Don Sickler

Hey jazz lovers, Have you missed us? We know it’s been a while! We’ve been hard at work putting together the beautiful new website. Soon, it will be easier than ever to find the music you love and to discover new gems you never knew you were missing. Until then, we’ve got some great compositions by some fantastic composers to...

We hear “Keep the Hank Mobley coming!” from jazzleadsheets customers. As we continue with our celebration of Blue Note Records 75th year, we find that February was a big month for Hank Mobley as a leader. We already have four titles available from Hank’s classic "Soul Station" album (recorded on February 7, 1960). Now we’ve added Third Time Around to...

It’s been busy here in our New York office — on Monday, January 6, we celebrated Blue Note’s 75th anniversary with two Meade Lux Lewis piano transcriptions (Melancholy / Solitude) which comprised BN-1, the actual first Blue Note release. On Wednesday, January 8, we celebrated the anniversary of the recording of Kenny Burrell’s classic Blue Note album Midnight Blue. Today we’re back with...

January 8, 1963: Kenny Burrell’s “Midnight Blue” album was recorded in Rudy Van Gelder’s Englewood Cliffs studio, featuring the title track which was an instant classic, Midnight Blue. Rudy says, “I built the studio for music like that, where people are comfortable playing and the music fits the space that they’re playing in.”

Here are our last additions to jazzleadsheets for 2013. We’re looking forward to adding many more, plus new features, in 2014. We can't wait to see you then! And we wish you a Happy New Year. Freddie Redd’s sunny Latin So, Samba! celebrates its 25th recording anniversary. It’s a lot of fun with one melody instrument, and it was first recorded...

The holidays are just around the corner, and it’s been getting snowy here in New York. We’re celebrating the season through great charts — check them out and join in our holiday revelry! Kicking off our new additions is a swing/Latin hybrid by Elmo Hope - Abdullah. The minor melody is tuneful and memorable — it might just get stuck...

It's another update jam-packed with old favorites and new composers alike! Starting out with the familiar faces: HANK MOBLEY’S STRAIGHT AHEAD This title comes from Hank Mobley’s “The Turnaround” album, which was unusual in that in combined two dates that are separated by two years. Quintet parts available. The drummer was the fantastic Billy Higgins and we’re offering a transcription...

This week we have five fantastic vocal pieces, including vocal transcriptions of legendary singers Anita O’Day, Chris Connor and Rachel Gould! If the rainy fall weather has got you down, we have a light, sunny bossa from Gloria Cooper with a lyric by Ira Gitler that immediately transports you back to the summer: Reveling In The Beat. For a good...

The bass player is very important in all these new compositions, so they also add to our growing Bass Corner repertoire. Both Bass-ment by Kenny Drew and The Fuzz by Bobby Jaspar feature the bass playing the melody. Important bass lines that hold the whole arrangement together are found in Bill Hardman’s Jazz Messengers classic Politely and Bobby Watson’s Lemoncello...

We’d like to celebrate some recent landmark 50th year recording anniversaries! May 27, 1963: Steppin' Out (Blue Note) This was tenor saxophonist Harold Vick’s first album as a leader. Harold had 5 originals on this recording, which included Our Miss Brooks which Harold had also recorded earlier when he was a sideman (first with Grant Green, then with Jack McDuff): Steppin’ Out...