It seemed appropriate to post something about Cottontail… I really like the interaction between Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Allen. Similar to our last class, they really seem to be utilizing call and response. There’s a nice balance between repeating a previous motif and introducing new material. Also, I really like 7:43 where they play the same thing in a dissonant interval. Throughout the piece, they seem to be really enjoying themselves.
Really nice version of this song. I especially liked the melodic quotes played by the first soloist. There’s a lot to be learned from their solo ideas. I also dug their trading fours.
I was really impressed by how they traded soloing back and forth, without ever dropping a beat. I also wonder whether at certain points during the solo, when they would play a lick together, did they plan to play together at that point in the piece, or did one of them just pick up on what the other was doing and hop in? Knowing what we’ve learned in class, though, it was probably the latter.
@Tyler, I had the same thought. It makes me wonder how you can practice that type of collaboration. It seems improbable that they would say, for example, “hey, the 6th time through, let’s play a minor third away from each other”. It seems more likely, though also more challenging, for the times that they play together to be improvised. That leads me to think, how does one person know to stay on the melody so that the other has the freedom to play elsewhere? My hypothesis is that they either have a “micro-cue” to tell the other when they’re about to take a solo or there is a predetermined method to the madness.