I know I know, he's not a guitar player. But still...god I love his playing.
Anyway, I've been on a bit of a Prez kick lately, transcribing a bit. I'm not a huge transcriber, but I get so much from him. Just so lyrical. No nonsense.
Anybody else ever transcribe his stuff? Anybody have any favorite Lester solos/takes you recommend us to check out.
Damn you, Jordan! I was gonna do that this summer! Do you sing them while you walk down the streets of NYC. It's good fun to practice singing phrases and people on the subway stare at you like you're crazy. I played with a harmonica player who could sing a lot of those Prez solos by memory and play em on the harp. He said it was a Tristano thing that Lee Konitz also taught his students.
@Irez
I didn't sing the blues much. It's so short and the phrases are so slow. I just listened to each phrase a few times, figured it out, and moved on. It's such a short solo that I had the whole thing down pretty quickly. Lady Be Good took a little longer. I used to sing that one a lot. Sometimes I'd sing the whole thing, other times I'd just parts that were throwing me off. But yeah, it helped me memorize it. I don't transcribe often, but when I do, I try not to just get the 'right notes' but really find ways to imitate the phrasing and the nuance. Some of the ideas in this solo, even the simpler ideas, I had to listen to, sing, and play on loop over and over and over until I found ways to replicate the fine print details of them.
What solos were you thinking of doing this summer? Any in particular? I'm thinking of sticking with Lester for a while and getting a few more of his solos under my fingers.
And Charlie Christian as one of your favorite horn players? What is so funny, is that if you listen to both of these musicians thoroughly, these comical statements actually ring true in a very serious way. Lester played a huge role in the development of modern guitar and CC with horn players. Love it when that happens
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