Here is the last of my transcriptions of Kid Ory, this time from 1953. In many ways this is similar to the others but it does represent a difference in style from the other Kid Ory solos that I have transcribed.Harmonically the solo remains very simple – for example the 1st and 3rd bars simply outline the 3rd and fifth of a Bb chord. In the main he still sticks to chord tones (aside from that rather daring 6th in the 5th bar!!). Simple rhythms and repetitions are again the order of the day.Whilst this solo does retain some trademark smears & growls it also presents a new side to Ory’s playing. The tone is much softer and rounder – a gentler approach all round. There is also a more refined vibrato in play on the long notes – gone is the wide, uncontrolled sound from previously transcribed solos. Having heard this solo I can’t help wondering why he didn’t use this sound more often as I certainly find this more appealing than the brighter/brasher approach.

So what have I learned from transcribing these 4 solos by Kid Ory? Well from a technical trombone point of view – not a lot. Harmonically also these do not present a challenge. However the benefits are there to be seen. My training/experience does give me a better technical grasp of the instrument and harmony than Ory perhaps had but this is not neccesarily a good thing. I have learned that when playing this style of dixie/trad jazz I am far too busy in what I am trying to play – and also further outside of the harmony than I need to be – simplicity in both seems to be the key. I’ve also taken on board some ideas on sound and approach – those little smears and growls which crop up so often for Ory maybe something that I introduce in future for jazz of this style.

For a biography of Kid Ory visit:
Wikipedia
Red Hot Jazz
BBC Jazz Profile

This solo from ‘Down Home Rag’ comes from a 1945 recording – the second period of Ory’s career. What is very interesting is that Ory’s style remained unchanged for 40 years. At the time of this recording Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gilespie were in the early stages of BeeBop.

The style of Ory’s playing was to accompany the lead instruments of trumpet and clarinet by playing bass lines and harmonies behind thier more florid lines. When moving into a solo section (as shown below) his playing departs very little from this basic premise.<!–more–>

There are a couple of basic figures that Ory uses. Firstly (as in bars 1, 5, 9 etc) he very simply outlines the root, 3rd, 5th of the Eflat chord. Then there is the widespread use of the flat 3rd – a very basic way to give a ‘bluesy’ feel but much use by Ory.  Lastly there is the use of the gliss or smear – really these fall somewhere between the two.

Aside from the choice of notes the playing style is very typical of trad/dixie trombone style (and this may be because lots of others imitated Ory’s style). Short notes are clipped very short and long notes are given a wide vibrato treatment (acheived with the lips not the slide). The general sound is smaller/thinner and more direct than is common now.

The third of my Kid Ory transcriptions comes from a 1953 recording. Although 8 years later than the previous 2 transcriptions it is interesting to note that his style has remained unchanged.

Again the structure of the solo is very simple – the second half is basically a repeat of the first. The notes chosen are mainly simple chord tones (ie C, Ab, F for most F minor chords). As this is a much slower tune than the previous 2 Ory does change his sound – there is widespread use of flutter tounging which achieves a more ‘down and dirty’ sound.

One more Ory transcription to follow. I’ll then move on to another player.

So here’s the second of my transcriptions by Kid Ory from a 1946 recording.

Whilst this is a different tune there are many, many similarities between this and the previous Ory transcription. The chord structure as previously is very basic – just 2 chords in the entire chorus. Ory does little to dispell this simplicity with his solo outlining the root, 3rd and 5th of each chord. Again vibrato on the longer notes and very short on the short notes. The use of smears or glissando’s is also again prevalent – here however it is used as a way to transition between C and Bb – often the exact note is unclear as he is sliding somewhere between the two.