Lessons from the East and West

Many years ago, I experienced the thrill of seeing Bob perform a David Berger arrangement of one of my original compositions. It was apparent to me at that concert that, even with his wide-ranging achievements, Bob’s artistic sensibilities and essence have jazz at their core. This is delightfully evident in the music from the two pieces we explore here, “Billy Boy’ from Take It From The Top, and “Gulangyu Island” from Angels of Shanghai.

Bob’s jazz roots shine in his rendition of “Billy Boy.” In classic piano trio format, the tune receives a harmonic and rhythmic update from Bob, bringing to mind the playful and clever arrangements of Oscar Peterson. On the other end of the James musical spectrum is the exotic rendition of “Gulangyu Island,” a beautiful blend of eastern and western musical elements. Bob’s smooth jazz-tinged improvisation on acoustic piano flows like a river through the eastern soundscape. Practice the examples below to integrate some of Bob’s ingenuity into your own playing.

Ex. 1. Bob’s intriguing intro to “Billy Boy” is inviting to listen to. He begins with the use of a pedal point on the dominant, but quickly shifts using chromatic upper and lower tones to create more interest. The streamlined example in 1a will get you going in the James way. Practice it slowly, and transpose to other tonalities. Bob ends the intro using longer rhythmic values and pretty major seventh harmonies for maximum contrast, as shown in 1b.

Ex. 2. When you encounter a chromatically descending harmony, that’s a good time to play a chromatically descending melodic line. Bob does just that in 2a. His deft use of sequence in his solo imparts a sense of unity and continuity. Practice this lick in continuing chromatic descent, then go back up chromatically. On “Gulangyu Island,” Bob solos over the progression of Gm7 to Ebmaj7, as shown in 2b. These chords are closely related, and share several common tones.

Ex. 3. Bob uses the Bb pentatonic scale extensively in “Gulangyu Island.” The scale works well over both Gm7 and Ebmaj7, as shown here with Bob’s chordal accompaniment in the left hand, and further explained in Tom Brislin’s Beginner lesson. Practice with the metronome and transpose up in half-steps.