Jazz Trumpet Licks

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.