Pepe Greenaway, who recently returned to the north east, is in the process of publishing a book on saxophone harmonics. Here is an introduction to the book as well as a YouTube snippet.
Q. How have you got to this stage of playing.
A. Well, I love Coltrane, mean really love him like a father,
and Eric Dolphy, Elvin Jones, anybody who's had anything to do with jazz
machine. Alice , Ravi ,
Darren. People who speak this language I take as part of my extended family,
that way you understand them.
Q. Can you tell us about B5, B6, B9, B10 harmonics?
A. Well, I started playing at 18. and was introduced to
Nigel Carter, lead trumpet with the BBC radio orchestra, and always wanted to
play trumpet. The last conversation I had with Nigel was, "But the 10th
interval is sharp 11th, his answer was, " It could be ". So I've been
playing trumpet. for the last 5 years, and it's a Lydian dominant series, look up George Russell, there's a whole book on it.
Nigel gave me a copy of Sigurd M. Rascher's Top-Tones for
Saxophones, so when I got to CAT (College of Arts and Technology) in Newcastle
I keep the 1st 4 pedal notes Bb, B, C, Db, to Lydian
dominant, but build harmonics after that on an altered series.
Q. So do you think everyone will play harmonics like this
in the future?
A, Yes. You could say it's a pity I'm not a time traveller,
cause I could give Eric Dolphy a copy, you know he had all those problems with
harmonics on alto and tuning his horn, all his complex harmony would have
suddenly become clear, as it was he practically ruined every album he was on,
apart from anything he did on bass clarinet. He was the best bass clarinettist. In fact that's the clearest proof, he applied his harmony as he would to bass
clarinet and it didn't work on alto.
Lance.
PS: Hear Pepe and Jazz Machine at Victoria Hotel, Whitley Bay (3rd and 4th Tuesdays each month).
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