Cherokee: Journey Through The Real Book #61 (Jazz Piano Lesson)

Ron Drotos: Jazz piano solo and musical/historical discussion of Ray Noble song “Cherokee,” which was a favorite of Charlie Parker’s and the inspiration for his bebop classic “KoKo.”

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Overview of “Cherokee” and composer/bandleader Ray Noble 0:00
Ray Noble film clip in the movie “Pride Of The Yankees” 0:14
Investigating the mystery of Charlie Parker’s 1945 “KoKo” recording 0:42
What is the melody to Charlie Parker’s tune “KoKo?” 1:08
“KoKo” as based on the chords to “Cherokee” 1:26
Why Charlie Parker didn’t write a “real” melody to “KoKo” 1:31
Solving the mystery of the “missing melody” in Charlie Parker’s 1945 “KoKo” recording 1:53
Finding clues on the alternate “take” of “KoKo” 1:57
Charlie Parker’s love for improvising over the chords to “Cherokee” 2:00
Charlie Parker’s 15-hour daily practice sessions 2:18
Charlie Parkers fluency in all 12 keys 2:24
The bridge of “Cherokee” as moving through “unusual” keys 2:29
How Charlie Parker developed “KoKo” from “Cherokee” 3:12
A tip for playing jazz at fast tempos 4:24
Jazz piano comping at fast tempos 4:31
Jazz piano soloing at fast tempos, with a sense of “flow” 4:39
A Keith Jarrett-like introduction 5:16
Keeping the introductory pattern going under the tune’s melody 5:24
Harmonizing the melody in 4ths and 5ths 5:43
Slightly more legato during the bridge 5:59
Left hand melodic fills between right hand phrases 6:01
Returning to the opening groove 6:17
Beginning the solo by developing a motif 6:31
Repeated notes 6:49
Bebop-style soloing 6:57
Outlining the chords 7:20
A lick influenced by Chick Corea’s solo on “Spain” 7:39
A 2-handed Billy Taylor lick 7:47
Improvising off the melody 7:52
Going outside the changes 7:54
Improvising over shell voicings on the bridge to “Cherokee” 8:08
A passage inspired by Art Tatum 8:24
Quoting Billy Strayhorn’s “Take The ‘A’ Train” 8:33
Reprising the melody to “Cherokee” 8:39
Using a pointilistic piano texture in a jazz context 9:11
Ending with a flourish 9:41
The importance of having a musical “concept” when playing solo jazz piano 9:43


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Enjoy the journey, and "let the music flow!"
Ron