A medium-up swinger with a rhythmic kick; the head has rhythm section figures throughout except for a piano solo fill in the bridge. Second parts and concert condensed score are available for the two-horn arrangement.
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With its rhythmic kick and slightly angular melody, King Of The Hill is written in a modern post-bop style. This minor-key medium-up swinger has a 48-measure form: 16 measures each of A, B, and C identical to A. The melody combines pentatonic and diminished scale vocabulary, over relatively diatonic changes in F minor on the A and C sections and E♭ minor in the bridge. There are a few unexpected harmonies including several ♭VI7-I cadences (D♭7-Fm7, for example, in the eighth and ninth measures).
The middle of the bridge (5th through 12th measures) is open for a piano solo—the changes are included in all parts so horn soloists can play here instead. There are rhythm section figures throughout the A and C sections. The bridge starts with a Latin groove, with hits in a "bossa clave" pattern, for four measures before going to 4-feel swing for the piano solo fill.
The intro vamps the first two chords, though slightly different with Fm(maj7) at the beginning instead of Fm7. The top note of the piano voicings is shown in all parts. Solos are on a simplified version of the head changes; on the recording the rhythm section sometimes implies the full changes from the head, but the soloists often smooth out the A section changes into a modal F minor. For the ending, the last note of the melody is held out, and the horns play the melody phrase from the 3rd through 5th measures of the head slowly, rubato and conducted, into a final chord.
About the arrangement: We have a Concert Condensed Score and second parts for the two-horn arrangement. The horns begin the melody in unison but harmonize in sixths starting in the third measure. Other parts of the melody have different intervals of horn voicings, including fourths in the 9th and 10th measure and thirds at the start of the bridge. On the recording, the horns switch roles on the last measure of the bridge: tenor sax melody above the trumpet harmony. We have decided to keep the harmony notes in the second parts instead of switching for just this one measure.
Pianist Harold Mabern played on many recordings with Jim Rotondi and especially Eric Alexander. The first to feature all three together was Eric's debut as a leader, "Straight Up" from 1992, which features the same personnel as "Jim's Bop" except with George Fludas on drums. Harold's last album as a leader, "The Iron Man" from 2018, also featured Eric Alexander.
A straight-ahead jazz saxophonist, Eric Alexander is known for his sophisticated hard- and post-bop style. Born in Illinois, he began as a classical musician studying alto sax, but quickly began an obsession with the tenor saxophone at Indiana University at Bloomington. Inspired to pursue his musical pursuits further, Eric transferred to William Paterson College in New Jersey, where he studied with jazz legends like Harold Mabern, Joe Lovano, Norman Simmons and Rufus Reid. After receiving his degree, he moved back to the Midwest, where he became a fixture in the Chicago club scene touring with Charles Earland. Read more...
A major straight-ahead trumpeter and flugelhornist worldwide for twenty years, Jim Rotondi has charmed the jazz world with his warm tone, versatility and soulful improvisation. Born and raised in Montana—an unlikely place for a jazz musician—Jim was inspired by his musical family to take up the piano at age eight. At twelve, he switched to the trumpet. There was very little musical community to speak of in his hometown of Butte, but like many trumpeters, early exposure to a Clifford Brown vinyl set captured Jim's imagination and kindled within him a lifelong passion for jazz. Read more...
