From A Child Is Born (2011)
I have a confession to make: I'm not a big fan of Christmas music (sorry!) That's why I like so much Geri Allen's Christmas album A Child Is Born: it's a little Christmassy, and a lot jazz!
Amazing Grace (video)
Here she re-harmonizes Amazing Grace with great delicacy and a very modern feel. As always with a rubato piece, I tried not to overload the score, finding a balance between the precision of the rhythm transcription and the simplicity of a readable idea. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do!
A Child Is Born (video)
A great version of this Thad Jones standard!
Live in Marciac, 2013
Unconditional Love: complete score, piano, piano + vocals, bass (video, original video)
This is a beautiful tune written by Geri Allen, played by a great feminine trio. I've transcribed Geri's piano + esperanza spalding's bass & voice (Terri Lyne Carrington's drumming is equaly amazing, but I don't know anything about drums!)
To avoid overloading the piano part during the solo, I chose to simplify it a bit by writing it on a single staff.
mercredi 24 novembre 2010
Pierre de Bethmann
Go (Pierre de Bethmann 4tet, from his 2012 album Go)
Another complex tune in 5/4 and 3/4. You can find the leadsheet (and some samples) on his website. The solo is uncomplete, but you can have a good idea of how Bethmann approachs this tune.
Pierre de Bethmann 4tet, from his 2012 album Go
On Change
This tune is, like many other Bethmann's compositions, really complex and hard to play. I've notated the theme in 7/4 6/4 7/4 5/4, you could write it in 13/4 - 12/4 or another strange thing, it seemed right to me this way…
Pardi : Leadsheet and transcription
Pardi (from Chaud-Froid, 2022) Video Here
Two versions of this tune, a favorite of mine! A simple and beautiful melody is combined with strange chords and odd metrics.
Pierre de Bethmann trio, from Essais, vol 1 (2015)
Sicilienne (Video)
Based on Gabrie Fauré's song for cello and piano.
Pierre de Bethmann piano solo, from At Barloyd's (2016)
Recall (simplified leadsheet and video)
Another cool swinging tune with crazy rhythms!
Pierre de Bethmann trio, from Essais, vol 5 (2020)
Thingin': transcription, piano reduction (video)
This is a Lee Konitz composition, based on the changes of All The Things…, rearranged by Pierre de Bethmann. These simple scales add such a powerful drive to this song, I love it! I've transcribed Pierre's solo, and the first part of Nelson Veras'.
Can't Help It (video)
This is a cool tune written by Stevie Wonder for Michael Jackson. I love Bethmann's voicings, really fun tune to play!
Another complex tune in 5/4 and 3/4. You can find the leadsheet (and some samples) on his website. The solo is uncomplete, but you can have a good idea of how Bethmann approachs this tune.
Pierre de Bethmann 4tet, from his 2012 album Go
On Change
This tune is, like many other Bethmann's compositions, really complex and hard to play. I've notated the theme in 7/4 6/4 7/4 5/4, you could write it in 13/4 - 12/4 or another strange thing, it seemed right to me this way…
Pardi : Leadsheet and transcription
Pardi (from Chaud-Froid, 2022) Video Here
Two versions of this tune, a favorite of mine! A simple and beautiful melody is combined with strange chords and odd metrics.
Pierre de Bethmann trio, from Essais, vol 1 (2015)
Sicilienne (Video)
Based on Gabrie Fauré's song for cello and piano.
Pierre de Bethmann piano solo, from At Barloyd's (2016)
Recall (simplified leadsheet and video)
Another cool swinging tune with crazy rhythms!
Pierre de Bethmann trio, from Essais, vol 5 (2020)
Thingin': transcription, piano reduction (video)
This is a Lee Konitz composition, based on the changes of All The Things…, rearranged by Pierre de Bethmann. These simple scales add such a powerful drive to this song, I love it! I've transcribed Pierre's solo, and the first part of Nelson Veras'.
Can't Help It (video)
This is a cool tune written by Stevie Wonder for Michael Jackson. I love Bethmann's voicings, really fun tune to play!
Carla Bley
Carla Bley is a musician I have loved and listened to for years, an inspired and unique composer, and a pianist full of surprises. Of course, you can hear some Monk in her love of dissonance and her clumsy playing (on purpose!). But to me there's more: like John Lewis, she seems to try to produce the most effect with the fewest notes possible. She keeps things simple – and always groovy: her rhythmic language is very strong.
I really like her duo albums with Steve Swallow, and her trio albums with Andy Sheppard. Her big band albums are obviously great, but I don't feel like embarking on this kind of transcription…
From Duets, with Steve Swallow (1988):
Romantic Notions #3 (Video)
This is a weird tune. It starts with dissonant, awkward chords, followed by some solos over those chords (AABB). It's a bit hard to recognize a real theme, there are bits of melody that you hear several times, but I couldn't figure out much more. But anyway, it's a great fun to play!
Edit: I just bought Carla's score for her Romantic Notions, and without surprise I got most of her rhythms wrong… I'll let it this way, because I believe that my version is very readable (if not accurate). If you want to dig in, buy her score on her website!
Útviklingssang (Video)
I suppose this is one of Carla Bley's most famous compositions, and rightly so: the melody is very beautiful and the harmony is both simple and full of subtlety. She plays this piece with great simplicity, like a song, which gives even more emotional weight to the moments of tension.
I use the chord names and structure that I found on Carla Bley's leadsheet, but if you ask me, I would rather notate G/A than Am11 ; and D/E than Em11.
From Trios, with Andy Sheppard and Steve Swallow (2013):
Vashkar (Video)
This is a catchy piece composed in 6/4, an unusual meter carried by Steve Swallow's groovy bass lines. Dissonances, strange and exotic scales, rhythmic richness: everything we like!
I really like her duo albums with Steve Swallow, and her trio albums with Andy Sheppard. Her big band albums are obviously great, but I don't feel like embarking on this kind of transcription…
From Duets, with Steve Swallow (1988):
Romantic Notions #3 (Video)
This is a weird tune. It starts with dissonant, awkward chords, followed by some solos over those chords (AABB). It's a bit hard to recognize a real theme, there are bits of melody that you hear several times, but I couldn't figure out much more. But anyway, it's a great fun to play!
Edit: I just bought Carla's score for her Romantic Notions, and without surprise I got most of her rhythms wrong… I'll let it this way, because I believe that my version is very readable (if not accurate). If you want to dig in, buy her score on her website!
Útviklingssang (Video)
I suppose this is one of Carla Bley's most famous compositions, and rightly so: the melody is very beautiful and the harmony is both simple and full of subtlety. She plays this piece with great simplicity, like a song, which gives even more emotional weight to the moments of tension.
I use the chord names and structure that I found on Carla Bley's leadsheet, but if you ask me, I would rather notate G/A than Am11 ; and D/E than Em11.
From Trios, with Andy Sheppard and Steve Swallow (2013):
Vashkar (Video)
This is a catchy piece composed in 6/4, an unusual meter carried by Steve Swallow's groovy bass lines. Dissonances, strange and exotic scales, rhythmic richness: everything we like!
Stefano Bollani
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