Monty Alexander, Triple Scoop album, great track
the track "straighten up and fly right" is just about the hardest swinging song i have ever heard played without drums. great energy on this song, and you can hear it in the crowd, ooing and aahing as herb ellis plays some exceptionally placed phrases and monty swinging the s--- out of the song. ray brown is thumping like a madman to move the song without the drums.
i have listened to this song over 20 times the last week and i never get tired of it, it's that good.
(side note) while herb ellis is playing his solo, monty does that phrase that tamir taught me recently (the locked hand thing; about 1:40 into the song). these guys love to use that phrase. he does it the exact same way that tamir and larry do on blues for stephanie on the the jeff hamilton trio albums. it's an amazing tool because it allows you to use a fat chord for any note of the melody.
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know how monty learned his locked hands thing? he listened to the count basie big band and played what he heard. listen to some of the big basie recordings out there and you'll hear that exact locked hand thing being done by the band.
if you're into that kind of playing and want to get deeper, listening to the basie big band and playing what you hear will turn you into a guru of that sort of thing.
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by Scot Ranney on 05/06/2008, 11:22
that's very interesting about count basie and monty. i absolutely love the count and besides gene harris, he is one of my top five favorite pianists. count basie can make one note swing!
by the way, i wouldn't mind at all if you could send me the transcription for straighten up and fly right. it would help me see if what i'm hearing is correct. please let me know.
i have no idea where my transcriptions are for that album, i was playing music in hong kong or seoul when i worked on them at least 15 years ago. i'll check, though.
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by Scot Ranney on 05/07/2008, 11:59
here's a related question, although it may be better suited to ask tamir next time i have a lesson. i've already learned that i can use block chords to make individual notes of a melody sound really full even though the overall chord of the phrase isn't changing. what are other ways to make a big sounding chord? here are the ones i know of:
--block chords
--octave in right hand (maybe a fifth in the middle), left hand plays the full4-note chord in the middle of the piano. roll for climax (typical gene stuff)
but is there a way to hit 3-4 notes per hand to get a full chord? and how do you do this for each note (similar to locked hands) but with more notes in the left hand?
because the chords aren't that complicated.
just jazz real book - warner bros
straighten up and fly right
it seems to me that monty and gene both play their block chords in the traditional 4 way closed positions and then the drop 2 positions when the melody gets higher in range.
jazz+, care to explain what that means. i can sort of guess based on the words, but i'm still unclear. thanks.
i don't understand what you mean by this.
jazz+ and mike, can you describe what you mean by your statements above?
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Use the contact link at the top of the page.
by Scot Ranney on 05/09/2008, 20:27
how about what jazz+ said, "4 way closed positions and then the drop 2 positions when the melody gets higher in range."
what does that mean?
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