Swingin'est album, "Basie Straight Ahead" comes to mind first. Back in the 90's I had the unequaled privilege to play with the remnants of a big band from the '40's. Still had a few original members including the two alto sax players, lead trumpet, piano and rhythm guitar players. An education in swing from the guys who lived it during the heyday.
Nobody swings harder on the sax than Zoot “King of Swing” Sims & Al Cohn (combined, they really level up each others playing to another level), on any album. But especially on Zoot & Al , Jazz Live at the Half Note (with Phil Woods too). 🔥 🔥 🔥
Great video! Back in the 90s I saw a tv show with Jimmy Heath talking about this. He was singing almost straight 8th notes, but the legato push on the offbeat was huge and it swung like crazy. Practically, I always found the Lennie Niehaus books to be excellent workouts, played nice and slow with a metronome.
And like always you can never go wrong playing along to records. To me Charlie Parker in particular is incredible when it comes to articulation and "micro-dynamics"
Oh hell yes. The opening rhythm section to "You'd Be so nice to come home to" Swings SOOO hard and it's beyond words to describe WHAT makes it so? Ya know?
@@drwallysax I think it's the almost "audibly invisible" gliss sound Art Pepper has, combined with the titular "Rhythm Section" of course! Actually, I'll go out on a limb and say that record's version of 'You'd be so Nice to Come to' is my favourite alto sound of all time. I can't remember the story completely, but in Art Pepper's biography, he recounts recording that album : he hadn't played his horn in MONTHS and was in a heroin-induced stupor. He grabbed the sax and when he tried to pull the mouthpiece off, so too did the cork, so he just slapped some duct tape on it. THAT is what produced those heavenly sounds, insanity.
No horn to be found, but George Shearing and the The Montgomery Brothers yields some of the swingingest stuff known to science. If you have not heard the album, you are in for a treat. And it will remind some just how truly great both Shearing was (few peers on the ivories), how equally stunning Wes was, and what a tremendous unit the Montgomery Brothers were. All time great stuff. Any unit with the Adderly Brothers is another recommendation. But especially with Louis Hayes. Everyone knows Cannon, but his brother Nat swung very hard on the cornet. He had a beautiful sound. Great lesson Doc. Thanks!
@@drwallysax Doc, I've listened to this record probably more than almost any other jazz record, or any record for that matter. It is a masterpiece - I don't use the word lightly. Check out the album cover - the look on Shearing's face says it all. I predict satisfaction, but let me know what you think, regardless.
Lovely! More tips, thanks Dr. Wally...now I go play again! Found a long forgotten album called Atlantic Blues Piano, various artists, from Albert Ammons to Ray Charles, but....lots of groovy but unknown sax players doing backup. Great to play along with....
I learned the tonguing techniques from guys like Niehaus by book etudes and exercises, and always a stickler for tone, and intonation or whatever, but nowadays, I just mimic what the jazz greats did from the old days because it goes beyond embouchure, tonguing, and hitting notes. Fingering techniques, overtones, altissimo, and everything else all rolled into one is part of it, so you got to be like really careful about critical listening and knowing how to parrot what you’re hearing. I used to study via printed material, but after getting down all the basics, all keys, arpeggios, octave or other intervallic jumps, chromatic runs, etc. and understanding basic functional harmony, I try to use my ears and brain much more. When I played melody or harmony off the page in a part time band, and had a non- musical day job, it was a bit different and easier. Now that I’m old, retired, and only want to focus on my favorite alto and tenor tunes, I really need to practice quite often to avoid rust. My biggest nemesis, aside from health issues, is soloing, but I’ve been trying to take the phrasing approaching so prevalent in the melodies of so many tunes. The saxophone bleeds cool, and is so rewarding when pleasing sound emanates from it long enough for somebody to say, “Wow, I didn’t realize how well you could play that thing!” 😂 🎷🥳👨🏻
Swingingest tunes…Zoot Sims and Oscar Peterson playing Oh Lady Be Good on the Zoot Sims and The Gershwin Brothers album. Oscar plays the melody leading into a magnificent four chorus solo from Zoot….as swingy as it gets!
A book I HIGHLY recommend for learning the jazz style is The Jazz Conception by Jim Snidero. Study the etude, study the play-a-long, play with the play-a-long, then play with the recorded rhythm section.
I'm curious about part of your approach here regarding ending notes. Better jazz is often produced by *not* have clearly defined tongued ends to the notes and a constant air pressure - but of course it depends a lot on what sort of phrases and style are involved. For example, in any Duke Ellington recording with solos by the saxophonists or brass players in his orchestra in which long notes, particularly at ends of phrases, all taper in volume or are coloured and inflected in all sorts of ways to express the individuality of the musician. Think of Ben Webster with his famous "fuf-fuf" endings of notes where the vibrato and air stream continue after the note has ceased to sound. This completely different approach to the way notes are played is part of the enormous gulf between pre- and post-bop jazz. P.S. Play your Conn alto more!
I stick to my alto heroes: Art Pepper "meets the rythm section" (You'd be so nice to come home to) Art is my nr. 1 hero. Canonball Adderley "Something Else" where he takes his solo after Miles in Love for Sale and then there is Paul Desmond with his smooth swing like in Blue Rondo a la ... Where it goes from 9/8 (I think) to a 4/4 swing...wauw!
Very difficult question. I was wondering about Cannonball Adderley recordings because he swings so hard but I ended up nominating "We Get Requests" by the the Oscar Peterson Trio.
The cat with the hardest swing I can think of, is probably Cannonball Adderley. E.g. LP Know What I Mean (with Bill Evans, listen Waltz For Debby or Toy) - or - Cannonball and Trane Quintet in Chicago.
@@drwallysax Thanks Doc - and that album in particular. Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Grady Tate and on some tunes and Louis Bellson on the others. It's a distillation.
Kind of an obscure choice, but a tune Maynard Ferguson performed in the early 1960s called "Jazz Bary" that featured Maynard on Baritone horn and Frank Hittner on Baritone Saxophone. The tune itself isn't that swinging, but when the band drops out at about 2:57 and especially at about 3:31, wow! That's the definition of swing! ( ua-cam.com/video/enhQACRxmmk/v-deo.html )
Just an observation, but you're simply articulating differently. Even your example has a longer first note and a shorted second note in each eighth note pair. Your "triplet figure" stilted example only sounds that way because of the exaggerated separation you're using between notes.
I clip the second note as it's what I frequently hear from beginner students. The "correct" example has a much straighter rhythm I assure you! There is lilt, but much less.
" A troubled marriage in the 70´s" . Doctor, you have topped yourself!!
Swingin'est album, "Basie Straight Ahead" comes to mind first. Back in the 90's I had the unequaled privilege to play with the remnants of a big band from the '40's. Still had a few original members including the two alto sax players, lead trumpet, piano and rhythm guitar players. An education in swing from the guys who lived it during the heyday.
Nobody swings harder on the sax than Zoot “King of Swing” Sims & Al Cohn (combined, they really level up each others playing to another level), on any album.
But especially on Zoot & Al , Jazz Live at the Half Note (with Phil Woods too). 🔥 🔥 🔥
Ike Quebec and Grant Green - Blue and Sentimental - Swings like hell!
Great video! Back in the 90s I saw a tv show with Jimmy Heath talking about this. He was singing almost straight 8th notes, but the legato push on the offbeat was huge and it swung like crazy.
Practically, I always found the Lennie Niehaus books to be excellent workouts, played nice and slow with a metronome.
I haven't seen the Niehaus books in decades, I should check them out again!
And like always you can never go wrong playing along to records. To me Charlie Parker in particular is incredible when it comes to articulation and "micro-dynamics"
A lot of half tonguing by Bird.
Fantastic video!!
Thanks my friend :)
Great video.
Yes! Listening is the answer. Thanks Dr. Wally Wallace! 😄
Art Pepper meets the Rhythm Section
Oh hell yes. The opening rhythm section to "You'd Be so nice to come home to" Swings SOOO hard and it's beyond words to describe WHAT makes it so? Ya know?
@@drwallysax I think it's the almost "audibly invisible" gliss sound Art Pepper has, combined with the titular "Rhythm Section" of course!
Actually, I'll go out on a limb and say that record's version of 'You'd be so Nice to Come to' is my favourite alto sound of all time.
I can't remember the story completely, but in Art Pepper's biography, he recounts recording that album : he hadn't played his horn in MONTHS and was in a heroin-induced stupor. He grabbed the sax and when he tried to pull the mouthpiece off, so too did the cork, so he just slapped some duct tape on it. THAT is what produced those heavenly sounds, insanity.
No horn to be found, but George Shearing and the The Montgomery Brothers yields some of the swingingest stuff known to science. If you have not heard the album, you are in for a treat. And it will remind some just how truly great both Shearing was (few peers on the ivories), how equally stunning Wes was, and what a tremendous unit the Montgomery Brothers were. All time great stuff. Any unit with the Adderly Brothers is another recommendation. But especially with Louis Hayes. Everyone knows Cannon, but his brother Nat swung very hard on the cornet. He had a beautiful sound. Great lesson Doc. Thanks!
Not familiar with this - but I WILL go check it out for sure!
@@drwallysax Doc, I've listened to this record probably more than almost any other jazz record, or any record for that matter. It is a masterpiece - I don't use the word lightly. Check out the album cover - the look on Shearing's face says it all. I predict satisfaction, but let me know what you think, regardless.
Lovely! More tips, thanks Dr. Wally...now I go play again! Found a long forgotten album called Atlantic Blues Piano, various artists, from Albert Ammons to Ray Charles, but....lots of groovy but unknown sax players doing backup. Great to play along with....
I'll check that out!
For me, "Pres and Teddy" is one of my swingingest albums!
Great video, One of the most swinging albums to me was Sonny Side Up by Dizzy Gillespie featuring Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins
I learned the tonguing techniques from guys like Niehaus by book etudes and exercises, and always a stickler for tone, and intonation or whatever, but nowadays, I just mimic what the jazz greats did from the old days because it goes beyond embouchure, tonguing, and hitting notes. Fingering techniques, overtones, altissimo, and everything else all rolled into one is part of it, so you got to be like really careful about critical listening and knowing how to parrot what you’re hearing. I used to study via printed material, but after getting down all the basics, all keys, arpeggios, octave or other intervallic jumps, chromatic runs, etc. and understanding basic functional harmony, I try to use my ears and brain much more. When I played melody or harmony off the page in a part time band, and had a non- musical day job, it was a bit different and easier. Now that I’m old, retired, and only want to focus on my favorite alto and tenor tunes,
I really need to practice quite often to avoid rust. My biggest nemesis, aside from health issues, is soloing, but I’ve been trying to take the phrasing approaching so prevalent in the melodies of so many tunes. The saxophone bleeds cool, and is so rewarding when pleasing sound emanates from it long enough for somebody to say, “Wow, I didn’t realize how well you could play that thing!” 😂
🎷🥳👨🏻
Listening and mimicking is EVERYTHING, you are correct! Happy practicing!
@@drwallysax Thank, Doc Wally, you too! Love your channel and your playing! 👍
there are a few albums I'd select for great swing... this is just the one that comes to mind first --
Cannonball Adderley Quintet - In Chicago
I'm going for Lockjaw Davies on Basie's "Whirly Bird".
like 652
thank you so
One of my favorite, hard swinging tunes is the classic Benny Goodman and “Sing, Sing, Sing.”
Great video, Dr. Wallace!! "Ballade" shows Coleman Hawkins and Bird swinging. Really, anything by Coleman Hawkins or Lester Young really swings!!!!
Swingingest tunes…Zoot Sims and Oscar Peterson playing Oh Lady Be Good on the Zoot Sims and The Gershwin Brothers album. Oscar plays the melody leading into a magnificent four chorus solo from Zoot….as swingy as it gets!
I'm late to the party, but check out "Tenor Conclave". Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Hank Mobley, and John Coltrane with a dynamite rhythm section.
A book I HIGHLY recommend for learning the jazz style is The Jazz Conception by Jim Snidero. Study the etude, study the play-a-long, play with the play-a-long, then play with the recorded rhythm section.
I taught out of the Snidero books for years (and the Walt Weizkof tenor version) - excellent publications for sure.
I'm curious about part of your approach here regarding ending notes. Better jazz is often produced by *not* have clearly defined tongued ends to the notes and a constant air pressure - but of course it depends a lot on what sort of phrases and style are involved. For example, in any Duke Ellington recording with solos by the saxophonists or brass players in his orchestra in which long notes, particularly at ends of phrases, all taper in volume or are coloured and inflected in all sorts of ways to express the individuality of the musician. Think of Ben Webster with his famous "fuf-fuf" endings of notes where the vibrato and air stream continue after the note has ceased to sound. This completely different approach to the way notes are played is part of the enormous gulf between pre- and post-bop jazz. P.S. Play your Conn alto more!
Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio. Swings like crazy.
THAT is an album that swings!
I stick to my alto heroes: Art Pepper "meets the rythm section" (You'd be so nice to come home to) Art is my nr. 1 hero. Canonball Adderley "Something Else" where he takes his solo after Miles in Love for Sale and then there is Paul Desmond with his smooth swing like in Blue Rondo a la ... Where it goes from 9/8 (I think) to a 4/4 swing...wauw!
I loooove all those examples. Art Pepper swings (and especially with that rhythm section) swings soooo hard on that album!
@@drwallysax I forgot one alto with a magic sound... I think his name is a certain mister Wallace (I guess)
Then again, Cannonball in Seattle, hard choice.
Lock and griff hands down hardest swingers.
Very difficult question. I was wondering about Cannonball Adderley recordings because he swings so hard but I ended up nominating "We Get Requests" by the the Oscar Peterson Trio.
Excellent choice!
Sinatra and Swingin' Brass arranged by Neal Hefti. Sinatra at the Sands arranged by Quincy Jones.
Sanatra at the Sands is one swingin' record!!!
It may sound kind of odd, but just listening to great Jazz saxophonist, like Charlie Parker or Paul Desmond, helps A LOT, at least for me.
Not at all odd! That's the key to all jazz success!
Swing feel: Listen to Scott Hamilton's tenor solo on Benny Carter's "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" - !
Love Hamilton! I'm transcribing some Carter right now (honeysuckle rose with phil woods, charlie rouse, and ben webster...soooo good!)
The cat with the hardest swing I can think of, is probably Cannonball Adderley. E.g. LP Know What I Mean (with Bill Evans, listen Waltz For Debby or Toy) - or - Cannonball and Trane Quintet in Chicago.
Excellent examples!
Swingin'est album I've heard is Zoot at East by Zoot Sims.
Zoot swings so hard and so cool. He might be my favorite tenor player. Great choice!
@@drwallysax Thanks Doc - and that album in particular. Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Grady Tate and on some tunes and Louis Bellson on the others. It's a distillation.
Oh so many swingin’ albums. But today I’m gonna to with “Ella and Basie.”
Ain't nobody swings harder as a band! "Can't stop loving" you swings so hard it can throw your back out!
The Duke, Live at Newport
Ohhhhh yes!
Not a saxophone example but Oscar Peterson Trio on the Night Train album swings hard from start to finish.
Piano in the hands of Peterson swings hard!
bird plays cole porter great articulation
The solo on Love for Sale is soooo good :)
Kind of an obscure choice, but a tune Maynard Ferguson performed in the early 1960s called "Jazz Bary" that featured Maynard on Baritone horn and Frank Hittner on Baritone Saxophone. The tune itself isn't that swinging, but when the band drops out at about 2:57 and especially at about 3:31, wow! That's the definition of swing! ( ua-cam.com/video/enhQACRxmmk/v-deo.html )
Sweet, I'll check that out!
Most swinging sax “Sonny Rollins and Thelonius Monk”, no. 2 “You ‘n Me” Al Cohn & Zoot Sims, no 3 “Way Out “West” Sonny Rollins.
Going to check out Cohn and Zoot right now!
Cannonball Adderley. Either "In San Francisco" or "The Poll Winners."
Excellent choice.
Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Parker, and Paul Desmond.
Easy! Oscar Peterson Trio, Night Train
Get yer toes tappin' and yer fingers a snappin' w/ Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims (blue note 1530)
I've got the reissue, it's sooooo good! (love the album art too)!
Frank Sinatra and Count Basie Live at the Sands. Ol’ Blue Eyes could swing a phrase matched only by Lady Day!
Getz Meets Mulligan in HiFi
Sidewinder Lee Morgan
The first two notes he plays, masterclass in style!
@@drwallysax opps, just called the same tune a few comments up. Undeniable swing!
I would say Charlie Parker in Sweden
Rhassan Roland Kirk.
Sonny Stitt, The Hard Swing!!!!
Sonny’s works crossed many lines. From being a younger alive Parker to ballads, Latin, blues and swinging with style.
Thad Jones Mel Lewis Basle 69
I have none
Hey! You're playing just a little wet... just like Stan. Never heard that from you before. Refreshing. Like a bit of distortion on a guitar.
By "wet" you mean a bit of fuzz in the sound?
@@drwallysax Thought I heard a bit of spit (wet), but could have been my cans distorting...
Just an observation, but you're simply articulating differently. Even your example has a longer first note and a shorted second note in each eighth note pair. Your "triplet figure" stilted example only sounds that way because of the exaggerated separation you're using between notes.
I clip the second note as it's what I frequently hear from beginner students. The "correct" example has a much straighter rhythm I assure you! There is lilt, but much less.