Transcription: Splanky

Composer: Neal Hefti
Transcription starts at 0'25"; ends at 1'00"
From the album: Count Basie and His Orchestra: Live In 1958 and 1959
Leader of the session: Count Basie
Recorded: November 15, 1959; Aragon Ballroom, Santa Monica, California USA
CD: Status DSTS 1057; produced by Submarine, 13 Gardenia Road, Bush Hill Park, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 2JA, England; email: submers@aol.com

Any musician that believes Freddie only used standard three note rhythm chords must hear this recording. It is the perfect example of Freddie playing three note voicings and one note voicings within a twelve bar span. The sonic difference between the voicings will be apparent to even the novice. The transcription begins six measures before the melody is first stated.

Note that Freddie makes an error in bar 16. The chord change on beats 3 and 4 is a D7. Instead of the correct F#/C, he incorrectly plays G/C#.

Play the three note voicings on strings 6, 4, and 3; two note voicings on strings 4 and 3; one note voicings on string 4.

For instructions on how to play "one note" and "two note" Freddie Green chords, see my article written for Down Beat entitled: Distilling Big Band Guitar: The Essence of Freddie Green.

Transcribed by Michael Pettersen, August 2002