Jazz Trumpet Licks

I heard Tom Harrell play this Jazz lick, but I can’t remember where from. It’s a pretty easy Jazz lick to learn in 12 keys and to incorporate into your Jazz improv playing. I hope you enjoy and use the Jazz lick just as much as I do.

Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize the Jazz lick in 12 keys:

I think bebop scale when I play this lick. I don’t care whether or not I’m playing it over a ii V7 I or not. The Jazz lick fits over a lot of different chords. Know that the lick starts on the tonic of the bebop scale you’re on, a 5th above the ending I chord (in the above example it’s G). Go down to the b7th, then up the bebop scale to the 2nd, next go up a minor 3rd to C, then down bebop scale. Continue down the bebop scale without the major 7th until you land on a chord tone of the I chord. Which in the above example is the 3rd of C.

I also added the b9 on the V7 chord, which in my opinion sounds a whole lot cooler than just playing a regular 9 on the V7 chord. What do you think?

I heard Tom Harrell play this Jazz lick in the beginning of his trumpet solo on Scrapple From the Apple off his Moon Alley album. This lick doesn’t necessarily have to be played over a ii V7 I, it can be played over a regular major chord as well. It’s a very scale like Jazz lick so it’s easy to play on trumpet.

Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize this Jazz lick in 12 keys:

Like I said before, since this Jazz lick is very scale like, it lays very nicely on the trumpet. You can either think of the lick as a G bebop scale lick with a raised 4th, or a C major lick with a b9 (or raised tonic). I prefer to think of it as a C major lick with a b9 in it.

If you prefer memorizing the lick in major think of starting on the 5th of whatever key you’re in, then play the major scale up to the 4th, then go down to the b9, up to the 3rd, and finally finish the scale out landing on the 3rd of the I chord.

If you prefer memorizing the lick thinking in dominant then just know that you’ll start on the tonic of whatever dominant scale you’re starting on, go up the scale to the b7, down to the #4, up a minor 3rd from that, then just finish out the dominant scale down landing on a chord tone of the I chord.

Feel free to embellish on the lick and make it your own.

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Here is a pretty easy ii V7 I Jazz lick to learn. A trombone player I used to work with showed this lick to me.  This lick is basically a minor pattern that repeats itself going down a half step to land on a chord tone of the I chord.

Here is a sound sample played on trumpet:

How to memorize this ii V7 I lick in 12 keys:

Start off by learning the minor pattern by itself first by going down in half steps all the way through the 12 keys, then apply it to a ii V7 I chord progression. This is the minor pattern: 5 b7 5 3 2 1. In the above example, you start on the 5th of the ii chord, play the minor pattern, then play it again down a half step, then finally land on the tonic of the I chord.

This minor pattern is useful by itself as well. Mess around with the pattern to find out how it’ll fit into your Jazz improvisation.

A guitar player I used to work with showed me this easy ii V7 I lick.  The lick is based off the major 7th of the I chord, this is how I remember the lick.

Here is a sound sample of the lick played on trumpet:

How to memorize this ii V7 I lick in 12 keys:

The easiest way to memorize the ii V7 I lick in 12 keys is to first know that the lick starts on the major 7th of the I chord (it’s also best to think in C major throughout the entire lick). Then you go up the chromatic scale to D or the 9th. Next you go down the major 7th arpeggio until you land on the major 7th.

After you hit the 3rd of the V7 chord it goes up diminished for 3 notes then one whole step until you get the b6 (b9 if thinking in the V7 chord). Finally, the lick finishes by ending the major and landing on the 3rd of the I chord.

I know this seems like a lot of steps, that is why it’s pretty much easier to think of the whole lick in C major. Like any lick or pattern, you’ll eventually develop a feel for it and not have to think about it anymore.

Here is an awesome Jazz trumpet solo of Tom Harrell with Jacky Terrasson playing piano on their Moon & Sand album. Tom Harrell takes a ride on Tune Up which is a pretty fast tune, but he nails the solo to the wall. Tune up is basically 3 different ii V7 I chords played over and over again. This means you can get a lot of good ii V7 I licks listening to Tom Harrell on this solo.

This Jazz trumpet solo gets really addicting the more you listen to it. Feel free to leave any comments on this post if you get any good licks from Tom Harrell’s trumpet solo.

**Note: Audio has been removed from this post.

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