Wasn't sure what I was in the mood for music-wise last night, but having left Miles Davis in the car and sort of feeling trumpety, I put on some Lee Morgan. Since The Sidewinder also appears in the Real Book, I listened as I watched the music for a bit, then I just listened. I made up my mind to try and play the song before going to bed.
It's not easy. The song looks pretty simple, but it's deceptively difficult, at least at the start. Just playing the melody line, it doesn't even sound like the song. I couldn't get it going at all. I think part of the difficulty lies in it not being a standard blues riff, in that the brain wants you to go I-IV-V-I, but there is no IV (per se) to lead you there. I wonder if that isn't what makes the song so genius, so classic, so timeless, and all the superlatives that are attached to it as one of the greatest jazz songs of all time.
Listening to it in the car this morning, I sense that the song really cannot be played by solo piano. I mean, of course it can be played, but I don't think I have the chops to keep that bass line going at the right tempo through those eighth note runs. The piano solo portion is out of the question in any event. Maybe I'll have better luck on my second try tonight. Maybe, like Coltrane's Giant Steps, I'll have to abandon it for now.
Monday, March 17, 2008
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