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Toe to Toe

Toe to Toe

Streetlight Manifesto, Baritone Saxophone Solo

Song by Tomas Kalnoky, Solo by Mike Brown

Toe to Toe Baritone Solo - Connor Babos
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This is a short but extremely tasteful solo by Mike Brown from Streetlight Manifesto's The Hands That Thieve. It's a little different from a lot of my other transcriptions, but after being introduced to the track by my girlfriend Maria, I had to check it out. Harmonically the track stays pretty solidly in the key of E, and a lot of the solo is just riffs on E major pentatonic. One exception is the frequent deviation to the minor third, G natural, which is just straight blues. You'll notice that in the context of a longer phrase, Mike sticks to the major third, but uses the minor third when he's starting a phrase or after some space. 

Rhythmically, the solo is played way behind the time. And while there is an element of swing, it needs to be executed with a degree of swagger. The accents included in the transcription are an indication of space as much as they are of emphasis. This is a solo that would be close to impossible to imitate without hearing the recording first. So check out the recording below and see if you can play along. 

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions (or disagreements!) with me about this transcription, I welcome your feedback!

Solo at 1:40

Year of the Cat

Year of the Cat

Al Stewart, Alto Saxophone Solo

Song by Al Stewart, Solo by Phil Kenzie

Year of the Cat Screen Shot.png

While this solo is in many ways a prototypical rock and roll sax solo, it is never the less technically impressive and well executed. Phil Kenzie pushes his sound write to the edge of what still is a round, musical tone, and unlike many rock solos utilizes the full range of the instrument in the first solo. The second is much more limited to a vamp on the C# minor pentatonic scale above F#, but soars nicely in a counterpoint above the rest of the band.

Solo at 4:11

Heart of the Night

Poco, Alto Saxophone Solo

Song by Paul Cotton, Solo by Phil Kenzie

Heart of the Night
Heart of the Night.png

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Solo at 2:53

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