Ronnie Cuber's Boplicity: Transcription and Analysis
I was encouraged to undertake this transcription (images below) as one of my current high school students selected it to transcribe himself. Despite focusing on the baritone saxophone for most of my jazz playing, I have not transcribed much Ronnie Cuber, and thought it would be a good chance to internalize some of his style and be able to hold a productive conversation about his improvisational language. I have notated this transcription only in the key of Eb for now; and, the following remarks will address the transposed (non-concert) key.
Sonically, I enjoyed how Cuber explores both the power and nimbleness of the instrument. His articulation and inflection are nuanced throughout and feature moments of unexpected staccato eighth-notes in the middle of phrases. Scoops and falls are used to great effect throughout; and, articulation on eighth-note lines varies between entirely slurred sections that give way to phrases of tongued eighth-notes.
He begins the solo with a straightforward two-note repetition that leads into the descending major-7th chord motive that is found in the fourth measure and later bridge of the tune’s head. His initial double-time phrases are clear and powerful, often moving out of strict sixteenth-note language. When Cuber threads the two choruses together by repeating a B-minor triad up and down, his tone takes on a floating quality in the high range that immediately reminded me of Harry Carney. The improvisation trends more toward the mid and upper registers; and, the first chorus does not feature a single note below an F# at the bottom of the staff. Overall, the only pitch lower than the low D that represents the tonic of the tune’s home key is a C-natural in the penultimate measure of the second chorus. Some more specific insights include:
1. The solo has long sections of ardently diatonic playing in D major, particularly in double-time sections. Examples of this can be seen in measures 5-6, 10-11, 25-28, 35-38, 41, 57-58.
2. The main language that contrasts the major diatonicism is minor blues-scale language. Cuber employs this near the same part of the form in both choruses – the last four measures of the second “A” Section, employing the same three-beat lick that begins on the second beat of the measure before varying the ending. Measures 39-40 demonstrate a blues-scale pattern that I have approximated in my notation due to the loose rhythmic nature.
3. Cuber uses the descending major-7th chord melody from the head’s bridge at the same pitch level in the second half of the bridge on his first chorus. He uses the same motive in the identical location on the second chorus, but transposes it down by a third for two repetitions before sequencing it up a step at the F-major 7 chord.
When I notate out a transcription (always after learning and memorizing by ear first), I always have in mind its application for use in my teaching studio and pose the question what do I hope my own students could take away from studying this improvisation? In this case, I want to highlight the potential takeaways that are outside of the double-time language. There are certainly valuable lessons in phrasing and Cuber’s incredible flexibility within the double-time context; however, there are plenty of melodic ideas that can be valuable for even more levels of improvising musician.
The management of stepwise scalar material and both triadic and seventh-chord arpeggiations. “Steps and Skips” form the majority of our be-bop language; and, I enjoyed the ratios of those foundational constructions in this solo. For a great example of triadic sequencing, refer to measures 57-58. Measures 49-50 feature two adjacent seventh-chords that focus on upper chord extensions. Measures 44-45 are a prototypical ii-7/V-7 /I lick that hits guide tones on downbeats. Concluding more generally, there are wonderful examples of chord-tone resolution on important downbeats, but lots of flexibility within the D-major key center in the middle of phrases that allow melodically pleasing shapes to shine forth throughout the solo.
I hope that this transcription and brief analysis proves beneficial to you the reader; and, I welcome your comments and questions. For more transcriptions, please head over to the Materials section of my website. Happy Practicing!
