Saturday, September 26, 2015

Groove Transcription - Donald Bailey, "Back at the Chicken Shack"

I finally caved and joined the "vinyl revival".  I don't have room for it, but it's too much fun.  The very first thing I got (well, my wife bought me, knowing how much I'm listening to and playing organ trio music lately) was a copy of a classic Jimmy Smith record from 1960 called "Back at the Chicken Shack" with Kenny Burrell, Pittsburgh's own Stanley Turrentine, and Donald Bailey.

On the title track Bailey plays a shuffley variation on the groove that I've always called "strollin'" - though lately I'm starting to wonder, because no one else seems to call it that.  Some people call it "the conga beat".  You know, this one:


Guitarists sometimes tap it out on muted strings, ala Ray Crawford with Ahmad Jamal, and it can be reversed as well, like so:


Here's Donald Bailey's take on it.  It's a great groove to stick in your bag for the next time you find yourself playing a shuffle.


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