I forgot to mention in the previous post on On Green Dolphin Street that one reason I liked the song was due to a version on a Tito Puente compilation in which there is some stratospheric trumpet work. I used to play the horn but my embouchure atrophied years ago. Still, I love the sound of it, whether warm and sparse like Miles Davis or bright and blazing high like whoever was on this Puente record. Well, I finally looked it up, and it was Maynard Ferguson, so I guess that makes sense.
When I bought Blue Train on a whim some 25 years ago, I was expecting some great Coltrane solos, but I was not prepared for the brass section burning it up on this album. I’d later learn that Lee Morgan did all the fast trumpet lines on the title track, and I’d go on to listen to his other hard bop work. Blue Train is still a banger.
I transcribed the first three choruses so far and will probably get to the other two in the next week or so. There is also a complete transcription over on jazzomat in case you disagree with my choices.
I really like the second chorus a bit more than the fast but patternistic 3rd and 4th choruses. The final phrase has everything: a decent amount of chromaticism, while still outlining the chords really well with nice voice leading. It has an interesting rhythmic variation with the triplet figure moving a beat earlier in each subsequent measure. It has that great sounding 3 to b9 arpeggio over the vi7b9 which, okay, I understand it is a cliche, but I love this cliche.
Here I am playing along with the recording:
I still haven’t tried playing any of it on trumpet but someday I’ll give it a go.