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Originally Posted by lawson-stone
Nitpicks only: seemed as if some phrases swung harder than others. That happens to me (regularly) when my mind wanders away from feeling the swing.
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01-25-2021 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
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Originally Posted by lawson-stone
John
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Beatrice is a one of most popular jazz tunes on Youtube.I found a lot of different versions of this tune.
As I see it is not so easy to play/improvise/ about it-not easy for non advanced players.
I found about 20 prof versions of Beatrice on youtube.Now I will start to analyse solos.It is a lot of work.
Best
Kris
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Wow, so much stuff here....that's wonderful.
I wanted to make sure to comment on a few people's takes who I had never commented on their stuff before...
wzpgsr, really enjoyed that. A really nice example of how to play slower lines that are rhythmically interesting and not overtly trying to swing and sounding corny in the process. That's deceptively hard.
Ronstuff, I've really enjoyed both of your posts, great tone, tasteful playing, totally in pocket. My kind of playing.
This has been a very enjoyable 2 weeks. Already looking forward to this week's jam.
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'October 29, 2012
The recent passing of saxophonist and composer Sam Rivers on December 26, 2011 was followed by an outpouring of critical praise: for his brilliant work as a leader and sideman, for the loft studio and performance space he operated in the 1970s, and more. But above all, Rivers is remembered for “Beatrice,” a deeply felt ballad inspired by his wife. First recorded on his visionary debut as a leader, 1964’s Fuchsia Swing Song, “Beatrice” bridges the gap between hard bop and free jazz, with a fluid structure that Rivers floats over to create the illusion of formlessness.
Part chord changes, mostly mood, it has since become a jazz standard and a staple of tenor saxophone repertoire in particular, covered by too long a list of players for this space. Similar to John Coltrane’s “Naima” for its muse, “Beatrice” is the product of one of the pivotal love stories of the post-bop era. After 56 years together, Rivers outlived his wife by seven years, and one listen to the song goes a long way toward explaining the longevity of their love.
Beatrice managed operations for Rivbea Productions, their company together, and was a fixture at Studio Rivbea, the Bond Street performance space that served as an incubator for then-underground jazz luminaries including Anthony Braxton, Hamiet Bluiett, and Henry Threadgill. The growing popularity of Studio Rivbea, coupled with his forward-thinking compositions, made Rivers a leading figure and spiritual guide for the ’70s jazz loft scene.
Though Sam Rivers continued pushing the boundaries of the avant-garde for the rest of his career, “Beatrice” stands out in the indomitable saxophonist’s oeuvre, a promise of the shape of jazz to come, a minimalist deconstruction of jazz convention, and a pure expression of love. Playing the tune is a bit like windsurfing; a balancing act that demands attention to its varying waves, but carries those who have internalized the free-flowing aesthetic and know which direction they want to take it.
Rivers wrote “Beatrice” as part of his daily composition ritual, when he thought of his wife as the ideas started percolating. Tony Williams, who Rivers met as a young teenager, had come over for their regular jam session, and Ron Carter stopped by as well. Rivers started playing the tune for them, and it quickly crystallized. Little did he know he was immortalizing his wife. Williams and Carter eventually served as the rhythm section on the original recording, abetted by pianist Jaki Byard, whose sumptuous block chords set the mood. It begins with a rubato piano intro typical of a ballad, but as the tempo picks up, Rivers never sacrifices the wistfulness and emotional charge of some slower standards, even as he maintains the propulsive force of a mid-tempo arrangement.
Rivers’s tone on tenor was the textural equivalent of a water bed, well-suited to his simple statement of the melody before he attacks the solo with smooth phrasing and double-time gliding phrases that never seem too overbearing even as his approach gets more aggressive. This sits in stark contrast to the rhythm section’s behind-the-beat accompaniment, a tension that’s released as Rivers tapers the end of his final chorus.
Ron Carter reappeared on Joe Henderson’s rendition of “Beatrice,” recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1985 and released as The State of the Tenor, Vols. 1 & 2. Here, Carter abandons his more reserved earlier style, as heard on the Rivers version, in favor of a brash bass line that puts him front and center. Recorded in a trio setting, with drummer Al Foster, Carter assumes comping duties, playing chords throughout much of the performance. Henderson has a more feral sound than Rivers, and is given to a full exploration of the horn up to the peaks of its range. Channeling Rivers’s tone poem, he seems to practice a more rough-hewn brand of love given to trills and bleats, with Foster and Carter varying the dynamics along with him, but when it comes to the melody, not even Henderson is willing to abjure the written line.
Alto saxophonist Greg Osby is the nominal leader of the Blue Note New Directions project, though the saxophone line is conspicuously absent from this group’s version of “Beatrice,” released on New Directions in 2000. Instead, the band opts for a vibraphone-piano duet between Stefon Harris and Jason Moran. The two possess an instant chemistry, and arpeggiate their way through a loose version of the song, with shifting tempos and liberal use of the vibraphone pedal. The group slows down the original, and dispenses with drums altogether, developing a trance-like mood—more characteristic of Brian Eno than jazz—that bookends the piece and conjures yet another variation on the love theme that nevertheless rings true. Where the melody begins and the collective improvisation takes over is orchestrated seamlessly, unlike the more tightly woven Henderson and Rivers tracks.
Robert Glasper takes “Beatrice” in yet another direction on his sophomore release for Blue Note, the 2001 trio disc In My Element. He sets it to a bright tempo and a 7/4 meter. The odd time signature gives the impression of always hurtling into the next measure, perhaps to convey the butterflies in the stomach that even a man married as long as Sam Rivers was can still feel in the presence of his wife. As with much of Glasper’s work, he incorporates a funk and Latin influence, facilitated by drummer Damion Reid and bassist Vicente Archer, especially during the tune’s outro. Despite these seemingly complex alterations to the original, the emotive power of “Beatrice” remains undeniable, proving that it’s the rare tune that can be played at almost any tempo without sacrificing its head-over-heels heaviness, or perhaps its essential lightness.'
http://www.bluenote.com/spotlight/be...ale-of-a-tune/
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Ragman, nice article.
It is without a doubt a wonderful tune. As Kris points out, deceptively difficult, but also, in my opinion, accessible. You could just take the chords at face value, and the lovely melody, and play off those and be quite content...or you can explore the several "harmonic environments" the song sets up and revel in quite a bit more space.
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Exactly. Apart from playing standard bebop over it, you can do almost anything you like with it. There's a lot of lydian/dorian stuff. Also minor subs... or you can just float along happily as read.
In fact, it's really hard to contain it in a couple of choruses. It's just not that kind of a tune :-)
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Originally Posted by John A.
Anyway, you've given me a lesson on my clip that I will take to heart and think about as I continue exploring this tune. Thank you again for that.
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Thank you for this thread. It's wonderful to hear all your takes on this lovely tune, thanks for sharing them. Beatrice is one of my favorites and I'd been playing it on and off in live jam sessions for some time, though not lately. At the moment I'm unable to play or record anything, so I hope it's OK to share a past recording.
The other players are people who showed up for a weekly jam session that night last Fall, and I was trying out a PRS Studio through the house amp, a Roland JC-120. I enjoy playing the changes and agree it's crucial to internalize them, but I still usually find myself meandering after a couple choruses. Thanks for listening.
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I noticed a couple of people sharing versions by their favorite artists. Here's a gem of a recording from the early 80s, with Chet Baker and Bill Frisell. I've seen transcripts of Baker's solo on the net.
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I thought I'd do something with a backing track for that, you know, dynamic sound. Probably the last one but who can tell. Just getting round it, basically, nothing fancy. That's the good thing about this tune and also the bad thing - it doesn't matter :-)
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Originally Posted by JazzPadd
Really enjoyed your take as well.
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Just because it was mentioned in that awesome article ragman posted (thank you!), here is Robert Glasper's version:
Glasper was the only "modern" musician that I could really get into during my college days. Still love his playing. He's taking jazz forward by taking cues from popular hip hop & R&B song form whilst paying homage to the past. Plus, he's one cool mother... watch your mouth!
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My favorite most modern solo of Beatrice.
Brad Mehldau:
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Originally Posted by PickingMyEars
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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These first two weeks have been good for my soul, people. I hope everyone continues to participate.
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Originally Posted by PickingMyEars
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So I just posted this because I found a fun quote to use in the solo chorus, and came up with a couple ways to do the final 4 measures. Since I started working on this tune, I've had an "ear-worm" that I finally figured out and realized it could work in a solo. Since all the great players liked to quote things, here is mine!
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Lawson -
It's very nice but you're probably overworking it now. What you should do is forget it for, say, a week, wait till you're relaxed, then just sit down and bang something out. You'd be amazed. The brain's had time to absorb all the bits and pieces and it'll deliver.
I've noticed a thing with well-known players, the ones we all know, that what they play never sounds forced. You never become conscious of them thinking 'Oh, I'll stick that lick in now'. It just flows out because it's sufficiently internalised. Probably after years of playing the same kind of music, I shouldn't wonder.
Just a thought.
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I thought I'd take my own advice and see what happened... When I first did this (then unknown) tune I found it became rather 'formless', which it apparently does for most people; it's one of its charms. At one point I kept it going for about 20 minutes till I was sick to death of it and even then didn't feel satisfied. It was awful - in an addictive sort of way. Which you probably found too re. your 'ear-worm'.
Anyway, I just did this, as it came out, bearing in mind I haven't thought about it for some time now. I've noticed a couple of things. Before, I kept making the F-Gb-F sound like flamenco and I didn't want that. I tried to avoid it but couldn't, for some reason. You'll notice that I haven't done it this time. Well, perhaps a little. The subconscious strikes.
Then there was the ii-V-i in the middle. Before, I was avoiding using the D harmonic minor because I thought it sounded a bit sweet and didn't fit with the feel of the rest of it. But this time I just used it and it's fine. The mind is strange.
Then, before, I could never play an Fm at the end, I kept going back to an F major because it 'felt right'. Now it wasn't a problem. No force, it just came out naturally. Again, the internalisation process given a chance.
Your music is much, much better than mine. Your ideas are musical, melodic, and pleasant to listen to. I think I'm too basic, maybe boring, but at least I can play it without worry, too much cognition, and get a reasonable result. No prizes, but it gets by.
There you are, all my secret confessions! Not usually aired in public. So here it is, for what it's worth.
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Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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Originally Posted by ragman1
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RIP Nick Gravenites
Today, 05:48 PM in The Players