arranger, fame which caused many jazz lovers to overlook his fine saxophone playing. Born in 1932, Nelson recorded ‘TANGERINE’ in 1961 on Esquire 32-188. LESTER ‘PRES’ YOUNG, born 1909, had a considerable influence on a generation of tenor players, including many of those represented in this collection. The distinctive ‘half tempo’ ‘opening melody statement of ‘TEA FOR TWO’ is characteristic of Young's approach. This solo was recorded with the Oscar Peterson Trio on Columbia 33 9015. Lester Young died in 1959, Even a master improviser like STAN GETZ sometimes chooses to drop an interesting chord progression and improvise over a simple ostinato bass. However, his solo is still an exact 32 bars in length. ‘DESAFINADO' is recorded on ‘Jazz Samba’, Verve V-8432. Getz was born in 1927, and is one of the few truly international stars of jazz. ‘STELLA BY STARLIGHT’ was issued on Music for Pleasure LP 5226. Many people would regard EDWARD ‘TUBBY’ HAYES as the finest saxophone player that Britain has ever produced. Born in 1935, he came to prominence in the nineteen fifties, not only as a tenor player, but also as a vibraphone player, flautist and arranger. He died i June 1973. ‘FALLING IN LOVE WITH LOVE" is taken from an LP recorded in 1961, and originally issued by Fontana, TFL 5142. Notice that the improvisation is 42 bars long, although the melody on which the improvisation is based is only 32 bars long. ‘LOVE WALKED IN’ was also recorded in 1961 and appears on the same record.BEN WEBSTER (1909-1972) is best known for his work with Duke Ellington, and justifiably well known for his ballad playing. The LP from which ‘HAVE YOU MET MISS JONES? is taken is one of the classics of jazz — the ‘Art Tatum-Ben Webster Quartet’, originally on Verve, number MG V-8220. COLEMAN ‘BEAN’ HAWKINS (1804-1969) recorded ‘BODY AND SOUL in 1939. It became a world-wide hit, and has been re-issued many times. Legend has it that the decision to record this tune was an impromptu one; this could certainly explain why the melody is not played in the middle eight bars (17 to 25). An enterprising improvisation for its period, the high F and G in bars 58 and 59 were rarely used by jazz saxophonists at that time. Because of its interesting harmonic structure. ‘ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE’ is a jazz musicians’ favourite. The possessor of a prodigious technique, JOHNNY GRIFFIN (b. 1928) recorded ‘IMAGINATION’ on JLP 31 — Tough Tenors. Griffin was one of the most advanced harmonic thinkers in jazz saxophone; there is a particularly imaginative — and lovely — choice of notes in bars 23 and 24. SONNY ROLLINS (b. 1929) recorded ‘A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME’ at a Montreaux Jazz Festival, and it was issued on Milestone M9059. This is a fine example of Rollins’ free thythmic approach to ballad playing. ‘WITH A SONG IN MY HEART’ was recorded in 1951 on Tradition PR 7269, ‘THE MORE | SEE YOU’ was recorded by STANLEY TURRENTINE in 1959 on Mercury MMF 14084, It is an early example of an exciting player who was to develop into one of the foremost names in contemporary jazz. LESTER ‘PRES’ YOUNG recorded ‘LESTER LEAPS IN’ with Count Basie’s Kansas City Seven in 1939. This famous solo has been copied and orchestrated many times, the best known version being Quincy Jones’ arrangement, in which the whole saxophone section played Lester's improvisation in unison. The second part of Lester's unaccompanied chorus from the original recording. LAWRENCE ‘BUD’ FREEMAN was born in Chicago in 1906, and emigrated to Britain when he was in his sixties. ‘YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME’ was recorded with a British rhythm section in 1966. The LP was called ‘Bud Freeman, Esq., number Fontana TL 370. Note that the ‘improvised’ section is very repetitive. Although possibly preconceived, it is nevertheless most effective. BILL CHARLESON and JOHN ROBERT BROWN are both active saxophone players and full-time lecturers on the Jazz and Light Music Course at the CITY OF LEEDS COLLEGE OF Music,A House Is Not A Home Saxophone Solo by SONNY ROLLINS Words by HAL DAVID ‘Music by BURT BACHARACH Fa? rn7/b ah xhmaj7 Fn7/p abmaj7 G7 cn? 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Gm? cm m7 Bm add 4 E7 7 Dm 2 £ Fain on? 75 be ae > m7 amps abo Fmaj7 eb?* ‘The improvised section (A~B 32 bars) and the coda axe based not on the harmonies of the tune hut on alternating chords of F and Eb (Concert pitch) over an ostinato bass, thus: