Items19The creator’s order
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Sir DukeThe horns begin with a bright fanfare, then break into accents that leave Wonder plenty of room to sing. After the chorus, they join the rhythm section in a quick instrumental line. Follow how the same players announce the song, answer the lead, and lock in with the band.0 - 2
A Message to You RudyThe horn hook gives the opening a tune you can sing back. Rico Rodriguez’s trombone later takes time over the individual notes and leaves a conspicuous gap before the next little figure. The brisk backing keeps moving across that gap, which helps you hear the difference between the solo and the…0 - 3
25 or 6 to 4Hear the brass and reeds answer the lead between lines, then follow James Pankow’s trombone as it climbs while the other two lines keep closer to their starting notes. Once you can hear that rising part, the horns start to sound like three players with something to say over the guitar riff.0 - 4
Stolen MomentsThe trumpet sings at the top of the theme while a lower saxophone line fills out the harmony beneath it. The parts move as a block until Freddie Hubbard’s trumpet breaks away. When the arranged theme returns, focus on the low note movement and the upper melody will still be easy to place.0 - 5
PlásticoThe opening disco passage makes the first low salsa horn figure feel like a change of setting. Follow the trombones as they deliver short answers to Blades and then come forward with written phrases of their own. After the lead and coro get going, the horns tell you when a new round is about to…0 - 6
What Is Hip?The bass keeps its quick pattern while the horns land short chords at chosen moments. Listen for the lower end of the section underneath the bright hits, then to the places where the whole section pulls back for the singer. The changes in weight tell you where to listen even when the pulse never…0 - 7
GentlemanA lone saxophone gets a stretch to itself before the rhythm establishes the larger groove. As the other horns enter, the phrasing moves from loose solo lines to short group patterns you can anticipate. Much later the voice arrives and those patterns make room for a different kind of argument.0 - 8
In the StoneThe opening horn fanfare throws out short high phrases against broader chords below. When the singing begins, the same bright sound slips into the gaps rather than filling them all. You can follow how the opening calls turn into little signs that the chorus is about to open up.0 - 9
Cold Sweat, Pt. 1Start with the clipped descending phrase and hear how often the horns leave the beat exposed around it. When Brown takes the song into its next section, the horns change their figure with him. Pee Wee Ellis’s arrangement tells you where the form is going even while the groove stays in place.0 - 10
The SidewinderThe repeating bass makes an easy reference point for Lee Morgan’s trumpet and Joe Henderson’s tenor. They share the opening tune before Morgan takes the first solo and Henderson follows. Their separate turns make it easier to pick out the different edges of the two horns when they come back…0
