Dick Oatts’ Solo on “Blues for Alice”
Dick Oatts was my first saxophone hero, introduced to me by my teacher when I was a high school student. From his work as a bandleader and sideman, in small jazz ensembles and with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Oatts’ playing has continued to inspire me throughout my musical career.
Dick’s solo on “Blues for Alice” stands out to me for three main reasons:
time feel
articulation
bebop vocabulary
Oatts’ time feel is so solid, it gives him the ability to play really in the pocket, and also seemingly float over the rhythm section. There are some spots in this transcription that truly blew my mind, specifically the few bars preceding his sixth chorus. This solo also really highlights his articulation. He transitions from bebop articulation to playing very legato and very staccato so effortlessly, and the variety in articulation keeps us as the listeners always on our toes. Lastly, his bebop vocabulary is so deep; it truly demonstrates his commitment to the saxophone and learning the language of jazz. If you just took two bars of this piece and move it through all twelve keys, you would develop so much vocabulary that with practice will naturally show up in your playing.
As an alto saxophonist, I transcribed this in the key of Eb. For concert, Bb or bass clef versions of this transcription, please contact me and I will be more than happy to provide you with the PDF. Although, I do recommend to always learn transcriptions by ear and not from paper.
Click here for the audio file of the solo, and click here for the PDF of the transcription!