A staple of the jazz canon, Benny Golson's "Stablemates" has been a tune that appears again and again in my life. Starting first as a high school senior playing with Mr. Golson in the GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble, as a stepping stone to learning more complex harmonic progressions in college, and now as a teaching tool for my own students, what can I say - it's a favorite of mine! Benny Golson to me is one of the great melodocists of this music, and the way he can employ some slick harmonic choices right alongside, make him one of my favorite composers.
There are so many presentations of this tune that I've really enjoyed over the years. Of course there is the early recording with Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Mr Golson's own versions (including a fantastic video that can be found on YouTube - featuring Freddie Hubbard! This one is killer), ranging all the way to very interesting treatments like Ambrose Akinmusire's duo with Aaron Parks.
Here Chris Ziemba and I find our way through this familiar tune trying to bring a fresh perspective to this jam session favorite! We recorded this as part of our August 2016 digital release - "Live in Memphis" on Outside in Music (www.outsideinmusic.com) - from a live in studio concert at Young Avenue Sound in Memphis, Tennessee.
We hope you enjoy! Please leave us your thoughts in the comments section, and share with your communities!
See you next time -
Nick