The Richard Page Sextet

On Saturday, June 2, I will be performing at the Alcorn Music Studio GigSpace with my sextet.

I'm really excited to perform with this group, because we will be performing my music that I rarely perform. The set lists are comprised of solely original music and arrangements which will allow each player to stretch out as they please.

The music is a collection of my original compositions that emphasize my growing appreciation for world music. I have a few pieces that I have performed with my trio, but for the most part, it's a whole new show.

As far as influences are concerned, I have been listening to an incredible amount of Duke Ellington lately, and I am blown away by the diversity in timbre and texture but his ability to retain his orchestra's identity. Listening to his suites have been an education.

I've also enjoyed taking a real, hard look at David Braid's music. I particularly was interested in how he used each instrument. It's one of the aspects of his sextet that love. Each horn has an important role, and you can always hear what's going on within the horns. As well as the horn writing, I have been looking into the way Braid writes for his rhythm section. To me, that's the ticket! When the rhythm section is taken out of the background and there is some emphasis placed upon it, you really feel like it's a band and not just horn players playing on top of a play-a-long track.

On this show, I am extremely fortunate to have a great band! These are all wonderful players with whom I am grateful to share the stage!

Patrick Denison – alto saxophone

Ed Lister – trumpet and mutes

Alex Moxon – guitar

JP Lapensee – electric bass

David Pontello – drums and cymbals

See you there!

Here's the link to the Facebook event.

Taking Lessons

I have been taking lessons on Skype with Tim Price over the last two months and it's one of the smartest decisions that I've made in a while.

The Story

Roughly six months ago, I was in a musical rut. I was gigging quite a bit (and still am), but I wasn't inspired. I was playing the same tunes, the same way every time that I was on a job. That's what music had become – a job.

I started to resent my horns. I was only really picking them up when I was on going to a gig and the time that I did have the horn out at home, I noodled for hours – but never played anything meaningful.

After talking to my fiance about my options, the topic of lessons came up. I thought that if I could regain some focus into my practice habits, that I would become interested in learning again.

I emailed Tim Price after seeing his posts on Sax On The Web for his Skype lessons and he said that he could help.

I was not familiar with Tim's playing – I had his Blues-eum recording with Sue Terry (definitely worth checking out), I had watched the YouTube videos and I had read his blog, but I hadn't done any real extended listening or exploring.

Our first lesson was great – Tim had me play over a bunch of my favourite tunes and then he started emailing me the exercises and concepts.

I really felt (and still feel) like Tim really understands what I'm looking for in my own playing. We have discussions, tell jokes, swap stories and after every lesson I have a huge amount of creative energy that I can pour directly into my horns. One of the biggest challenges and one of the things that I look forward to every week is the spontaneity. I'm not saying that the lessons lack direction or that they are unstructured, Tim has a system, but it's not a cookie-cutter system. Every exercise or concept that we talk about or apply relates directly to what I'm doing as an artist. This extremely personal approach makes me think about these concepts deeper and I take much more initiative than I have taken in the past to make these concepts my own.

Over the last two months I can feel the direction in my playing has changed. I have a positive outlook on my practice time and I'm truly interested in the music again!

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment or email me.

Check Tim out on his website - http://timpricejazz.com/

Alcorn Music Studio - The Gigspace Jazz Jam

I wanted to share an extremely positive experience that I had at an Ottawa Jam Session on Thursday, March 22 at the Alcorn Music Studio Gigspace.

I have been avoiding the Ottawa jazz jam scene for the last few months. I love to play with lots of different musicians, but I don't always agree with how the jam sessions are run.

There are a few aspects to this evening that sets it apart from the rest of the Ottawa jam nights.

First off, the organization. This jam is run beautifully! Tim Bedner is a great host. I love the fact that everybody gets a chance to play (Tim had several students out), but it isn't a free-for-all (or had a signup list). I noticed that when the students were on stage, there were always two members of the house band (or a member of the house band and a pro horn player) up with them. This gave the music a definite direction.

When the high-level players got up on stage, Tim let us go - play to our heart's content and swapped players out each tune or every couple of tunes. When the music started heading in one exclusive direction, Tim broke the band down and made sure the night stayed interesting for everyone who was in attendance. One thing that gets me down about quite a few jam sessions is the fact that you play one or two tunes and your night is over. There's no chance to build as collective and the creativity is not shared. When I ran my gigs at the Rainbow (2008-2009) and the Avant Garde (2009-2011) if a player of stature came in with their horn (or any other axe) and wanted to sit in, they could sit in all night if they wanted. It helps create a real open vibe with the gig. The fact that I was able to play more makes this jam extremely appealing.

Another big bonus on this night is the house band. Tim Bedner (guitar), Mark Alcorn (bass) and David Pontello (drums). What a band! As far as a jam session band goes - I don't think that you can get better. They are well-versed in all styles, incredibly flexible/open to ideas and they know their tunes. They also swing hard! When I see a rhythm section like this, I want to play! I know it makes others want to play, too.

The players that came out were a great hang (and great audience). A few of Tim's students were there (They sound good. They all sound like they work very hard - I'm looking forward to hearing them next month), Peter Hum, Tom Denison, Patrick Denison, Lucas Denison, Ed Lister, Geri Trimble, if I forgot anyone, I'm sorry. It's nice to hear players who play fairly regularly (as opposed to once a month) and I believe that having a great rhythm section creates the buzz.

If you're in the Ottawa area on the fourth Thursday of the month, make sure that you check out this jazz jam. It's only $5 to get in to see a great jazz jam.

Hope to see you there!

http://gigspaceottawa.com/
http://www.timbedner.com/
http://davidpontello.com/

Lester Young Transcription - Ad Lib Blues (1952)

Here's Lester Young sounding great on a blues!

Part two to follow.

The audio is here.

Lester Young Transcription - There Will Never Be Another You (1952)

Another great solo from Lester Young. Enjoy!!

Here's the audio to go along with it. Click here for the Youtube video.

My Tour With Amy Brandon - Day Six

Day Six - Tatamagouche!

On Saturday night, we performed at Fables. This is definitely one of my favourite places that I have ever played!

We showed up at the venue around 6pm for our 7:30pm. Amy and I were greeted by Chuck and Hanna (the people that run Fables) and loaded our gear. We set up and then ordered dinner. The ham panini was incredible!

As the audience started filling up the place, Amy and I made our way to the stage. The house music was turned off, and we were let to do our thing.

The Gig.

From the first note, the audience was silent. This is very easily the most respectful crowd that I've played for in at least the last four years (since I've been back from Europe). The beauty of playing for an audience like this is that you can really use your dynamics, colours, shading - all of the subtleties that are lost in a louder room.

The other aspect of the audience that I loved was that they were focused on the music. It wasn't just that they were quiet, it was that they were wanting more from the musicians than a regular room. This quiet intensity brings out the best in musicians, and last night the energy from the audience helped feed our duo! Extremely inspiring!

We played two sets of roughly fifty minutes each, and I think we may be able to release a nice set of music from the show.

These are the nights that I live for as a jazz artist!

I can't recommend this venue enough to any artist or band coming through the East Coast.

Sunday is our last day with two concerts - one in Halifax and one in Truro.

My Tour With Amy Brandon - Day Five

Day Five - Moncton

The drive to Moncton was filled with thoughts about the gig from the previous night. Things that worked, things that needed work, things the didn't work - the usual self-deprecating musician talk...(*chuckles).

We arrived in Moncton a little earlier than expected and hung out in a coffee shop (Jitter Bean Cafe). We needed some coffee and internet. Jitter Bean has great coffee and they are super nice people! I have been recording our gigs and rehearsals since I arrived. I've always found that it's a great tool to be able to listen back. After we have some time to digest the recordings, I'm sure that we'll post some online.

I was really excited to perform at the Plan b Lounge in Moncton. It was just nominated for venue of the year in the East Coast.

Musically, I thought that Amy and I got into the zone. The music felt great! Stretching out and pushing our musical boundaries. I think that we feel like a group now. We are able to anticipate each other - we are really starting to understand each other.

The one downside to the gig was that there were a few tables of very loud people. I guess you can't always win that game...

We grabbed dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant across the street with Amy's brother-in-law and his wife (who also attended our show) and headed back to Truro.

Our next stop - Tatamagouche!

My Tour With Amy Brandon - Day Four

Day Four - Fredericton

On Thursday, we were heading to Fredericton. We were heading to our first gig!

We woke up that morning and hit what has become a routine - coffee and rehearsal. After we ran our tunes fairly quickly, we loaded up the car for the four hour drive to Fredericton.

We arrived at the James Joyce (our venue for the evening) and loaded our gear. We met with the manager. After a bite to eat and some running around to find a cell phone charger (I forgot mine). We hit the stage.

The Gig.

I was a little worried before we started playing, Amy warned me the the crowd could be sparse, and it seemed like it would be. We are fortunate on the tour, because Amy did a brilliant job booking each venue, and none of our shows have a cover charge, but it's still nice to play for a crowd. Just before we started playing, a nice crowd of people show up and the James Joyce comes alive!

Amy and I had worked out set lists beforehand, so there were no questions about the material. This was great, because we could focus on making the music. I'm not sure if it was because I was nervous, but I was counting off our tunes faster than we had rehearsed them. This wasn't a problem from a musical/technical perspective, but definitely a problem time-wise. We added some standards to each set, which was incredibly relaxing. Common material. It seemed like we were able to experiment more with these tunes. The interesting thing (at least to me) that happened with my playing was that I feel like I became more free within the original material that we each had brought to the duo.

After a few sets of music, some shop talk with a local saxophonist and some dinner, we headed back to the hostel to sleep.

The next day we played Moncton.

See you in the next post!

My Tour With Amy Brandon - Day Three

I was very excited for Day Three.

This is the day of our first gig...well, it was supposed to be.

We woke up this morning to rehearse. Amy and I wanted to get our sets together before heading to our first show at the Smiling Goat in Halifax. I am normally not a fan of creating set lists, but I am usually working with my material exclusively, and so I feel much better having some sort of a plan. It was already snowing this morning and the forecast said that we were going to be hit with 30cm of snow.

We rehearsed our first set and after being warned about the roads, Amy called up the venue and we all decided that it was best to postpone our show until Sunday (November 27) afternoon at 1pm.

I was disappointed - I'm ready to get playing, but also a little relieved. My cold is lingering and I had a chance to sleep a little more than usual to try to fight it. After I woke up, we rehearsed and rearranged the second set.

Every time that we talk about or play the tunes, I'm getting more and more comfortable with the material. It's a good feeling!

So tomorrow, the tour kicks off in Fredericton, New Brunswick at the James Joyce Pub at 6pm!

My Tour With Amy Brandon - Day Two

My second day was short, but it started very early.

We performed at Redcliffe Middle School for the music classes (grades 5-7). The students were great! Extremely attentive and when we opened the floor up for some questions, they weren't shy. The question of the morning was, "How heavy is your saxophone?"

One of the beautiful things about a tour like this is that we are getting a lot of time to focus on our rep. We are recording everything, listening back, talking about arrangements, what's working, what's not, etc. It's nice to be totally focused on the sound of one group.

My Tour With Amy Brandon - Day One

The first day was a busy one.

I landed in Halifax just shy of noon (local time) and Amy met me at the airport.

The flight was smooth (I slept the whole time) and security was great about getting both of my horns in the cabin with me. The on;y downside to the flight was that I've had a cold for a few days and the change in pressure is playing some nasty games with my left ear.

We load my gear and luggage into the car and hit the road. We stop and grab a coffee, and catch up on the drive.

We got back to Amy's house and started rehearsing. I love to rehearse when ideas are being thrown back and forth. Amy has some great ideas for my tunes, and we started to work out some arrangements. I really feel like our sounds work well together. We rehearse for the better part of the day (4 or 5 hours) and then off to the radio station, CKDU, for an interview with Lamont McLachlan.

Lamont is a great host, asks engaging questions and has a great sense of humour. After an hour on his show and playing a few tracks from my new EP with the Ottawa Hard Bop Association (to be released in the near future). It's time to head home.

Once we get home, it's time to plan our next day, which is performing for the students of Redcliffe Middle School. This will give us some opportunity to test our new arrangements and see what works!

My Tour With Amy Brandon - the Beginnings

I am extremely fortunate to be on tour with Amy Brandon this week. Our tour covers Halifax, Fredericton, Moncton, Tatamagouche and Truro. One of the beautiful things about this tour is that we are performing an all original programme (except for Amy's reworking of Skylark).

I first met Amy when she dropped by one of my shows at the Rainbow. Our mutual friend, Matt Aston, was my drummer and went to school with Amy.

Roughly a year later, Amy was playing at the Avant Garde in Ottawa, with Matt, and I dropped in with my horn. I sat in with the group and at the end of the night Amy asked me if I'd be interested in touring at some point.

In February, the dates were firmed up (for the most part) and in October the charts were exchanged.

I'll continue in my next post...

Page-Lapensee-Pontello - Gig #1

The first gig for the trio was a few weeks back, and it was definitely one to remember. The trio is extremely excited to be performing at Le Petit Chicago every other week (make sure that you catch Search Engine on the opposite weeks). I feel that this trio is going to push musical boundaries every time it hits the stage.

Here`s a taste of what we performed and a little insight into what the group is all about.

Here are some notes about one set that we played.

We started with Confirmation and decided to stick with a whole set of Parker tunes - the vibe was great! It`s interesting to explore an artist`s music on the stand with on the spot arrangements - it gives the music a sense of urgency.

Confirmation - straight ahead, fast and energetic
Billie`s Bounce - slow, bluesy
Scrapple From The Apple - fastest tune of the set
Ornithology - freely, mostly over G and D pedals, open-feeling, elastic time
Au Privave - 3/4 blues - interesting to try and figure out the melody on the spot.
Yardbird Suite - calypso, fun way to end the set

The group has many ways to approach tunes and we are excited to bring you some great jazz on a regular basis!

A New Trio

I'm very excited to talk about a new trio with a steady gig in Ottawa. We played our first gig just over a week ago, and it was definitely a gig to remember - I'll be posting about the gig in the near future.

David Pontello (drums), JP Lapensee (electric bass) and myself (woodwinds).

Blues-Standards-Originals

The trio of Page-Lapensee-Pontello are honoured to be bi-weekly hosts of the Monday night Jazz evening at Le Petit Chicago.

Woodwind artist Richard Page has become a fixture on the Ottawa jazz scene. Throughout his career Richard has performed with many great artists, such as Bob Brookmeyer, Rick Wilkins, Darcy Hepner and many others. He has also performed all over the world, most notably at the Montreaux and Vienne Jazz Festivals.

Since moving to Ottawa in late-2009, David Pontello has quietly-but-quickly established himself on the local music scene. He regularly plays with vocalist Renee Yoxon and singer-songwriter Glenn Nuotio. Hailing from Toronto, his past credits include tours, albums and shows with Justin Rutledge, David Hein (My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding), Sean Cullen and Swamperella.

JP Lapensee is a member of the Capital Youth Jazz Orchestra and plays regularly in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, most notably as part of the HML Trio.

http://www.petitchicago.ca/

Le Petit Chicago
50 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Québec
819-483-9843

Lester Young Transcription - Fine and Mellow (1957)

Lester Young's "Fine and Mellow" solo is one of my favourites. It's the sound and feeling that draw me in. This is one of the first transcriptions that I had ever attempted in high school, and it has stuck with me since.

To me, the solo is all about nuance. There aren't that many notes, and it is only a chorus long, but Lester gets to the point. Pure beauty!

If you're going to learn this, make sure you have the melody firmly planted in your head. It's important, otherwise you'll miss the subtleties in the vibrato, rhythmic variety and the emotive qualities that Lester Young brings to this bandstand.

Check it out on Youtube.

Here's the version for tenor sax.

Lineage - It's Importance to Me

I am very fortunate. I grew up in a household where jazz was being played all of the time. I grew up on Zoot Sims, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson and as I grew older my tastes expanded and I started getting into Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Steve Grossman, Bill Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, Michael Brecker and so many others.

I have been thinking quite a bit about influence, and lineage because my students are developping into players. I have a grade 9/10 big band that I lead in Ottawa. Every rehearsal I walk into the room, and ask "So what's everybody been listening to?" There are some great answers - Miles Davis - Nefertitti, Michael Brecker, the RH Factor, Arturo Sandoval, and so many other artists. I'll ask "Does anybody know who Johnny Hodges is? or Clifford Brown? or Don Byas?"

The answer is generally "no", except for my students - because listening is a huge part of my lessons, and I can even think it's unfair that I ask. Unless you grow up in a jazz household, you probably don't know a lot of the names that I would bring up - especially as a 13 or 14 year old who's just getting into the music.

I believe that it is important to know the lineage of your instrument - the players and the physical instrument itself, and the music.

The lineage of your instrument is important from the player standpoint, because you begin to hear the influence. You can understand why and how a player draws from the players before him/her. Listen to Lew Tabackin for not just the Coleman Hawkins, but the Don Byas and the Sonny Rollins in his sound, phrasing and lines. If you talk to players who are new to the soprano saxophone, they are indebted to John Coltrane, but what about Steve Lacy?

If you think of the history of an instrument, you can figure out why players played the way they did. Especially on the saxophone, the invention of left-hand pinky-rollers was a huge innovation. Before they were invented moving around that key cluster was very awkward. Have you ever owned a Buescher True Tone? That was one of the reasons for me to switch off of them. The ergonomics were awkward on that part of the horn. This is just one example. But you could relate that to the reason players from that period didn't spend that much time around that end of the saxophone.

Another point to touch on is style. How was an eighth note played in 1925? '45? '65? '85? today? What kind of vibrato was in style?

The reason that I think that lineage is so important, is because it creates an active listener. When you start understanding nuances in sound, rhythm, texture, etc. You integrate what you like into your playing concept and taking something from the greats can't hurt.

It's incredible to watch my students hear the influence another player has on another - they then find out what they want to sound like. They develop a concept for their sound. They feel time in different ways. To me, it all comes down to active listening.

What do you think about these clips? What do you like? What catches your ear? Can you hear the influence?

Body and Soul

Coleman Hawkins

Dexter Gordon

John Coltrane

Michael Brecker

Chris Potter

What do you like? What catches your ear? Can you hear the influence?

Open Scales

I have never enjoyed practising scales. I understand the purpose and their value (even tone, technical dexterity, rhythmic accuracy) but even with all of the positives, I still have a hard time enjoying eating my musical vegetables.

That is, until lately. This is definitely not a new discovery, but I have found a way to make the study of scales work for me. I've called it "Open Scales."

I take a scale and play it out of time. My goal is to create an interesting melody for myself by varying the rhythmic aspect. Essentially, I play each scale freely. The beauty is that I don't have to think about the notes (they are within the scale - moving step-wise). As I create different rhythms it feels like I'm playing a cadenza.

I have found that there have been many upsides to this kind of exercise. One thing that I've noticed is that I play scales for hours now. I'm simply finding scales more interesting. Since I am in total control of the exercises' flow, I feel more connected to each idea. Instead of just a set of notes, I am creating phrases.

I am also spending more time with the metronome. When a new idea emerges, I can develop it over the horn, and I push my technique differently. I feel like it's more practical. When I get an idea that doesn't execute cleanly, I hit the metronome. Now, I have goals!

Tone develops from another perspective as well. In particular, I am focusing on how intervals relate within a scale. For example "F" is the sixth of "Ab" and it sounds and feels very different when traveling to the seventh as opposed to the fifth.

Also related to tone is colour. I feel as if my spectrum has become broader. It's fulfilling to hear all of the different colours that are within a note and how they change from interval to interval. As I spend more time on this concept, I am gaining more control of the pallette, and realizing the potential of each phrase.

I have tried this with a few students as well. It's great fun and extremely to see what they come up with. It's a real study in perspective. I find myself grabbing a lot of ideas from my students - because it's fresh. I'm also seeing how creative my students can be.

Prior to starting this method of practising scales, I practised scales daily, with a metronome, full range, at various volumes, and with many different articulations. With incorporating this into my practise routine, I was looking for a new perspective that might enhance my enjoyment of an integral part of learning the horn.

Airport Travel

Many of us who travel frequently understand the risks of taking our instruments to an airport, but we also have experience in this matter and we usually, can come to an agreement with the airport employee that we are dealing with. I often have friends and students who are traveling for the first time that ask me what my experience is, and how I get by carrying my tenor or even baritone saxophone on an airplane.

Here's an example of a recent email -

I am a grade 10 music student and I play the alto saxophone, and my school band is travelling to England in April for a music competition. I was recently in a music store and had taken a look at some of the soft sided alto saxophone cases. My mom and I figured that they would be a lot lighter and more comfortable to carry around, but we were not sure if they would fit on the air plane as carry-on and we know how careful some of the people are when they load on luggage.

Based on the dimension given on the various websites, the cases are not considered carry-on. I was wondering if these cases would provide enough protection for my saxophone if it was checked baggage.

So if it was your instrument and it had to go underneath the plane with the checked baggage, would you feel comfortable with it in one of the soft sided cases, or would you stick with the standard wood / plastic case?

My answer -

Here's my experience in regards to flying.

I am a multi-instrumentalist (woodwinds) but primarily a tenor saxophonist. I carry my instruments in leather gig bags. The advantage - they are light and I can trek around pretty easily with more than one instrument. The disadvantage - they are soft and if I'm not careful, the instruments can get damaged very easily.

I fly quite frequently and I always carry my instruments on the plane (some exceptions - if I have my flutes and/or my clarinets, I have, but not always, stuck them in my luggage, or have shipped them). I even carry my bari sax on when I fly. My cases are larger than carry-on size, but I have never flown with them in cargo.

Now to your questions.

If it were my instrument, I would not go underneath into checked baggage. There is no option for me. My saxophones would be near impossible to replace (1931 Selmer Cigar Cutter tenor saxophone, 1930 Selmer Cigar Cutter alto saxophone, 1932 Cigar Cutter baritone saxophone). Any damage is signifcant damage, especially if I'm heading straight to a gig. So, my instruments never get flown in checked baggage.

I would not feel comfortable shipping a horn underneath the plane in a soft case. I know people who ship their horns in Protec, BAM, Walt Johnson (the older ones) and Hiscox cases. These cases are either soft on the outside and have a hard shell on the inside, or they are totally hard-shelled cases.

I would feel safer with one of the cases that I mentioned above, rather than a standard box case. The padding on the inside of those cases are (typically) more forgiving - meaning softer. I also find that they hold the saxophone more securely.

Now for my advice.

Try and carry your sax on the plane. Here's a list of things that you can do or think about.

Get a nice case. You never know what they are going to let you do at the gate. You need to be prepared.

Call the airport. Explain your situation. "I am a musician, traveling with a large group. I have an expensive saxophone that I would like to carry on the plane..." Take the name of the person that you speak with.

If you get a nice case with a shoulder strap. Carry the horn on your shoulder - it looks smaller.

Show up early, speak with the flight attendant.

Smile.

Be polite.

Even with all of the advice that I can give you, you still have to be prepared for anything. I have had success so far, but I am always ready for the answer that I don't want.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

Cheers!

R

I know that the AFM (American Federation of Musicians') is currently trying to get a standardized set of guidelines to keep this issue from being a case-by-case basis. As far as I know, nothing has come of it yet. If anyone has any other experiences to share, or any advice, feel free to comment.

Too Early?

I have a student who's in grade six (I assume that she's 11 or 12 years old - I've never asked), and she's just started to play the flute (so far, we've developped the Bb and F major scales). In her last lesson, she asked me to teach her "Lester Jumps or something like that..." so I played the melody to "Lester Leaps In" and she perked up right away and exclaimed "that's the one!"

I wrote out the melody and gave it to her. We spent the rest of the lesson firming up the rhythm (she can play the notes consistently) and I sent her home. Her homework for the next lesson - memorize the tune.

I'm very excited that a student that is young has taken an interest in the music that I love. I've asked several other music teachers in the area what they think in regards to her age, experience and their teaching methods. I have gotten too basic responses - "too early" or "go for it!"

So, I ask teachers (in all subjects), parents and anyone else who has an opinion a few questions -

If a young student shows interest in a subject, do you acknowledge it?
If not, are you stiffling their creativity in any way?

Transcription - Joel Frahm - Pennies From Heaven (Chorus One)

I have been doing a lot of lifting lately, and therefore, quite a bit of intense listening. One saxophonist that has caught my ear is Joel Frahm. I had the opportunity to chat with Joel while he was in Ottawa (unfortunately, I missed both his shows for my own gigs, but caught him afterwards). Super nice guy! He even tried my new horn (Selmer Cigar Cutter Tenor - I love it!).

This transcription, from Sorry, No Decaf, grabbed my attention because of the phrasing of the melody, and because of Joel's inside-outside breaks (check out bars 15-16 and 31-32). As far as
I've heard, the trio (Joel Frahm - tenor sax, Doug Weiss - bass, Matt Wilson - drums) play over the standard changes, but I'll update that as I move through the rest of the solo.





As I was transcribing this, I went through the first few times in real time, and I caught quite a bit of it. Then I put the solo through Transcribe! which helped me out. I found that the intro was harder to write down than to play. The 6/4 bar drove me crazy (I kept trying to figure it out in 4/4), but overall pretty straight ahead. Frahm's use of space in the next couple of chorus' have been fun to figure out, but they're not quite ready to go. I'll post them soon.