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“Oh Da Manitee” by Ricky Peterson

April, 2008

For a guy who lives in Minnesota, Ricky Peterson sure has a lot of friends on the coasts. Just take a look at some of the pals Ricky’s having play on his upcoming solo CD, Prepostrophy, from which this hot solo is taken: guitarists Robben Ford, Paul Jackson, Jr., and Hiram Bullock; bassists John Patitucci and Will Lee; saxmen Dick Oatts, Bob Malach, Brandon Fields, and David Sanborn; and drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Charlie Drayton, Michael Bland, Steve Jordan, Gene Lake, and Joey Finger. What these folks all know — and what you’re about to find out as you learn to play this solo — is that Ricky is one hell of a soulful player. He weaves a masterful jazz vocabulary seamlessly into a bluesy, vocal approach to phrasing. He makes use of every possible sound his instruments make, whether he’s on B-3 (as he is on the recording of this solo), Clavinet, piano, or synths. He does the right thing at the right time, but always in his own way.

The solo transcribed here builds excitement like nobody’s business. Ricky leaves plenty of space between the simple opening phrases in bars 1 -8, which are so vocal they seem as though they could easily have lyrics associated with them. His triplet rhythms in bars 3, 7, and 9 lay so far back in the groove, they’re almost in the next bar. He cranks up the rhythmic density in bar 13, keeping the melodic contour while getting busier. Then in bar 16, he unleashes the first of many sixteenth-note figures that are laser-like in their precise time. The long, fast phrases in bars 21 and 25 cover a whole lotta keyboard, articulating scale tones and color tones effortlessly. Ricky screams at the top of the B-3’s range in bar 29, mixing bluesy phrasing with sixteenth patterns, and gradually bringing down the energy through the end of the solo. Whew!

All files performed by Scott Healy.

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