Does it get any cooler than this... Experimental Ellis and his orchestra, performing boogie woogie in 7 with three bass players, two drummers a conga player, 5 trumpets, one quarter-tone trumpet, 8 more horns and a piano/organ player? Perhaps it does... ... but have yet to see. Mr. Ellis states that it is in 7/8 but I hear it as 7/4. But who am I to argue with the metric maestro. Anyways, this song really swings the 7, grooves that beat 7 to the bar.
Don Ellis Orchestra - Beat Me Daddy 7 Beats to the Bar - 7/4
Beating 7,
BetZe13
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Showing posts with label don ellis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label don ellis. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Thursday, September 10, 2009
New Rhythm Book Teaches NINE
Here's an excerpt on NINE from Don Ellis's "New Rhythm Book" found in Chapter 6 "An Approach to Odd Time Signatures for Keyboard and Guitar Players' by Milcho Leviev. Its not the basic basics of NINE, but gets into interesting concepts.
Just makes you want to super impose in NINE? Well I might help slightly if I had the accompanying vinyl (soon, I say soon universe), or if we started from the beginning of the book, or if was easier to read. So here's what it says:
"The time signature of 9 could be a regular one (3+3+3) or subdivided irregularly in 4 different ways: 2+2+2+3,3+2+2+2,2+3+2+2,2+2+3+2. Lets examine this pattern: Example 73.
This is the rhythm section's open vamp for the solos. The rock bass line was derived from a more simple pattern at the beginning of the chart which shows the subdivision of the meter clearly: Example 74
Notice example 73, what the drummer's cymbal is doing. It is playing even quarters with are on the heavy beats in the first bar and on the off beats in the second bar. If we cancel the bar between the two measures they will become one measure of 9/4. Remember this, because when we later begin to analyze 'Strawberry Soup', a composition in which the measure of 9 is exploited in almost every possible way, we will see the basic concept is just the opposite. It is written in 9/4 and is subdivided in two bars of 9/8.
You might say all these things have nothing to do with your playing the piano or guitar, but that is not true. We have to be aware of everything the other players are doing especially the bassist and drummer.
'Relaxing Todora' was written in 9/8 instead of 9/4, because the bass pattern and some of the horn figures would look very unclear on paper otherwise, and because the main feeling is one of rock. We know that in the rock idioms we think in eighths and even sixteenths, rather than in quarters. A parallel between a regular 4/4 rock and this kind of 9/8 would make the matter clearer: Example 75
For soloing on this pattern, we should definitely think in sixteenths in order to get the driving feeling. A staring point could be one of the horn patterns: Example 76
'Strawberry Soup' is one of the richest (musically and technically) compositions of Don's creativity and on the Band's bag, as well. As it was said before, here we have 9/4 subdivided in two 9/8 bars: Example 77
The 9/4 bar could be treated as having 9 even quarters or 3+3+3 over 4. The two 9/8 bars obviously are of the kind 3+2+2+2 over 8. Feeling the two measures together (9/4 and the same time the two 9/8s) is the basic task for soloing in this piece (if we have and open vamp D-7). The challenge becomes much greater if we want to solo on the basic 10 bar blues type structure of the piece. For that purpose we need the following scheme: Example 78
If you are strong-willed enough to first understand and then to practice and feel comfortable in a structure like that, you won't have any problems playing in the 'oddest' of meters!"
Get it now? I'm starting to nineit. More lessons to come.
Schemin' NINE,
BetZe13
OddTimeObsessed.com Tune in
.
Just makes you want to super impose in NINE? Well I might help slightly if I had the accompanying vinyl (soon, I say soon universe), or if we started from the beginning of the book, or if was easier to read. So here's what it says:
"The time signature of 9 could be a regular one (3+3+3) or subdivided irregularly in 4 different ways: 2+2+2+3,3+2+2+2,2+3+2+2,2+2+3+2. Lets examine this pattern: Example 73.
This is the rhythm section's open vamp for the solos. The rock bass line was derived from a more simple pattern at the beginning of the chart which shows the subdivision of the meter clearly: Example 74
Notice example 73, what the drummer's cymbal is doing. It is playing even quarters with are on the heavy beats in the first bar and on the off beats in the second bar. If we cancel the bar between the two measures they will become one measure of 9/4. Remember this, because when we later begin to analyze 'Strawberry Soup', a composition in which the measure of 9 is exploited in almost every possible way, we will see the basic concept is just the opposite. It is written in 9/4 and is subdivided in two bars of 9/8.
You might say all these things have nothing to do with your playing the piano or guitar, but that is not true. We have to be aware of everything the other players are doing especially the bassist and drummer.
'Relaxing Todora' was written in 9/8 instead of 9/4, because the bass pattern and some of the horn figures would look very unclear on paper otherwise, and because the main feeling is one of rock. We know that in the rock idioms we think in eighths and even sixteenths, rather than in quarters. A parallel between a regular 4/4 rock and this kind of 9/8 would make the matter clearer: Example 75
For soloing on this pattern, we should definitely think in sixteenths in order to get the driving feeling. A staring point could be one of the horn patterns: Example 76
'Strawberry Soup' is one of the richest (musically and technically) compositions of Don's creativity and on the Band's bag, as well. As it was said before, here we have 9/4 subdivided in two 9/8 bars: Example 77
The 9/4 bar could be treated as having 9 even quarters or 3+3+3 over 4. The two 9/8 bars obviously are of the kind 3+2+2+2 over 8. Feeling the two measures together (9/4 and the same time the two 9/8s) is the basic task for soloing in this piece (if we have and open vamp D-7). The challenge becomes much greater if we want to solo on the basic 10 bar blues type structure of the piece. For that purpose we need the following scheme: Example 78
If you are strong-willed enough to first understand and then to practice and feel comfortable in a structure like that, you won't have any problems playing in the 'oddest' of meters!"
Get it now? I'm starting to nineit. More lessons to come.
Schemin' NINE,
BetZe13
OddTimeObsessed.com Tune in
.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
9-9-09 The New Nine - Wicked Cool Song of the Year
Leave it up to Don Ellis to write the 'Wickedest Coolest Song of the Year'... Well actually it was recorded in 1966 but this is the year and this is the day of the New Nine... 9-9-09. Here are some details from the 'Live at Monterey' liner notes: "This 2223 subdivision of 9 is common to many countries (among them Turkey, Greece and India). Harmonically it is based both on Indian Raga and the Blues. At one time or another, the following subdivisions of 9 are heard: 2223, 2232, 2322, 3222, 333, and 222222222 (over 2 bars). At the very end a 333 and 122122233 (over two bars) subdivision of the basic 2223 is heard."
So have a listen to some samples from this 11:27 min song:
Holymenoly this song sure smokes and in every combo of NINE... Now I am really getting the feel for NINE and I think I am diggin' it. The organ lead, the trumpet and clapping solo and the overall poly rhythms in NINE are especially cool. Congratulations New NINE you are the 'Wickedest Coolest Song of the Year' (by me, haha).
Newly NINE,
BetZe13
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Friday, August 21, 2009
Cool Song of the Week: Don Ellis - Arcturas
I just can't stop listening to this song -
Isn't this the funkiest 70s big band song in 10 that you've heard in a while? Would you agree with me that this composition would appeal to the Arcturians' creative sensibilities? I do think that they would be (are) honored to know that this brilliantly grooving dynamically orchestrated song with a base of 10 (leadership in numerology) was written for/about them.
Far Out,
-BetZe13
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The New Rhythm Book - Don Ellis
So I finally got my hands on this long lost 'manual' aka work of brilliance. I'm so infatuated with Don Ellis I can't help it and yes he would be my 80 yr old husband if he were still alive, but he's not.
This book wants you to play odd meters with ease. Mr. Ellis found that trying to teach his band odd meters was challenging no matter the proficiency of the musician. This is how this book was born. It covers: Historical Background, Basic & Advanced Concepts, Indian Ways of Learning New Meters, Balkan Meters and more. I will be taking these concepts and approaches step by step and report on it. But I can tell you so far the Indian way of counting is uncomfortable to me - I prefer conducting, but more on that later.
Ta Ka Di Mi, Ta Ka, Ta Ka, Ta Ki Ta, Ta Ka,
-BetZe13
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Friday, July 25, 2008
Happy Birthday Don Ellis
Don Ellis b. July 25, 1934 d. Dec 17, 1978
A Day Out of Time
Do you think that Don Ellis was born on the “Day Out of Time” by accident? Well I don’t. He is a rhythmical genius and showed us that you don’t have to live in 4/4 time.
What is a day out of time? Well it is based on the natural time calendar that was used thr
ough out the world before Gregorian hijacked time. It is based on the 13 month 28 day cycle equaling 364 days which leaves one day for partying. I like that. Many cities of foreign origin celebrate this day and adhere to the 13 month calendar. Also many cultures of foreign origin play music that is not based in 4/4 – coincident? For me, 13 is the way to be! For more natural time cycles there so informative sites out there: one I enjoy is:
13Moon.com
Thanks to a Greg, a wicked cool listener, I have learned much about Don in the past few we
eks. Funny, I spent four years at a Jazz school and never heard of him. Well we didn’t do much with meters there anyways, so it is not that surprising. Anyways, I certainly would’ve remembered these compositions. If I could I would interview Don, but I have a close second. On the liner notes for “live at Monterey” he reveals himself as quite the visionary rhythmasist. Check out what he has to say:
Odd Time Obsessed - Don Ellis
So celebrate this day by listening/dancing/playing/writing to your favorite un-4/4 meter. Guess what I chose? Yep, one for every moon.
Being in 13,
-B
OddTimeObsessed.com
A Day Out of Time
Do you think that Don Ellis was born on the “Day Out of Time” by accident? Well I don’t. He is a rhythmical genius and showed us that you don’t have to live in 4/4 time.
What is a day out of time? Well it is based on the natural time calendar that was used thr
ough out the world before Gregorian hijacked time. It is based on the 13 month 28 day cycle equaling 364 days which leaves one day for partying. I like that. Many cities of foreign origin celebrate this day and adhere to the 13 month calendar. Also many cultures of foreign origin play music that is not based in 4/4 – coincident? For me, 13 is the way to be! For more natural time cycles there so informative sites out there: one I enjoy is:13Moon.com
Thanks to a Greg, a wicked cool listener, I have learned much about Don in the past few we
eks. Funny, I spent four years at a Jazz school and never heard of him. Well we didn’t do much with meters there anyways, so it is not that surprising. Anyways, I certainly would’ve remembered these compositions. If I could I would interview Don, but I have a close second. On the liner notes for “live at Monterey” he reveals himself as quite the visionary rhythmasist. Check out what he has to say:Odd Time Obsessed - Don Ellis
So celebrate this day by listening/dancing/playing/writing to your favorite un-4/4 meter. Guess what I chose? Yep, one for every moon.
Being in 13,
-B
OddTimeObsessed.com
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