Bebop heads: Donna Lee

[AllanAllen]

Aaron asked me to transcribe that tune for him before he went on the Phil Schaap Show to talk about the origin of DL. I told him there were some similarities, but it was obviously a different tune based on "Indiana" Tiny was amazing, the guy was a drummer, yet he was able to write something like that! There's proof that Fats Navarro improvised a line very similar to DL that was recorded a few months before the first version. Listen to his entrance at 1:32
.
We had this discussion here about this nine yeas ago!
It sure sounds more like the way Fats played than The Prince of Darkness played. According to a pianist I used to play with, Miles used to get booed off the stand when he played with Bird back then.
My guess is that jazz back then was an aural language that was passed down during jam sessions where guys developed "lines" over popular chord progressions like "Indiana". Aaron didn't refer to DL by name, he referred to it as the "line" that they played on Indiana.
Aaron was so big back then, he was being referred to as the "white Bird". He told me that he saw Bird while he was walking down Broadway at that time, and Bird said, "Don't you try to hide from me. I know who you are!"

But someone had to write out the line that Miles and Bird played in unison, and the P of D might have been cunning enough to do it. Who knows?
"Only the Shadow knows..."

Who is the Prince of Darkness? What are you talking about? Why did the guy who played Tiny's Con need you to transcribe it? I'm so confused....

[mr. beaumont]

Who is the Prince of Darkness? What are you talking about? Why did the guy who played Tiny's Con need you to transcribe it? I'm so confused....

The Prince of Darkness! You know, the Chameleon. The Man in the Green Shirt, man.

[Mick-7]

Who is the Prince of Darkness?

That was a nickname for Miles, so named for his sometimes Jekyll and Hyde temperament (exacerbated later on in his life by his addiction to pain killers). Wayne Shorter wrote a tune by that name.

[GuyBoden]

Here's a few more practice licks from Bars 5-8, transposed into C Major changes.

I'm trying to create licks, whilst learning the tune.

Maybe, they might or might not be useful licks for other players too.

[AllanAllen]

That was a nickname for Miles, so named for his sometimes Jekyll and Hyde temperament (exacerbated later on in his life by his addiction to pain killers). Wayne Shorter wrote a tune by that name.

I had a thought it was Miles, but he also said Davis in the post. I'm easily confused.

[Christian Miller]

I had a thought it was Miles, but he also said Davis in the post. I'm easily confused.

Well if you colonials will insist on using surnames as given names, this exact confusion will arise.


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[sgcim]

Who is the Prince of Darkness? What are you talking about? Why did the guy who played Tiny's Con need you to transcribe it? I'm so confused....

Aaron didn't write it, he just sightread it in the studio. He was a child prodigy who could sightread anything. Guys tell me that they used to hear him featured on the radio when he was still in his teens, playing live every week. He was in his 80s when we played in the same band, and he probably didn't want to go through the trouble of writing out a fast tune like that, when he could get a young guy who worshiped him to do it for him.

The first words he ever said to me were "Whatever happened to Dick Garcia?" Every jazz guitar player he knew always wanted to know that, so he was kind of kidding around. He used to do studio work with him in NY, and one day he just disappeared. Unbelievably, years later I stumbled on to the answer online, when his nephew had posted something about his uncle being a once famous jazz guitar player. I emailed him and asked who his uncle was, and it turned out to be Dick Garcia! He told me he was still alive and living in "isolation" in his parent's house, studying and practicing Zen Buddhism. Aaron told me that Garcia was always a 'hung up' guy who was always complaining about all his problems all the time, so maybe Zen Buddhism brought him the peace he seemed to be searching for.

Hearing Aaron play solos in the band was a religious experience for me. He created high art every time he improvised. No BS, just pure melodic jazz genius.
He told me he was married to the jazz vocalist helen merrill, and when he woke up one morning , she was gone, along with the piano!
His son, Alan Merrill was the guy who wrote the tune "I Love Rock and Roll, Put another Nickel in the Juke Box Baby".
Sadly his son was one of the first casualties of the COVID pandemic while playing gigs in rock clubs when it first broke out in NYC.

He told me a story about the John Lewis album he played on, "Little David's Fugue". While all the other guys were drinking and getting high during the breaks, Aaron would sit there playing Bach on the flute. John Lewis came up to him and asked him what he was doing. Aaron said "Practicing Bach". John Lewis thought about it for a little while, and said, "Hey, you know that's not a bad idea. Maybe I should try something like that!"
Aaron worked hard to control his laughter.

[lawson-stone]

There was a thread on here about Dick Garcia a few months back.

[GuyBoden]

More practice licks, these are for Bars 9-14, transposed into C Major changes, but down an octave.

I'm trying to create practice licks, whilst learning Donna Lee.

Repeatedly playing each lick in isolation, seems to help with remembering them.

I'm posting them here, because they might or might not be useful for other players too.

(Edit, I didn't realise that bars 13-14 were included.)

[AllanAllen]

Here’s my slow and sloppy first night.

[GuyBoden]

I thought I had caught up with the thread, but bars 13-14 seem to have been included with the latest 4 bars.

I'm getting there slowly, but I'm playing 100bpm.


Good thread, I'm enjoying playing Donna Lee. I always thought it was too difficult for me to play, which it is at 200-300 bpm.

But now, I'm playing Donna Lee as a nice gentle soothing ballad at 100bpm.

[AllanAllen]

I thought I had caught up with the thread, but bars 13-14 seem to have been included with the latest 4 bars.

I'm getting there slowly, but I'm playing 100bpm.


Good thread, I'm enjoying playing Donna Lee. I always thought it was too difficult for me to play, which it is at 200-300 bpm.

But now, I'm playing Donna Lee as a nice gentle soothing ballad at 100bpm.

Yeah, it was decided that 13 and 14 were part of the line started prior.

I like it nice and slow too. Things get too fast and they sound spastic to me.

[lawson-stone]

Here's my 180 bpm clam bake. Tried to push it as hard as I could with several new fingerings that I hope ultimately will help me play it a little faster.

[GuyBoden]

Here's my 180 bpm clam bake. Tried to push it as hard as I could with several new fingerings that I hope ultimately will help me play it a little faster.

Well done. Nice tone, that's a lot faster than I can play the phrase.

[GuyBoden]

I've caught up with bar 9-14 after my holidays.

I think the phrase is nearly correct, but slow, maybe about 120bpm.

This is played on my 7 string with a Sax plugin, I like the fake Sax sound.

[mr. beaumont]

To crossover threads a bit, as part of my summer of rhythm guitar I've decided to bash out some Freddie Green chords for Donna Lee for anyone to use as a backing (if they choose, no obligation) Swing to Bop, if you will.

What do you all think is a fair bpm? 180? Maybe a slower and a faster version?

[lawson-stone]

Here's my discussion about the next phrase followed by running through mm 1-16 at about 160-170 bpm. Hope it helps someone, or at least encourages them that they are not the worst player on the thread!

[lawson-stone]

To crossover threads a bit, as part of my summer of rhythm guitar I've decided to bash out some Freddie Green chords for Donna Lee for anyone to use as a backing (if they choose, no obligation) Swing to Bop, if you will.

What do you all think is a fair bpm? 180? Maybe a slower and a faster version?

Wonderful idea. I think for most of us 160-180 could be a reasonable tempo. Maybe two times through, once at a slower tempo and then again a bit faster?

[AllanAllen]

To crossover threads a bit, as part of my summer of rhythm guitar I've decided to bash out some Freddie Green chords for Donna Lee for anyone to use as a backing (if they choose, no obligation) Swing to Bop, if you will.

What do you all think is a fair bpm? 180? Maybe a slower and a faster version?

Slower and faster is cool. 140 and 180?

[AllanAllen]

Here's my discussion about the next phrase followed by running through mm 1-16 at about 160-170 bpm. Hope it helps someone, or at least encourages them that they are not the worst player on the thread!

The bebop cliche at 30 seconds is a quote from Honeysuckle Rose, and it's such a cliche we already had it once in this head.

[lawson-stone]

The bebop cliche at 30 seconds is a quote from Honeysuckle Rose, and it's such a cliche we already had it once in this head.

True, though I expect it was used prior to Honeysuckle Rose, but that's how most players tag the lick. I'd forgotten that!

[Tal_175]

To crossover threads a bit, as part of my summer of rhythm guitar I've decided to bash out some Freddie Green chords for Donna Lee for anyone to use as a backing (if they choose, no obligation) Swing to Bop, if you will.

What do you all think is a fair bpm? 180? Maybe a slower and a faster version?

It's funny I just started working on this as well. But to me Freddie Green comping isn't just going chuga-chuga four to the bar hitting the same voicing but changing voicing on every beat (moving at least one line). Is that also what you mean? 180 and above would be quite a work out in that particular style especially if it's improvised (as opposed to playing a chorus with worked out movements).

[mr. beaumont]

It's funny I just started working on this as well. But to me Freddie Green comping isn't just going chuga-chuga four to the bar hitting the same voice but changing voicing on every beat (moving at least one line). Is that also what you mean? 180 and above would be quite a work out in that particular style especially if it's improvised (as opposed to a prearranged movements).

Freddie rarely changed on every beat, actually. I've been studying him a lot. And at high tempos--one note chords baby!!!

I'd definitely just work something out for this. It's going to be a while before I feel comfortable improvising in FG style rhythm guitar...

Just don't ever call it comping


I'll try a couple of speeds for y'all. Why not? Summer of Rhythm Guitar begins!

[Tal_175]

Freddie rarely changed on every beat, actually. I've been studying him a lot. And at high tempos--one note chords baby!!!

I'd definitely just work something out for this. It's going to be a while before I feel comfortable improvising in FG style rhythm guitar...

Just don't ever call it comping


I'll try a couple of speeds for y'all. Why not? Summer of Rhythm Guitar begins!

You're probably right. I have only studied Freddie Green from secondary sources. I am not that interested in big band style comping but I find it useful as a way of practicing moving voicings with passing chords.
When it comes to playing one voicing per beat in 4/4 time, things that I work on are variations of:
The main chord (first beat) - a passing chord (second beat)- substitute of the chord (third beat) - approach to the next chord (fourth beat).

Sort of like these examples:
Harmonic Techniques to Create Moving Chord Progressions using Three Note Voicings
Part 2 - Harmonic Techniques to Create Moving Chord Progressions using Three Note Voicings

Anyway, this discussion probably belongs to your rhythm thread.

[Old Nick]

Slower and faster is cool. 140 and 180?

I'd like to add a vote for 140. I think it's a good tempo for working out fingerings and picking..at least for slugs like me