"The Sidewinder" by Lee Morgan

Factoids:

• Album released in 1964 with 6 tracks
• the Album was entitled after the first track "The Sidewinder"
• All six tracks were original compositions by Lee Morgan and five of the six were heavily blues influenced
• Artists on the album
• Lee Morgan (trumpet), Joe Henderson (Tenor sax), Billy Higgins (Drums), Barry Harris (piano), Bob Cranshaw (Bass)
• Critics label it "soul jazz"
• The entire album influenced the format of many future albums by having a long funky blues-based chart followed by more hard bop tunes
• Chrysler car company used "The Sidewinder" in television commercial advertisements 
• Listen for:
• the chord structure is based on the 12 bar blues - The Sidewinder is 24 measures
• I7 (8 bars) |  IV7 (4 bars) |  I7 (3 bars) | iii7 VI7b9 (1 bar) | ii7 V7 (4 bars) | 17 (3 bars) | break on the last bar
• the use of repetition in the head, piano accompaniment, & bass line
• Lee Morgan (at the 2:17 mark) pulls a lick from the head in his improvisation to give structure and foundation to his solo

PS A link to the fake books with melodies/chord changes:  CLICK HERE

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown (ULHS)

Factoids:

• Jazz has an extensive history that is directly tied to culture & its current events
• Lindy Hop - danced based on the popular Charleston dance step.  It evolved in Harlem, NYC in the 1920's and 1930's.  Lindy is a fusion of many dances from jazz, tap, breakaway, and Charleston
• When Bebop style music came around in nightclubs in the late 40's and 50's, there were signs that strictly prohibited lindy hop dance
• This made bebop seem very "elitist".  Many people hated Bebop because they just simple "didn't get it" since it was a radical change from playing in large swing bands to small combos playing tunes and improvising seemingly at the speed of light
• Listen to the band in the background
• Listen how the soloists use their range when improvising to rise above the chatter of the people 

PS Click HERE for lots of awesome resources for music!  (Fake Books)

"Fables of Faubus" - Charles Mingus

History:

• Just like other art-forms, music is an outlet for expression - in this case, political protest
• Composed by Charles Mingus (Bass) in 1959 to protest against Arkansas governor Orval E. Faubus
• in 1957, Faubus sent the National Guard  to prevent integration of Little Rock Central High School by nine African American teens
• Appeared on Mingus' 1959 album "Mingus Ah Um" on the Columbia record label
• Columbia refused to let Mingus release the recording with the lyrics 
• Under the Columbia label, just the instrumental version was released
• A year later, Charles Mingus released the uncensored version (with lyrics) under the Candid record label on the album "Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus"
• due to contractual issues, they had to release the song under the name "Original Faubus Fables"
• Charles Mingus - bass & vocals
• Ted Curson - Trumpet
• Eric Dolphy - Alto Sax
• Dannie Richmond - Drums (featured in the Call & Response with Mingus)
• listen to the uncensored version HERE 
• This was one of Mingus' most proud compositions and played it quite often

Lyrics:

Oh, Lord, don't let 'em shoot us!
Oh, Lord, don't let 'em stab us!
Oh, Lord, don't let 'em tar and feather us!
Oh, Lord, no more swastikas!
Oh, Lord, no more Ku Klux Klan!

Name me someone who's ridiculous, Dannie.
Governor Faubus!
Why is he so sick and ridiculous?
He won't permit integrated schools.

Then he's a fool! Boo! Nazi Fascist supremists!
Boo! Ku Klux Klan (with your Jim Crow plan)

Name me a handful that's ridiculous, Dannie Richmond.
Faubus, Rockefeller, Eisenhower
Why are they so sick and ridiculous?

Two, four, six, eight:
They brainwash and teach you hate.
H-E-L-L-O, Hello.

"Take Five" performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet

Factoids:

• Written by saxophonist Paul Desmond (1924-1977) and premiered on The Dave Brubeck Quartet's album "Time Out" in 1959
• How "Take Five" came to be...
• Morello came up with an awesome 5/4 riff and Brubeck wanted Desmond to write a melody to go along with it
• Desmond was thinking, "Um...I don't think so.  No one does 5/4 time."  But Brubeck insisted
• Desmond came back a few days later and showed Brubeck what he came up with...2 small phrases
• Brubeck smiled and said, "Ok. Well, play that first part twice, then the second part, and then repeat the first part again.  There's your song."
• So the whole tune started with a small drum riff made up by Joe Morello (whereas most charts start with a melody)
• Written in 5/4 meter
• Although it wasn't the first jazz chart in the unusual meter, it was one of the most popular reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 list
• Desmond left all of the royalties for his compositions and performances to the American Red Cross which takes in about $100,000 per year
• Artists of The Dave Brubeck Quartet:
• Sax - Paul Desmond
• Piano - Dave Brubeck
• Bass - Gene Wright
• Drums - Joe Morello

Bonus:
Check out another vocal rendition of "Take Five".  They use the lyrics written by Dave Brubeck's wife.

"Cherokee" performed by The Max Roach Quintet

Factoids:

• written originally by Ray Noble in 1938
• is a jazz standard
• known for its long notes (whole notes and half notes) but is at a very fast tempo (quarter notes = 250 beats per minute or more)
• Many artists have performed this chart to showcase their virtuosic talents

This recording:

• Performed by the Max Roach Quintet featuring:
• Trumpet - Clifford Brown (1930-1956)
• Richie Powell's (pianist) wife was driving Richie and Clifford Brown to an engagement when she lost control of the vehicle on the PA turnpike.  All three people tragically died.
• He died at the age of 25 in a car accident leaving only 4 years worth of recordings, but was HIGHLY influential to jazz 
• He defied the "jazz druggie" cliche and led a clean life by staying away from heroin, marijuana, and even alcohol
• Drums - Max Roach (1924-2007)
• composer, band leader, and soloist
• led the forefront in hard bop style (quick playing)
• Tenor - Harold Land (1928-2000)
• Bass - George Morrow (1925-1992)
• Piano - Richie Powell (1931-1956)
• Here is a transcription of Clifford Brown's solo in Cherokee...prepare to be amazed

Also, check out another recording of Arturo Sandoval, Chuck Findley, Randy Brecker, and Byron Stripling perform Cherokee.  All four trumpeters play the beginning of Clifford Brown's solo in the beginning with amazing accuracy.  Truly amazing!

St. Thomas - Sonny Rollins

Artists in this video:

• Tenor Sax - Sonny Rollins
• Piano - Kenny Drew
• Bass - Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (Danish bassist)
• Drums - Albert "Tootie" Heath

Factoids:

• First released on Sonny Rollins' 1965 album "Saxophone Colossus" 
• The melody is based on a traditional nursery song sung to Rollins as a child in the Virgin Islands, hence the Caribbean feel.
• "St. Thomas" was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.  When you steal your next cop car or taxi in the game, tune into JNR 108.5 Radio Station and listen to some Sonny Rollins!

Listen for:

• The clip clearly highlights how jazz artists use the head (main melody/tune) as a foundation during improvisation 
• Notice how the bassist (Pedersen) starts his improv using the main tune as the opening statement.  When improvising, take the head and expand on it melodically and/or rhythmically.
• Albert Heath does a GREAT job using the main melody at the beginning of his solo.  The cymbal and snare hits nicely outline the syncopation in the melody.  He continues to play around rhythmically with the head throughout his solo.  Try humming or singing along as he plays.
• When the head comes back towards the end, Sonny Rollins really plays around with the basic framework.  He changes the rhythm and also plays other notes within the chord progression.

Milt Jackson - Bag's Groove

Factoids:

• Composed by Milt Jackson (1923-1999)
• Apart of the 1957 album "Bag's Groove" 
• was first recorded with the Miles Davis Quintet in 1954
• other songs listed on the album have become jazz standards like "Oleo" and "Doxy"
• Milt Jackson is known for his amazing vibraphone chops
• was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet) in 1946 when he hired Milt for his sextet
• he set the oscillator to 3.3 revolutions per second for a subtle vibrato sound
• known for his variations of harmony & rhythm
• Milt Jackson formed the "Modern Jazz Quartet" in 1952 
• The simple melody in "Bag's Groove" makes it a popular tune that has been arranged for many different groups & ensembles
• Listen to Milt Jackson in this clip 
• he uses simple patterns and then expands on those ideas
• on the close-up shots, you can see him using the foot pedal (dampens or lets the metal bars ring) as the metal bars are pushed up and down
• if you look closely, you can see the spinning oscillator plates underneath the metal bars