Hi Ethan. I'm eager to hear the etudes and sorry I can't make it to Boston for the gig. I'll be up there the following week to hear the premiere of a couple of organ pieces.
Are you transcribing versions of the Coltrane realizations too?
Thanks Christian! I think I’ll be playing this rep in NYC soon also. I improvise in the Coltrane music, it is more like straight jazz, while the arrangements of James P. are basically set.
Since all of you jazz pianists know one another, I'm hoping you can ask Aaron Diehl why when I saw him perform Timo Andres' concerto, Made of Tunes, with the Cleveland Orchestra on a Thursday night, he played a James P. Johnson tune as an encore, but on Saturday when I was recording the same concert on the radio he played Phillip Glass. Stride not worthy of a Saturday crowd? Or was he just trying to rest his fingers?
I might ask Aaron, but I think an encore is often decided in the last moment: "What do I feel like playing right now?" It's probably not deeper than that.
Mr PC seems to be stuck between two eras. Coltrane doesn't play pentatonic licks or do sidestepping during the blowing, but there are some specific scale shapes that he uses a lot, melodic minor licks and an insistence in playing augmented over the G7.
When you talk about practicing bebop, what do you think of a piece like this or Spiral? They seem more scale oriented that something like Night in Tunisia and Things to Come, at least seeing what Coltrane and Parker play in those fast minor songs.
Nice comment. Somewhere Coltrane says, “A minor blues is always good.” But there are not so many minor bebop blues. Did Bird or Bud ever play one? However, Trane played the minor blues “Birk’s Works” with Dizzy Gillespie, in fact I think that is the first recording.
The minor blues “Mr. P.C.” evolved over time. Your comment that he is using scales on the first record is dead on. But he kept playing it a LOT and his language kept evolving. (Of course you obviously know this.) I’ve also transcribed Tommy Flanagan on the original and McCoy Tyner on various great live versions from the ‘60s. I am still figuring out what I will do on a minor blues, that’s one reason I’m playing it lol. Indeed, a minor blues is almost a hole in my personal vocabulary…but I don’t want it to be. I will say that I like tonic minor for the first chord. C minor 7 is acceptable sometimes, sure, but C minor 6 or even C minor major seven is more my speed. That is also the tradition: On the first record I hear tonic minor from Trane and Flanagan, but even later with McCoy there is plenty of tonic minor. A few years later, Chick Corea on the fast C minor blues “Steps” is more like minor 7 I think.
“Spiral” is sort of like “On Green Dolphin St.” maybe. I haven’t really studied “Spiral” though.
Nice! I was having a similar journey with Mr PC these days, because on trumpet, there isn't a solo that captures that "thing" that Coltrane has and I'm wondering what is.
I'm with you on the minor sixth tonic, Coltrane plays it at the end of the phrases over the tonic many times.
The thing with "Birk's Works" is that is not a fast minor tune, you could be more bluesy or melodic. But on Mr PC's tempo, it seems that something has to happen on the line to have the incredible forward motion that Coltrane has.
Bud playing Tempus Fugit could count as "what a bebop player plays " on a fast minor tune? I know is not a blues, but maybe is relevant. Besides, I don't recall Coltrane honking the blues that much over Mr PC.
I'll check what Tommy Flanagan plays on this, it reminds me that he plays a great solo on a medium minor blues "Blue Friday" with KD (same year, even).
Ethan. The conductor of our local philharmonic is a concert pianist. 3 years back his hands got so bad he thought he would have to stop. He found Feldenkrais and within 6 months, he was better than ever. He now teaches the principles of Feldenkrais to all his players.
I like Feldenkrais, really anything holistic is good, I come out of the Whiteside and Taubman schools. My very slight soreness after going oom-pah for hours was exceptionally mild. ("I was sore where I didn't even know I had muscles" is the joke.) The holistic techniques are really for addressing the serious issue of overdoing digital strength, which is the most common cause of pain at the piano.
I would love to hear this program in person. (Come to Central Illinois!)
Weirdly coincidental: every Sunday I post a photograph from the WPA tax photographs of New York City properties, 1939–1941. This morning I posted the tax photo of James P. Johnson's house in Jamaica, Queens, about half a mile from where Fats Waller would later live. If it's appropriate to share, here's the link:
Incidentally I just picked up but have not yet read the recently-published SPEAKEASIES TO SYMPHONIES: THE JAZZ GENIUS OF JAMES P JOHNSON by Scott E Brown. This looks to be the definitive biography of the great man.
Always a pleasure to see a mention of James P Johnson. I became hooked on him 40 years ago when I picked up a solo piano recording by William Albright called THE SYMPHONIC JAZZ OF JAMES P JOHNSON, from which I continue to derive much enjoyment.
Tyner’s remarkable idiosyncratic genius has been sadly diluted by a legion of pianists (both talented and untalented) following in his wake. I flatly refuse to join their number.
This is the program...the last piece is sort of an homage to both composers
JAMES P. JOHNSON
Keep Off the Grass
Snowy Morning Blues
The Mule Walk
Jingles
Blueberry Rhyme
You've Got To Be Modernistic
JOHN COLTRANE
Blue Train
Lazy Bird
Spiritual
Naima
Mr. PC
After the Rain
ETHAN IVERSON
Cosmic Cycle
> oath to never play Tyner voicings
Thank you. Enough is enough.
> Solo piano Coltrane
Harold Danko's AFTER THE RAIN (Steeplechase 1995)
Aha! Danko! New to me, thanks
It's not wholly Coltrane, but there's Marilyn Crispell's For Coltrane album too
LeeAnn Ledgerwood - Compassion (Steeplechase 2000)
omg there's so many!
Hi Ethan. I'm eager to hear the etudes and sorry I can't make it to Boston for the gig. I'll be up there the following week to hear the premiere of a couple of organ pieces.
Are you transcribing versions of the Coltrane realizations too?
Thanks Christian! I think I’ll be playing this rep in NYC soon also. I improvise in the Coltrane music, it is more like straight jazz, while the arrangements of James P. are basically set.
Since all of you jazz pianists know one another, I'm hoping you can ask Aaron Diehl why when I saw him perform Timo Andres' concerto, Made of Tunes, with the Cleveland Orchestra on a Thursday night, he played a James P. Johnson tune as an encore, but on Saturday when I was recording the same concert on the radio he played Phillip Glass. Stride not worthy of a Saturday crowd? Or was he just trying to rest his fingers?
I might ask Aaron, but I think an encore is often decided in the last moment: "What do I feel like playing right now?" It's probably not deeper than that.
Mr PC seems to be stuck between two eras. Coltrane doesn't play pentatonic licks or do sidestepping during the blowing, but there are some specific scale shapes that he uses a lot, melodic minor licks and an insistence in playing augmented over the G7.
When you talk about practicing bebop, what do you think of a piece like this or Spiral? They seem more scale oriented that something like Night in Tunisia and Things to Come, at least seeing what Coltrane and Parker play in those fast minor songs.
Nice comment. Somewhere Coltrane says, “A minor blues is always good.” But there are not so many minor bebop blues. Did Bird or Bud ever play one? However, Trane played the minor blues “Birk’s Works” with Dizzy Gillespie, in fact I think that is the first recording.
The minor blues “Mr. P.C.” evolved over time. Your comment that he is using scales on the first record is dead on. But he kept playing it a LOT and his language kept evolving. (Of course you obviously know this.) I’ve also transcribed Tommy Flanagan on the original and McCoy Tyner on various great live versions from the ‘60s. I am still figuring out what I will do on a minor blues, that’s one reason I’m playing it lol. Indeed, a minor blues is almost a hole in my personal vocabulary…but I don’t want it to be. I will say that I like tonic minor for the first chord. C minor 7 is acceptable sometimes, sure, but C minor 6 or even C minor major seven is more my speed. That is also the tradition: On the first record I hear tonic minor from Trane and Flanagan, but even later with McCoy there is plenty of tonic minor. A few years later, Chick Corea on the fast C minor blues “Steps” is more like minor 7 I think.
“Spiral” is sort of like “On Green Dolphin St.” maybe. I haven’t really studied “Spiral” though.
Nice! I was having a similar journey with Mr PC these days, because on trumpet, there isn't a solo that captures that "thing" that Coltrane has and I'm wondering what is.
I'm with you on the minor sixth tonic, Coltrane plays it at the end of the phrases over the tonic many times.
The thing with "Birk's Works" is that is not a fast minor tune, you could be more bluesy or melodic. But on Mr PC's tempo, it seems that something has to happen on the line to have the incredible forward motion that Coltrane has.
Bud playing Tempus Fugit could count as "what a bebop player plays " on a fast minor tune? I know is not a blues, but maybe is relevant. Besides, I don't recall Coltrane honking the blues that much over Mr PC.
I'll check what Tommy Flanagan plays on this, it reminds me that he plays a great solo on a medium minor blues "Blue Friday" with KD (same year, even).
Ethan. The conductor of our local philharmonic is a concert pianist. 3 years back his hands got so bad he thought he would have to stop. He found Feldenkrais and within 6 months, he was better than ever. He now teaches the principles of Feldenkrais to all his players.
Emmet
I like Feldenkrais, really anything holistic is good, I come out of the Whiteside and Taubman schools. My very slight soreness after going oom-pah for hours was exceptionally mild. ("I was sore where I didn't even know I had muscles" is the joke.) The holistic techniques are really for addressing the serious issue of overdoing digital strength, which is the most common cause of pain at the piano.
I would love to hear this program in person. (Come to Central Illinois!)
Weirdly coincidental: every Sunday I post a photograph from the WPA tax photographs of New York City properties, 1939–1941. This morning I posted the tax photo of James P. Johnson's house in Jamaica, Queens, about half a mile from where Fats Waller would later live. If it's appropriate to share, here's the link:
https://mleddy.blogspot.com/2026/03/james-p-johnsons-house.html
If it's not appropriate, feel free to delete this comment. I'm not trying to latch on :)
Thanks for sharing and more than fine to post!!
Incidentally I just picked up but have not yet read the recently-published SPEAKEASIES TO SYMPHONIES: THE JAZZ GENIUS OF JAMES P JOHNSON by Scott E Brown. This looks to be the definitive biography of the great man.
I read the book and think it’s very good. Certainly the historical research is unimpeachable.
It's a major "upgrade" to the bio the author published decades ago.
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Always a pleasure to see a mention of James P Johnson. I became hooked on him 40 years ago when I picked up a solo piano recording by William Albright called THE SYMPHONIC JAZZ OF JAMES P JOHNSON, from which I continue to derive much enjoyment.
I had that Albright record in high school. It is excellent.
Can you explain further (or perhaps link to past explanation) as to why "Decades ago I took an oath to never play Tyner voicings"? Thanks!
Tyner’s remarkable idiosyncratic genius has been sadly diluted by a legion of pianists (both talented and untalented) following in his wake. I flatly refuse to join their number.