Challenge #16: Black Orpheus Solo (Paul Desmond)
Submission Deadline: November 10, 2013
Paul Desmond composed one of the most famous jazz pieces ever, ‘Take Five’. It appeared on the ‘Time Out’ album with pianist Dave Bruebeck. The band was bass, drums, piano, and alto sax.
Paul Desmond did an album not too long after that called ‘Take Ten‘. It’s a recording I like quite a bit. One of my favorite tunes on there is the theme from Black Orpheus. So I decided to work on the solo.
Paul Desmond has a very unique style. Charlie Parker respected him a lot for playing his own way (when many at the time were trying to copy Charlie Parker).
Check out the original recording. And I have recorded the first few pieces played slowly.
Listen to the original and check out my recordings, and get it by ear.
I have the first bit, 1:09 to 1:15 on the recording, broken into three sections.
Having it broken up like that means you can set it on repeat as you work on it. And it’s slowed down a bit compared to the recording.
saxophone_tribe_black_orpheus_desmond_solo_slow_1
saxophone_tribe_black_orpheus_desmond_solo_slow_2
saxophone_tribe_black_orpheus_desmond_solo_slow_3
(mp3s, right click and save on your computer)
Also, here is a file with parts 1 & 2 together:
saxophone_tribe_black_orpheus_desmond_solo_slow_parts_1_and_2
And if you’re having trouble with #3, here it is broken into two parts:
saxophone_tribe_black_orpheus_desmond_solo_slow_3_first_part
saxophone_tribe_black_orpheus_desmond_solo_slow_3_second_part
jeff patin says
hey neal lost on ear .can read music
Neal says
Hey Jeff,
Did you try the first piece of this? It’s a small section of music, five notes with a few repeated.
If so, where did you get lost?
Thanks
KT says
Just picked up sax…been since June when I ended up in hospital and out if it for over 3 weeks and then a week later fell and broke my elbow. Really rusty…today I tried some piano just to review reading sheet music. I am better at reading than by ear, and reading got rusty.
Neal says
Hey Kate, you can try working on things like this on the keyboard too. That’s actually how I worked out quite a bit of it.
Works well if it’s too late to play saxophone too.