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Dave... very cool! It's kind of a dreamy rendition which I like, but it retains some of the bebop flavor. I agree that the digital piano is limiting, but for the most part you pull it off well. I'm wondering if a little more punch might be good during the head and as the improv develops further in, just for more contrast. But overall, I really like the feel of it .

So I'm excited to share some recordings from our second trio rehearsal last night. We were occasionally overwhelmed and lost in attempts to do some things that still need work. And we read Minority, which I've only played maybe a couple of times a long time ago, so I need to get more familiar with the head. I'm particularly excited about what we're trying to do with Green Dolphin St. The ending fell apart but it's a blast switching back and forth between 3 and 4! Comments and critiques are welcome as per the norm .

http://www.box.net/shared/jckgj0p1s01phua94a5d

Dave,

I really liked Bouncing with Bud. I'd keep practicing that one for a few months and then record it nicely on the grand. A bit much reverb on the CP for me, but I don't know that you can improve that.
You might want to sign up for box.net. For small files, it's much better than divshare.

++

Hey Scott,

I love the idea of the time switch. Have you thought about 6/4 instead of two bars of 3/4? That way you can even float more. Green Dolphin is one of my favorite tunes, and I think you guys did a great job with it.

I'll have to listen to the rest at another time, but really busy at the moment.


(and as a side note to the others that have posted tunes--nice stuff! but haven't had the time to be on the forum much. D. Ferris I liked your BWB. Some very cool voicings)

Back aways in this thread there is a discussion of Bill Evans' Very Early. There is a great story on that tune in the Piano Jazz with Kenny Werner. He suggested playing that and Marian noted that's it's a very hard tune. Werner related that he had a bad gig one summer where he got paid only $75 per day, but at least it was every day. Usually no one was listening, so he decided he'd play Very Early the whole time, unless someone seemed to be listening, in which case he'd play something else. So the whole summer he worked on Very Early in two keys and got it down.

jjo, I was doing solo piano a couple of months ago and I felt like no one was listening (as expected). Also the piano was so far away in a big dining room so it really couldn't be heard that distinctly the other end.

So I decided to practice Very Early Might as well put the time to productive use. I even tried Very Early in a jam session but clearly the bass player was struggling and it's always confusing where the bridge is.

Now has this enabled me to play Very Early well? No. LOL. I can play the changes well enough. I just never felt I could communicate some really good melodic ideas with this tune.

I think I mentioned this before. Joe LaBarbera (from the last Bill Evans trio) thought the tune was so difficult that Bill Evans skipped the bridge during the solos. Coming from a member of the trio, I thought that was funny. And then pianist Bill Cunliffe said (he was playing with Joe L.) that this is one of the most difficult tunes in jazz and was surprised to hear audience members playing the tune. Two of us were playing Very Early on a couple of pianos before the performance started (we were not playing it well though ). I almost thought Bill C. was going to show off by playing Very Early but he played Waltz for Debby instead.

So Very Early is always on my set list. We typically do 15 tunes in a gig, and Very Early is #16. Never seem to get to it. LOL.

Of course to Beeboss, Very Early is a piece of cake, so I guess it is not universally difficult for everyone.

Dave,

Great version of Bouncing With Bud. What's the secret to the way you are voicing the chords?

J+

Hmm... not to diminish what Dave does in any way, but he actually didn't solo over the changes. He had an ostinato bass line that implied the A section somewhat, but didn't modulate to Dmaj, or Db/Cmaj for the rest of the head. I did like what he did alot though, FWIW, but it wasn't soloing over Very Early.

There. The glove has been thrown down. Let's record this one again!

Absolutely! I remember the first recording I posted and I can barely keep up with the changes. But that's awhile ago now.

We need to revisit all the other tough tunes too to make sure we got better (like Nef). I tend to post a one take recording of something in early stages and seldom post a followup. Less pressure on me to post something better. LOL.

I happen to be watching a Bill Evans Video right now (Very Early happens to be the opening tune).

LOL. J+ you've asked him this a million times and Dave F. doesn't respond. So what is the secret?

Nice playing Dave!

Guys, I don't know if I can honestly answer that question- I really don't think there is a "secret". It's just how I play. Be- Bop is always at the foundation of what I do but I've also spent a lot of years working on chord voicings, coming up with my own structures, analyzing Ravel, Debussy and Chopin, doing the "grunt work" of painstakingly transposing all these voicings and structures to all keys.

The end result hopefully is a culmination of this work, all my gigging experiences not to mention the all the wonderful players I've had the opportunity to play with these past 32 years.

I think I've mentioned a few times how I was influenced by my teacher Terry Trotter who has a very personnel and intimate style in regard to not only chord voicings and harmony but to touch, sound and technique relating to the piano as an instrument..

Also lessons with Clare Fischer in the '80s made me realize how little about harmony I really knew--the only bad part was that Clare was a terrible teacher one on one.
It wasn't till I met Bill Dobbins at a master class at an IAJE conference in Long Beach where he was talking about his book(that I've also mentioned as a big influence) "A creative approach to jazz piano harmony".
This finally gave me a concrete way to work on this stuff. it's a lifetime study concept. I've been working on for at least 10 years now. It's basically Clare Fischer's concepts explained by Bill much better then Clare himself could..

To add--I've always listened very closely when playing with other people --checking out what colors work and what doesn't. I'm always taking chances, experimenting (sometimes it doesn't work), editing what I play to try and get a more concise, focused statement. It's part of the creative improviser's makeup I feel.

The influence of being around so many great cats. hangin' with them, listening to their stories, hearing them at clubs. I had a few lessons with Jimmy Rowles- sounded like a genius at the piano with no chops whatsoever...I've stood next to Billy Childs watching him and listening him to him do his magic.....God so many great players here in LA.

With regard to the practice room and the *studied* side of things--There are so many method books out there I think it can get to the point of confusing you. You have to try and visualize how you want to sound and where you want to take the music...it's pretty deep and personnel and I'm probably not the best guy to try and put it into words on an internet forum.

But try taking a three or four not structure and getting into the innversions, the drop 2, drop 2/3, drop 2/4, closed position and then looking at how many different bass notes will work with the structure. This is a lot of the Dobbins book.

for example--take a simple G, C, D three note structure. Look how it changes colors when you put a Eb in the bass, an Ab, Bb, F, A, E or B. Already we have 7 different chord colors or possibilities on a simple 3 note structure and that's not even talking about the innversions or the dropped and closed positions.

Bill also has some great sections in his book relating to musical discovery and creativity.

I don't know if this helps at all...this topic is so vast. A creative improviser draws their influences from many areas, always listening, checking out new things. It might not be for you but you least you're aware of it. You have to trust your inner voice on which path to take basically...Rowles, Terry Trotter and Clare showed me you don't have to be a chopsmeister to make beautiful music. But that said, the Chopin and Debussy Etudes are the cornerstone of my technical development, which in turn helps me execute what I need to do- to say what I want to say...if that makes any sense at all.

You asked about that Whisper Not thing.....the best I can explain it was I might have just finished practicing some Bach WTC for an hour and was just in this zone and tried some new stuff. Listening back it it sounds like I was in a somewhat New Orleans Dr. John type groove in a two feeling.....now I don't particularly listen to him but I know the style and like it. I was going to try and verbalize what I did but I don't think I can... I could demonstrate at the piano though.

I could keep talking about this stuff but I think anyone who has put in the time gets the picture....

Thanks Cee and glad to see you here. Cee's a great composer and player..really nice, interesting stuff. Check out some of his compositions and arrangements on his site.

This is getting to be a cool hang with all the players here. You never know what BB's going to amaze us all with next...

Scott Coletta-haven't had the chance to hear your multiple tunes on box net yet but was on your site and listening a little. Really enjoyed "In a sentimental Mode", love that tune. That was VERY nice man.

And thanks everyone else for the nice comments, always appreciated.

Actually there's a little story behind this short quote. And it came from none other then the man himself-Chick Corea at JAX in Glendale of all places.

I've told this long story on another forum so some of you might have read it there. But basically Chick came into this place with his wife Gale to eat dinner, they have great food. Long story short, I was playing there every week and someone in the band pointed out he was sitting over in a corner booth listening and eating dinner. Needless to say I was shaking in my boots, on the break I went over to greet him. He was very cool and asked how bad the piano was. I told him it was brutal, he said ...yeah been there but you're doing a great job of dealing with it. That took some of the pressure off and I proceeded to ask him what he still works on. I remember it like it was yesterday.......I'm always working on saying more with less, the key is to make the most communicative statement. You have to edit out all the extra stuff and be more concise.---that might not be an exact quote but it's pretty close.

I thought about that for months and still think about it today when I play....

Wise words Dave.
I have also been checking out the Dobbins book, so much to work on in there, too much even. Some of those chords have really been stretching my ears, in a good way.
I am digging your version of Bouncing with Bud as well. Must really learn that one.

Hey Sceptical, I did solo on the sequence, the idea of the vamp thing wasn't to avoid soloing on the chords ;-) They may be pretty challenging changes but they are not so hard.
I generally find tunes hard in proportion to how much I have played on them, so for me Waltz for Debby is harder than Very early because I have never worked at that one but with Very early I've played it off and on for at least 15 years or longer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob-Vs5Ms9Ow

Actually I think the things that appear easiest are just as hard. I've been practicing a lot of Mozart recently, I can't remember who said it is 'too easy for children but too difficult for adults' but that is exactly right.

I would like to hear some other recordings of it though, i may even do another myself.

Thanks Scott, for the kind words and the pointers on the trials and tribulations. Appreciate those. BwB was the first time I played this, and I'll be definitely keeping it and working on it.

Just enjoying Spain now, great arrangement. That is really the kind of thing I like.

Thanks for taking the time to listen and your words of encouragement and critique. Yeah, it's hard playing with the other two, basically they come from the world of Fusion, RnB and Soul but have recently fallen in love with Jazz. We've been talking about having some wood-shedding sessions (maybe bring in a coach or two) . . . to smoothen things out, they are willing and able however and having live guys does beat canned . . .

Great hearing your version of BwB, your solo somewhat reminded me of Paul Bley; rooted in straight but a free flow to it.

Just wondered of some of you guys might have missed this posting...


And thanks Scep for the comments on Green Dolphins St.

Also, Dave Ferris... thanks for the vote of confidence on Sentimental Mood. I really like that rendition but I've always wondered if maybe I'm just delusional . I was really trying to do something different with it but I wasn't sure about some of the stuff I tried there. Now if I could just improv in that style!