Note – Al Cohn

This song is a classic example of Al's swinging uptempo style. The chord progression is similar to rhythm changes but with a different bridge. Though it also works in a quartet setting, the two-horn arrangement is a worthwhile challenge. The two parts are intricately wrapped around each other, especially in the bridge. Watch out for letter D, which is an interlude before the solos and also an ending; with the dotted quarter-note hits in the first two measures, it is hard to believe this section (almost) all works out to 4/4 time. And when that's done, there's still a hit on beat 2 (measure 5) and then a measure of 2/4!

First and second parts are available for alto sax, tenor sax, guitar and trumpet as well as bass clef instruments. If played by alto and tenor, try using the first tenor part and the second alto part for a particularly interesting result. In the alto parts, most of the B section is up an octave from where it is in the tenor parts; the second (harmony) part will thus be above the melody for the B section.

The Note was written for the two-tenor combination of Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. It comes from their classic 1960 album, "You 'N' Me"; this was the fourth album under their co-leadership. Al and Zoot were a classic tenor pairing of cool jazz, in the same way that Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt, and later Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis were the great two-tenor teams of hard bop. In addition to quintet and sextet albums co-led by Al and Zoot, the two played together in the big bands of Woody Herman, Artie Shaw and Gene Roland as well as countless other medium and large ensemble settings including the four-tenor album "Tenor Conclave" with John Coltrane and Hank Mobley. Compared to Ammons and Stitt, or to Davis and Griffin, the tenor sounds of Cohn and Sims are closer to each other, giving the listener an opportunity to discern subtler differences.

"The Note" is also the name of the newsletter of the Al Cohn Memorial Collection, at East Stroudsburg University, Pennsylvania; it seems likely the newsletter was named for this song.