One of the all time great 🎷 solos by Coleman Hawkins

Reader,

Body and Soul by Johnny Green is one of the most important ballads in jazz history. The recording we're transcribing today comes from a legendary tenor sax player, Coleman Hawkins.

Happy New Year, and welcome to all the new members who joined us over the holiday special. I'm glad you're hear, and I hope you'll join us on an upcoming Zoom workshop.

Join our workshop this Friday

Topic: This week we're continuing our series stylizing traditional melodies so that they swing in a jazz context. Our chart this week is Blue Skies by Irving Berlin. Download the lead sheet after clicking the button below to RSVP.

Don't worry if you missed last week's workshop. We'll be going back over the techniques, so you'll catch up easily.

On Zoom at 1pm Eastern, this Friday, Jan 3.

Today's 2-5-1

Each week I share 2 transcribed phrases, 5 ideas observed from 1 featured jazz recording.

This tune is a masterpiece. Here are 5 observations I have about this tune as a whole.

1. This recording is short for a jazz recording, just 3 minutes long. Coleman is the only soloist, and they only play through the head twice.
2. Coleman's phrasing and articulation is incredibly lyrical.
3. The solo lines are primarily based on arpeggiating the chords with perfect rhythm, and clear articulation. The same fundamentals talk about here all the time.
4. It's a little hard to see in the notation, but if you listen to the 2nd example there's a very clear melodic and rhythmic motif that repeats over the changes.
5. In the second example, notice how Coleman outlines an E chord over both Bb7 chords? That's what Barry Harris would later call a "brother or sister" chord.