How CORY HENRY Crafts a SOLO (Snarky Puppy LINGUS)

[@geoffstockton]

That freeze frame of Corey's face right around 1:36! That's my favorite face ever made by any human being anywhere, ever. I was so psyched to see that you froze that face. So worthy of it.

[@valentinasanchez5757]

He looks so happy

[@LAK_770]

I actually think that might be a signal to the band. You'll notice he makes the face as he's approaching the climax of the solo - it could be an agreed signal meaning "ok guys this is it, I'm hitting the peak at the end of this cycle of chords, which means we're going to do one more 8-bar cycle after this and then end the solo section". Notice how on-cue they are for that final unison clave right before the horns come in. There definitely was a plan here. Usually this would be a nod or verbal cue, but here the vibe is so hype that it takes the form of the most intense :D face ever lol

[@AdamNeely]

One more thing to add to this solo analysis - harmonically, melodically and timbrally I always felt it's influenced by the choices Chick Corea would make, especially in the tune Song to the Pharoah Kings. Snarky Puppy is basically millennial Return to Forever with more horns. Great video!

[@ihH6053]

Adam Neely NEELYYYYY

[@ElianaDAngelo]

OMG. You are so right. 😂

[@Gabrielm624]

What about BASS?!

[@rauljbarrios9280]

Return to Forever with more horns and the funk feel of The Headhunters!

[@rudyzulkarnaen1633]

Couldn't agree more about Chick Corea's influence on this. I think there's some influence from Chick's comping while Scott Henderson solos on Silver Temple (Chick Corea Elektrik Band) especially near the end of Cory's solo.

[@coovgroove715]

“What do you want to be when you get big?” “I’m gonna eat my food!” Already thinking like a true jazz musician. Mainly focused on just making it to his next meal.

[@0777coco]

lmao why doesn't this have more likes

[@sumojack99]

is no one gonna talk about that cute clip at the end? Cory’s really eating his food now ❤️

[@BrandonLewisD]

Not just his, but ours too!

[@yuichituba]

Hahahahhaa

[@shirley9529]

This guy Cory Henry kind of just got out the gate and people already trying to steal his stuff! That's the way it's always been. You music thieves with no real originality, rhythm or talent! Always stealing music from black people. Just like you stole rockin roll, jazz, blues etc. You study, finagle, plot, and copy everything to steal from people you don't want to live next door to or even sit next to on the bus! Just because you want to feel superior! But in reality, black people are the greatest humans to ever walk the earth! Despite the horrific things done to blacks in slavery, and how they are mistreated, criminalized, disinfranchised, purposely miseducated they have excelled and surpassed everything that they have been allowed to participate and compete in! And although blacks are being forced out of urban cities with excuse being gentrification! They are waking up! We near the end of 400 years!

[@TheGheseExperience]

@@shirley9529 check out the video David has one 1 theme with 5 composers.

[@TheGheseExperience]

@@shirley9529 this isn't racist at all

[@cocacraesh]

Lingus was one day randomly recommended to me by youtube and, after listening to two other tracks, I just had to buy the album. This is one of the rare occassions that I have to thank the youtube algorithm!

[@joshjones9749]

After much listening of their music I think I have to say that album might be Snarky Puppy's best work and Lingus is the song that puts it over the top for me.

[@mrcooper7027]

What were the other two tracks?

[@BongoBaggins]

@@mrcooper7027 Probably Outlier and either What About Me? or Sleeper

[@NahreSol]

Amazing video, thank you!!! 😊

[@luableah7615]

Hey, Nahre!

[@kalirocketdev]

OMG!!!

[@bravepart]

Wow he was literally a child prodigy, very cool! I think Larnell Lewis was playing Drums from a similar age. I'd imagine most of Snarky Puppy were very capable musicians by the time they hit double digits in age. Massive props

[@gxtmfa]

I clicked so damn fast. I love the respect you give jazz musicians. A lot of us have chips on our shoulders from the blatant disrespect we’ve received from the classical world.

[@jonathandorozowsky4005]

I love how this is going down in history as the solo of a whole generation of musicians (not just keyboard players).

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Fantastic idea for a video and masterfully executed 🙏🎹👍🏻

[@Richard_Jones]

I got into KZbin some years ago. I liked jazz and funk etc but hadn't listend to much for a while. As time went on I explored the music I liked and the bands that I saw in my 20s. I remember looking for a bassist called Dil Katz who was in every second band I saw in the 80/90s. Scotts Bass Lessons appereared in my feed, this led to Adam Neely and Rick Beato and then to Michael League and thence to Snarky Puppy. Sometimes the algorithm does GOOD STUFF!

[@forformgamer]

See, the real trick is in the beginning when he looks up all dreamy. That's when the lord came down just for him to show him some sheet music he was working on. Kidding aside, the fact that he was able to pull something like this of with so much passion is great! The only one that could explain the madness is a calm British man :)

[@stefan1024]

Wow, this was so much helpful jazz knowledge for a lazy pianist like me. Already knew about the quart chords but have to try these block chords in the maj bebop scale. Thank you a lot David!

[@woytd6435]

check out Barry Harris on YT, lots of good information on this topic :)

[@hnatyshyn]

Really interesting analysis, thanks. One thing though is you missed to incorporate the gospel background of Henry in your analysis, the core of his sense of harmony. This is where a standard jazz approach cannot find proper convenient explanation. All the intro section is a good demonstration of the gospel harmonic thinking. And it is very interesting. Look for "gospel reharm" and "walkups", these musicians can do very amazing things.

[@mmmalmberg]

This is one of the great keyboard solos in the history of jazz if you ask me. I can only listen to it every few months - too devastatingly amazing... Fun to hear it "explained" but it does go well beyond a logical dissection:) Love it.

[@JonathanNgMusic]

Your explanation of the chromatic chordal movement in Cory's solo was so illuminating. Thank you so much for breaking that down!

[@itznama]

I watch joyfully your videos even though I know almost nothing about music theory. Great work!

[@MattCitrano]

This video is incredible. It's amazing not only to see a very well-done transcription of this rollercoaster of a solo, but also explanations on how it "worked." Thank you David!

[@lemmystop]

9:27-9:38 blew my mind! This is an amazing explanation of everything!

[@OffBeatChannel]

Excellent vid, David! The insight and depth of analysis makes it such an interesting watch

[@shayakoo1]

This provides a much more practical approach to understanding a solo. Thanks Dave!

[@maxinewild705]

This video is excellent! You have a real knack for knowing which information is important to the essence of a piece of music, and that comes through in this superb breakdown of a solo that leaves a lot of people (me included) a little dumbfounded on where to begin understanding it. Loved this style of video, going through a specific piece of music and talking about what makes it tick, and I would definitely want to see more of this kind of thing from you on any music you find fascinating!

[@nurik]

Amazing! Any Robert Glasper solo would be great. Cheers!

[@eraniel146]

I CONCUR

[@JazzDuets]

superb! as always

[@Marunius]

David Bruce, I could watch your videos even if they were five times as long. AWESOME!

[@rafaelrodriguessantos6379]

I don't know who were crazier... Henry by being able to play that or you by killing on your mind boggling explanation. Amazing work! Keep it up

[@educapro]

Excellent Interpretation and breakdown. Excellent. Gives what sounds complex clarity with patterns of harmonies with intervals that capture quartal harmonies that exchange simplistic chromatic combos. Dave, your ear is pristine. Cheers!

[@uryic000]

Thanks David, thanks so much. Awesome analysis. I too am a jazz pianist. I've known for a long time in a general sense as most jazz musicians do that if some thing sounds good/cool there is always underlying theory within in it. With that blazing solo of Cory' s though I only knew this in a most general sense. But now, thanks to you I now understand more about his solo in a specific sense. As a private music educator myself that means quite a lot to me. thanks again, and extremely well done.

[@artistwintersong7343]

Excellently excellent.

[@alexanderhieke3584]

Thank you so much. Very enlightening! Now I know a bit better why I was overwhelmed after first listening to Lingus, and particularly Cory Henry’s solo. And I am still bedazzled every time I listen to it.

[@veegee1974]

Great explanation of all of those chords and nots. What you can't explain is "F E E L". That, Cory Henry has in spades!

[@Tabu11211]

I'm so grateful that you exist.

[@Smith3726]

Thanks for making this video. Cory is a beast prodigy.

[@alfbarroso]

Then the internet’s a space for sharing knowledge. Thank you sooooo much!

[@modalmixture]

I think those opening chords are a great example of the Jacobean principle that as long as you’ve got a strong melody on top, and good voice leading in the middle, you can basically harmonize with whatever notes you want.

[@bucketofbarnacles]

Excellent analysis.

[@oc174]

How many times does it need to be said, he’s heaven sent

[@6stringstorulethemall967]

please do more of these david

[@RobertsSouza]

Congrats on the analysis!! Congrats x 10 to this guy who did the transcription!! That's almost insane!!! :)

[@philipeick-vocalmusic]

Amazing video! Thanks for that one

[@sichard.rimmons]

Such a great analysis

[@alkanista]

Very interesting breakdown of what goes on in that famous solo. Thanks. One thing though - from a video about the recording, it sounds like they had hardly any rehearsal time, so the composition was not something deeply internalized.

[@alebougie]

Very insightful.

[@HaigBeylerian]

Excellent analysis! I'm having fun working through some of the things you pointed out (Major Bebop chord scale for example.. AMAZING!). Thanks =D

[@princehallel1320]

Friends, what many of you who aren't familiar with the black experience, in particular as it relates to music, there is something that we understand that you guys tangle with and that is the simple concept of "feel"/"vibe" , which is guided by "the spirit." Trying to dissect what Corey Henry is doing here is fine and all but it doesn't fit neatly into a schematic because it's guided by feel. I was a fourth year music composition major who watched as my instructors painstakingly dissect music this way and it was like peeling fingernails. Neapolitin 4th this, and chromatic movement that and it literally screwed up the learning process, especially when I came from a church environment where cats know their theory but the feel and execution is much more important. My wife who is also a singer was constantly asked to notate that run here or hey you didn't sing that same riff the exact way that you sang it last time and she'd be like, because, I felt differently yesterday, today I feel this way so I sang it like this. Ray Charles explains this very beautifully in an interview where he says, I can play the same piece differently based on how I feel and you'll never hear the exact same thing. In closing, getting around musicians and getting acclimated to the feel and vibe will not only help you understand what Corey is doing and how he's doing it but also the unspoken things that can't be explained or quantified.

[@pedrogloria1851]

Excelent analysis.

[@DavidMRodgers]

Great video! Thanks, David!

[@zenithapollostar2766]

Very superb excellent production very cute we need more

[@keylead]

Great video! awesome! thanks!

[@cjnte7265]

Excellent analysis, thank you for sharing.

[@alexbeshay7965]

Thank you Thank you!!

[@VirtualPianoStudio]

Mind Bending Solo. You got right!! Masterful job breaking down the solo in a way that translates to novice and professionals. Giving this to my jazz students as an viewing assignment next week. I will say that Cory's improv style is closer to Chick, than Herbie. Thank you.

[@aybee63]

Thanks so much for even bothering to spend the time to do this and provide an education on some aspects of the complexity of jazz progressions some of us would need years of study to even understand. Am a fan forever! PS. Didnt George Shearing write the score for Shirley Horn's beautiful 'Here's to life' track?

[@woytd6435]

Awesome analysis! great work!

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

Cory Speaks a musical language, he's ensconced in its very heart, it's that that motiviates his ability to speak that language. We're all capable of it, the journey takes longer for some than others and a few are born nearer to the destination. Seems like Cory was born to those already near that destination. He could see it just over the horizon of his hammond if he craned his ears a little.

[@SergeyDMitrievOverheat]

The most sensible explanation! Thank you so much. Then I myself)))) But if there are videos, I will be glad

[@andrelousada]

This is so great!!! :) I am glad you are commenting about this music! :)

[@tannerjay606]

Yes and no to the summary you gave: Cory during this performance had probably only seen the song and been performing it for less than a week (maybe even less than a day, but I think this is day 3 or 4 of recording for this session). So I would say it’s not the things he’s learned playing this particular song so many times; it’s the things he’s learned playing so many other songs since before he was four, that have brought his instincts up to the point where if a pop chord progression like this comes in front of him, he knows what to do, even if it’s an unknown known, and he’s just feeling it.

[@C-R-A-T-E]

Tanner Jay this guy was basically trying to break down what Cory did he was not trying to say or how long it took him to learn the piece or if he ever learnt it ... just be grateful and appreciate the work

[@joshjones9749]

Cory actually performed the song originally with Snarky puppy back in 2013 in a brooklyn concert. That vid is floating around on youtube. So he was definitely performing it for more than a week.

[@tannerjay606]

Josh Jones yo! I didn’t know that! Shoot! I just know that Bob Reynolds wasn’t playin all of this music before hand, and I knew his experience with the album. That’s super cool man! Really cool to see how that solo progresses over the years

[@iddohavinga2940]

@@tannerjay606 Basically, Lingus and Shofukan were the two songs that Snarky had been playing for quite a while before this recording. Most other songs, however, were brought in or came together closer to the session (some were finished or even written merely days before). For Bob Reynolds, most things were quite new since he just started to get involved with Snarky.

[@Morganstudios]

@@joshjones9749 I found the video you mentioned. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bInXpmmed9CGjtk Wikipedia says the album was recorded October 2013. So that gig predates the recording by 4 months. It's interesting because in the " We Like It Here" DVD they describe learning everything there at the recording session before Larnell Lewis was called in last minute. Maybe Lingus was an exception?

[@fachex1]

Hello David, I've been following your channel for a few months now, and I find your creations to be both exceptional and concise in a way that really emphasizes the pedagogical aspects of the ideas behind the videos. Congrats on such a well done and laboured endeavour. Might I suggest that, for your next "solo analysis" video, you could tackle the inmense personality and genius that is Frank Zappa? Particularly on his solo on Watermelon in Easter Hay? Or Black Napkins? Or even, and this is a bold suggestion, the huge improvisational/through-composed/prefigured composition that is The Ocean is the Ultimate Solution? Thanks. And keep it up!

[@kenarts11]

In simple words, Cory is a genius

[@SuonidiBologna]

Thank you David, cool video!

[@dangelobenjamin]

Thanks for sharing this! I spend a lot of time listening to C Henry's music, and I've had pretty much every thought you mentioned in this video before! Love his music and his approach to improv and writing, especially his Funk Apostles group.

[@MarcoFiorini]

Great analysis! I like that you included also Barry Harris! I'm going to make a video about his concept applied on guitar soon.

[@laenaszone]

I can’t read music and I have no clue what you just said. But I watched the entire video 😁.

[@antonsavin72]

Thank you for this great insightful video!

[@BobSchoepenjr]

Well done! Lingus is 😲

[@steveluvbar]

best idea for a video ever

[@capabartz7380]

If you read this comment I’d love to see an analysis of Kamasi Washington’s solo from his song Truth of the album Harmony of Truth. It’s one of my favorite saxophone solos. Easily my favorite solo preformed by someone in the past two decades. Great video.

[@7177YT]

brilliant! thank you!

[@Efraenis]

¡Excelent! Es una lástima que yo sepa hablar inglés, pero aprendí muchísimo con éste vídeo 👍🏻😃🎉

[@rachelthomas9962]

Thanks David, great analysis.

[@samroyproductions3476]

Are you the sister of Joel thomasraj

[@rachelthomas9962]

@@samroyproductions3476 no, sorry

[@samroyproductions3476]

No problem actually he is our local singer and pianist he has a sister named Rachel Thomas she is also a fantastic singer I just thought you might be her

[@pml-starwars9043]

I love this solo! :)

[@LaurenceGuitar]

Love your videos David. Would love to see you do some analysis on Allan Holdsworths compositions. Something like 26/2 off his last album. But so many examples of greatness from the great man. Thanks for the videos

[@LaurenceGuitar]

Meant 0274, obvs not the Coltrane tune although that is great too

[@toastoneggs7356]

Great thanks good vid

[@jacoblopez365]

The solo in Booker by Harry Connick Jr.

[@Gusrikh1]

Fabulous

[@perstornes]

Hi David, great video! I like the way you treat a solo as a composition. I think it was Frank Zappa who once said that improvising is just composing in the moment. (Although this performance contain some pre-composed ideas, as you point out.) Since you're asking: I I would love to hear your comments on Allan Holdsworth's music, both on Holdsworth as a composer, and as a soloist. In case you're not familiar with his work, check out the compilation "Eidolon" that came out in 2017. It features mainly Allan's compositions, and his playing on guitar and SynthAxe (a guitar-like synth controller he championed almost singlehandedly).

[@ihazthots]

I had nooo idea Henry was a child prodigy. But everything makes sense now. I also wanna shout out his latest solo record "Art of Love." It's a beautiful short record with the best of Cory Henry.

[@coxyfox]

Nice one! Thanks :D

[@quezbor]

9:51 keeping the jazz alive!

[@ChopinDolphy]

I wouldnt say that block chord harmonization is derived from the major bebop scale. Its really about voicing the chord you are in on the down beats, and then approaching those downbeats (on the offbeats obviously lol) using a variety of techniques, including a diminished 7th like you said, but also a dominant 7th, a diatonic chord, or a chromatic approach (downbeat chord transposed a halfstep down)

[@ulfgj]

and that's folk... is art. beautiful, isn't it?

[@luzmcbox]

I wonder if he could transcribe his own solo and play it again like so many of us are trying to do or if instead every time he plays the solo something quite different is evolving?

[@joeykeysade986]

Gréât analyse

[@2li678]

If you could analyze the rendition of 'Afro Blue' from Coltrane's Live at Birdland album, either McCoy Tyner's solo or Coltrane's picking up from there, but ideally both since the effect is so amazing and the quartet was so damn tight. Well, that would be most excellent of you.

[@АнтонКузнецов-и8ю]

respect for Bach pronunciation

[@opeyemisodimu5192]

Nice video but where can i download the solo sheet music or pdf. Please kindly share the link

[@ISKMUSIC1]

The thinking vs. not thinking part is rather obvious to be honest. When you practice, you are in a conscious mind. When you perform you are in a subconscious mind. So you are always "thinking"...just with different parts of your mind. This applies to pretty much anything. Not just music. For instance: when you learn to drive, you are afraid to even touch the radio because you are so concentrated on the road. When you have been A DRIVER for a while...you can drink a coffee, have a conversation, answer texts (even though you shouldn't) and do another 5 things while navigating through heavy traffic. The driving itself becomes a subconscious thing, auto pilot, second nature...etc

[@patrickbg110]

Great video but I had to comment - the licc thing was actually done by a Facebook meme page called "Chord Scale Theory Memes" (iirc) which used to post some really great content, such as that. They tagged June Lee as a joke and asked him to transcribe it and he did!

[@timandmonica]

The closest feeling that I have by watching this video is the same as what I get when I look up on KZbin how to do a magic trick that I'm blown away by. I feel like if I understand it I lose some of the wonder. That's interesting because I'm not like that with other kinds of technical music. It's like I felt something transcendent that loses a little bit of shine once it is logically explained. Anyway, that's how I feel about it.

[@1.4142]

1:20 the same expression

[@StanManMusic]

Hello and thank you for posting. Absolutely awesome analysis. Just curious; At 7:00 you mentioned the -Eminor opening. Wouldn’t that be G-major? It just seems to be centered around G.

[@Jack-je1zt]

Not exactly a solo but, 'Night School' off of Zappa's Jazz From Hell. Ensemble Modern has an amazing arrangement of it.

[@mirceagogoncea]

God he was cute as a kid :D awesome video as always, David!

[@deafconmediaZA]

This guy is nuts. Im trying to follow what he was doing. Well he uses whole/half cromatic and the phrygian dominant, pentatonic is an improvers trick, a safty net.

[@reginrodriguez1904]

Thank you so much!!!

[@cretaceoussteve3527]

Where did the sheet music come from? Does Henry write out his solos?? Or did Bruce make those? Either way it's effing insane.

[@jamespacia8610]

What a fantastic analysis 🔥 nice work Edit: I’m gonna eat my food too 😂

[@brown9671]

Mmm yes, I completely understand

[@NIIVES]

Thanks for reading my comment hahaha, great video!!! Also SORRY I CALLED IT POPPY OK ;)