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Circular breathing


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add george coleman to the list. frankly, i don't find this technique to be particularly inspiring. more of a special effects trick, actually. think of someone who continues to talk non-stop with no natural breaks. it's the space between the notes, as much as the notes themselves, that make the music meaningful for me.

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Used poorly, it's a special effects trick (Wilton Felder of the Crusaders on "So Far Away"; Kenny G). But those who use it well are able to create phrases that are musically interesting that might be just a little longer than a single breath. They'll have breaks, but the breaks will be in new and perhaps unpredictable places, creating a new kind of tension.

Think of the LP record - sometimes tunes aren't 3 minutes or less. But all LP records don't consist of two 20 minute tunes. It just allows more options.

Mike

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Guest Chaney

I got my copy of Gianni Gebbia:  Arcana Major/Sonic Tarots Session from Cadence not so long ago, it may be worth trying there.

(Chaney is playing down how good this CD really is!)

Now that Matt has his copy...

For those interested, copies of this now out of print title can be found at CD Universe. Sound samples are also available.

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Idrees Sulieman's solo (track#(?))  on the Hawk's "The Hawk Flies High"....is pretty impressive from that standpoint. He holds a note for many a chorus.

I have a recording in which Idrees Sulieman uses circular breathing in building the sustained dramatic climax of his solo, part of an exciting rendition of "Niger Mambo" with a Randy Weston Septet at Spoleto from the early 1980s. It was broadcast on Billy Taylor's "Jazz Alive!" back then.

I've seen another trumpeter, Robert Griffin, use circular breathing, also to great musical effect, with 8 Bold Souls. (He also can play two trumpets at the same time).

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  • 11 months later...

E. Parker's amazing w/ this technique, of course...

I've seen John Zorn do some pretty incredibly circular breathing through the years, with a lot of control. Oh, and there's a tape of him playing Herbie Nichols' The Gig in which he circular breathes and holds a tonic note in the false upper register of the alto while dropping into the main ascending riff from the tune simultaneously. Sorry if that doesn't explain what he's doing very well, but it's pretty insane, very musical and just great.

nathan

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I've seen another trumpeter, Robert Griffin, use circular breathing, also to great musical effect, with 8 Bold Souls.  (He also can play two trumpets at the same time).

Robert Griffin is a sight to see...

And a sound to hear. He takes a potential gimmick and turns it towards a substantial musical effect.

Edited by Kalo
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A Mr. Kenneth G apparently held a single note for some 45 minutes in New York City awhile back. 

There's a story that Roland Kirk held a note one night at Ronnie Scott's for two hours and 27 seconds but was denied the record for some reason. Joel Dorn wrote a KG-dissing liner note in the reissue of one of Kirk's CDs.

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Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker are masters of this technique. So was Art Tatum. ^_^

You can add also to this two PHAROAH SANDERS as a master of the technic.

But I know about hundred sax players who use to master circular breathing today.

I'm not sure that all do good use of it, but...

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Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker are masters of this technique. So was Art Tatum. ^_^

You can add also to this two PHAROAH SANDERS as a master of the technic.

But I know about hundred sax players who use to master circular breathing today.

I'm not sure that all do good use of it, but...

i would love to hear sanders circular breathing! can you point me to some examples? :)

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Circular breathing is only the first step.

Circular HEAVY breathing is where it's really at.

Which often leads to circular heavy-petting. :g

I guess that's sort of what Oscar Peterson does... as opposed to Tatum's circular breathing... or is OP rather a master of circular heavy-fumbling? :P

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Pharoah has a standard thing that he does, usually at the end of tunes, where he plays rapid descending scales - just closing all the holes in succession, then moves them through the harmonic series, all while circular breathing. It's a cool effect, sounding like an echoplex - but he overdoes it. I listened to three or four 1980s Pharoah records yesterday and it kept popping up.

One example that comes to mind is the a cappella performance of "The Bird Song" from "Welcome To Love" on Timeless. That's a very clear demonstration of his various techniques - altissimo, flutter-tonguing, multiphonics, and it's a beautiful melody played exquisitely. The circular breathing thing is right at the very end.

Mike

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Pharoah has a standard thing that he does, usually at the end of tunes, where he plays rapid descending scales - just closing all the holes in succession, then moves them through the harmonic series, all while circular breathing. It's a cool effect, sounding like an echoplex - but he overdoes it. I listened to three or four 1980s Pharoah records yesterday and it kept popping up.

One example that comes to mind is the a cappella performance of "The Bird Song" from "Welcome To Love" on Timeless. That's a very clear demonstration of his various techniques - altissimo, flutter-tonguing, multiphonics, and it's a beautiful melody played exquisitely. The circular breathing thing is right at the very end.

Mike

thanks mike! ;)

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A Mr. Kenneth G apparently held a single note for some 45 minutes in New York City awhile back. 

There's a story that Roland Kirk held a note one night at Ronnie Scott's for two hours and 27 seconds but was denied the record for some reason. Joel Dorn wrote a KG-dissing liner note in the reissue of one of Kirk's CDs.

according to Auhor, John Kruth in "Bright Moments, the life and legacy of Rahsaan roland Kirk" the night at ronnie scott was set up for the guinness book of world record people to attend, but inexplicably they failed to show (instead attending a very important pie eating contest). RRK held the note for 2 hours and 21 minutes.

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