Josh Walsh @ Jazz-Library

Reader, The first tune I recommend any aspiring jazz player transcribe is this recording of Pennies From Heaven by Stan Getz accompanied by the Oscar Peterson Trio. I had been playing jazz for many years before I first transcribed it. My teacher told me I was being ambitious trying to transcribe Blackbird by Brad Mehldau 🤣 (which, for the record, I eventually did complete). Also, I need to correct a mistake I made last week. I incorrectly said the blues introduction to Let There Be Love by...

Reader, This entire newsletter covers 32 seconds of music. That might seem absurd, until you consider that this 32 seconds is George Shearing’ legendary blues introduction over Let There Be Love, sung by Nat King Cole. It might be one of the most iconic piano introductions of all time. It’s so iconic, I can’t bring myself to limit this to just the 2 phrases excerpted below. I’ve transcribed the full introduction for you, which you can download here. Today's 2-5-1 Each Monday I share 2...

Reader, We’ve been on a deep dive on the blues the last couple of months in the classes I’m teaching over at Open Studio. Last week, one of my students suggested I look at this track, Mary’s Blues. It is incredible. In 1958, the Prestige All Stars band released an LP titled Baritones and French Horns. One side of that LP featured baritone sax, and the other (wait for it) french horns. Later, in 1963, the Baritones side of that LP was reissued as Dakar, under John Coltrane’s name. Which is...

Reader, Flamenco Sketches is the final track on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. The tune is without a pre-defined form. Instead, the musicians agreed on a sequence of 5 modes. These selected modes were not prescribed rhythmic changes, instead the current soloist would cue the change to the rest while playing. The modes were: C ionian, Ab mixolydian, Bb ionian, D phrygian, and G dorian. The D phrygian scale, is traditionally used in in Spanish flamenco music, hence the name. Today's 2-5-1 I share 2...

Reader, 1 minute into Art Blakey's Moanin' and Lee Morgan lays out one of the hippest, bluesiest, trumpet solos I've ever heard. I've heard it 1000 times, and it still gives me stank face whenever I hear it. Today's 2-5-1 Each week, I share 2 transcribed phrases, 5 ideas observed from 1 featured jazz recording. This week: Moanin' / Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers From 1958, featuring Lee Morgan (trumpet), Benny Golson (tenor), Bobby Timmons (piano), Jymie Merritt (bass) and Art Blakey...

Reader, Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, a staple of modal jazz, has a relaxed but steady groove. The tune is in the key of D dorian and uses just four chords. Herbie is known for his use of "sus" harmony, and that's how these chords are often labeled. They are voiced as quartals, and so they can be a bit more nebulous analytically. I would be very interested to hear your take one what these chords are, as I'm considering exploring this in more depth in an upcoming video on the channel. Maiden...

Reader, When I was in music school, I had a brief stint over the summer playing with a touring afro-cuban group when their family pianist came down with a bad case food poisoning. (It wasn't easy, they didn't speak much english. Also, the rhythms were hard.) That's why today we are transcribing the Cuban stylings of a man born in Boston from two Italian immigrants. Chick Corea. Today's 2-5-1 Each week, I share 2 transcribed phrases, 5 ideas observed from 1 featured jazz recording. Clever, I...