Clifford Brown

[Ronnie]

I just picked up the CB Complete Transcriptions by Marc Levine. Has anyone ever used this book? Had success with it? I looks interesting - a bit difficult, but interesting.

Thanks,

Ronnie

[BeboppinFool]

Yes, I've had that book since it first came out.

The copywork leaves much to be desired in my opinion . . . it looks like somebody who wasn't an "old hand" with Finale did it in the Petrucci font, and that renders it sorta cold and lifeless. Not much in the way of expression marks.

But, truly, they're good (after all, they're Clifford's solos!) if you have the recordings and study them over and over and take note of the inaccuracies (even correct them) and play through them after you've absorbed Clifford's style & touch & feel.

I had transcribed Kiss And Run a few years back, and was quite disappointed in the version in the book we're talking about. I get way more meticulous in my own transcribing than many, and consequently, I undoubtedly derive more benefit from doing my own transcriptions than from buying some and trusting that they're accurate without studying the recordings.

But if you never plan to transcribe any solos yourself, by all means buy the books! Incidentally, nothing drives me more crazy than cats who transcribe the solos but don't put the correct chord symbols above. Even worse are the cats who don't put *any* chord symbols above.

Enough out of me . . . back to the woodshed. Later, folks!

Rich
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