Jeffrey Stewart Newton, Esq.'s Page

Hi Bev -

I've been doing a bit of transcribing of portions of some of my favorite of your Dad's solos.

Ive never done a lot of transcribing. I find that players who do end up sounding like somebody else, but I just got a computer program called
"Transcribe," so what the heck.

Anyway, Stan is what I call a "natural" musician since his ear and lines flowed so seamlessly from one to another. I know you know what I'm referring to...

One of my favorite of his records is the one he did with Chick Corea and also with Bill Evans. I have them on a double LP that I played a LOT when I was in music school.

Some of Stan's lines that I liked so much surprised me when i figured out what they actually were. By this I mean that, for example, portions of his solo on "Night and Day" (Bill Evans version) that I consider as creative Jazz improvisation at its highest form are just so "THERE" to be played when you compare them to what he played just before them (in the solo) that they HAD to be played! Does this make sense? I mean, I"VE played the same tunes a ka-billion times and I never would have thought to play those great ideas!!!

The only other player that I know of that did (does) this is Sonny Rollins.

The other thing about these particular gems of Stan's are that they SOUND easy but are NOT easy. Some of them just don't "lay" on the horn very well but he makes it sound like they do.

I read an interview of Stan's recently where the interviewer said that Stan said that he really never practiced as an adult as he was gigging all the time. He also said he tried to "take as much reed OUT of the sound as possible." If you know, could you elaborate on that concept? I THINK I know what he meant (and I've been playing since 1973), but I'd love you take on it. If you don't know, that's cool.

Me and my pianist are about ready to record our duo CD, so I'll let the site here know abut it when it's done.

Hey - do YOU play music?

Best,

- Jeff Newton