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At the jam, one group played Caravan but just vamped on the C7b9 for the solos. Now here it's a shame not to play the whole thing. It's not that hard.

Take 5 is harder to comp with the B section, but once you figure it out, even that B section isn't that hard. Though admitedly I did Take 5 at a jam for the very first time and I couldn't play anything on the B section. It's hard when you have barely 10 seconds to analyze a tune.

yeah. You can go either way. Just saying I believe that's how it's played on the landmark album. A quick Desmond Solo followed by a long drum solo. That's how we do it too. It's a fairly boring tune, and I never look forward to it. But it always gets called...

Crowd loves it though. I've got the audience specifically saying we did a great job in it. So I guess they like something about it.

It's easy to run out of ideas on Take 5 for me but at least the sax can run long notes through it and not be so rhythmic.

I might see if I can play outside on Take 5 for a little tension. Haven't tried that yet but it's a minor vamp like So What. I was wavering on whether to play this again at my next gig.

Some days ago I posted Bye Bye Blackbird I recorded "at first sight". I didn't know the tune before and someone just asked me to play it.

So just for comparison here's another version. What's different here is I listened to Keith Jarrett play this over the last couple of days and then I played it.

It's about the same tempo as what Jarrett did.

Bye Bye Blackbird
http://www.box.com/s/ptkbnzclfijdl5sr81bc

Jazzwee, I like what you're doing on Bye Bye Blackbird up until about 1:10. Very nice melodic ideas and space. And it has it's moments after that as well. But to me, there's a lot of it that just doesn't sound like the changes. I might have mentioned this before, but have you tried recording yourself playing over the changes without comping, then remove the backing track and see if you can still hear the changes in your lines? Also, I'm curious what chords you played in the head during bars 17-20? They sound good, but I don't play it that way. Got my changes from the real book, so they're probably not right.

Scott, I was using the chords on my iRealB app. I didn't check the Real Book version on chords but on iRealB it has that chromatic chord sequence that I used.

As far as whether I'm making the changes. Absolutely making specific choices here. I was following Jarrett's lead. On some you hear me focusing on extensions rather than on chord tones. I just hear it at that moment maybe because I heard it like that. In fact, I would now probably sub more and be more confident about going more out, particularly on this tune.

It's funny how I sense the shifting comments on "melodic" lines. I had a discussion with my teacher(s) on this, and you realize that players shift from melodic to harmonic all the time. As someone said to me, it would be boring to be utterly melodic at all times. I had focused overly on melodic in the past and someone actually said to me that I've completely abandoned the jazz idiom and sound too much like myself.

So I'm putting in more eighth note lines, more bebop influence, and then hopefully I'll see where the balance comes out. My teacher tells me that my voice will come out in this balance. When I listen to you play, you already have the strong bebop influence so I'm sure you're seeking out the other side. We'll meet in the middle I'm sure

One thing I realized though from trying to play with a Jarrett influence on Blackbird is that I missed all the subtle Jarret syncopation that's part of his phrasing. I'm only hearing it now when I focus on small lines (I'm transcribing some of it -- well I'm copying it but I'm not writing it down).

I really appreciate the detailed comments!

Here's a straggler recording, I missed posting from the same Jam session.

Recordame
http://www.box.com/s/7m49h88oyuf8a6jqkage

JW, I am not really sure what you mean when you say 'shifting from melodic to harmonic'. Can you describe what you mean?

I agree with Scott. It seems to me like you slip out of the harmonic progression. - and maybe also hmm the fun of playing BBBB. It's a fun, but also slightly sad song (which is not about Black birds - but a prostitute singing bye bye to her johns (the black birds) and she's going home back to her mother . . .). I would also like to hear you lay back with the LH, until you really must have a chord - maybe as an answer to the RH - and also "know" where to put the LH

Well I never knew that. It is not clear though even after I have read the (usually unsung) verses about 'bluebirds'. I guess I just don't know the right slang.
I wonder if knowing this will make me play it differently.

Maybe singers would interpret the song differently.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1945/what-are-the-rest-of-the-lyrics-to-bye-bye-blackbird

I've got to find the Coltrane version
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bye_Bye_Blackbird

wikpedia always accurate, coltrane won a grammy 1981

>>(which is not about Black birds - but a prostitute singing bye bye to her johns (the black birds) and she's going home back to her mother . . .).
Wouldn't that be a happy thing?

My favorite version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ja2v0CI4Po

Not always, and nothing that can't be rectified. He was awarded it post-hum. in 82. Check again.

Great Trane version here... 22 minutes long, quality not that great but amazing music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tLWLNhBWfY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyZXMPpRY-c&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r2tLYza1Ng&feature=related

McCoys solo is on the 2nd part. awesome

why would he receive a grammy posthumously for some obscure bootleg live recording? boggle..

Thanks BB, yes it is!

Boggle it is, now on iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bye-bye-blackbird/id166156043

Melodic to me is slower. Has a more "singable" phrasing.
Longer notes typically.

The other side to what I hear in jazz playing was called by my teacher as "harmonic embellishment". Typically lots of fast playing and more dense.

When my teacher was explaining this, he played Jarrett style for a moment to demonstrate this shifting.

What he was telling me was that, just like Jarrett, it sounds really good to frame those fast, dense lines with melodic snippets.

He said the mix between the two styles of playing is part of someone's specific voice since some will have more of one than the other. For example, Jarrett will have a higher melodic content.

Now obviously, if you slow down some fast playing it could sound melodic too but I think my teacher was talking about it from the perspective of a listener.

Thanks for the explanation. It makes some sense but is a little bit like saying you can divide what someone plays into fast notes and slow notes. Are 1/8 notes melodic or harmonic, or does it depend on the tempo?