I ran across this track while falling down a YouTube rabbit hole recently. I had heard it before, but not in a long while. I knew that it had to be my next project!
I’ve seen this track credited to both Fathead and Hank Crawford. I assumed that it must be Hank Crawford, but I was wrong. Hank plays Baritone on the track, but Fathead is playing Alto. I have a Hank Crawford box set with excellent liner notes, and confirmed it. My next transcription will be some Hank Crawford for sure!
This track is actually very difficult, both to transcribe and play. It’s relatively slow, which makes the subdivisions and the double-time sections even trickier. Fathead plays with the time quite a bit, stretching passages across beats and barlines – laying back at times, and then squeezing in as many notes as he can in a subdivision.
The melody itself is a master class is sound and phrasing. Fathead takes the first chorus, and then everyone else takes half choruses for their solos. Fathead returns with a blistering 8-bar solo, then the last 8 bars of the melody to finish it out.
David Fathead Newman - Hard Times
- Artist: David “Fathead” Newman
- Album: Fathead: Ray Charles Presents David Newman
- Track: Hard Times
- Instrument: Alto Sax
Enjoy!
@SDartSax