Jazz Trumpet Licks

Here’s a Jazz lick that I took from a Kenny Dorham solo on “Donna Lee”. I like to
play over 2-5-1s or on two bars of a dominant chord that leads to the one (like on the
bridge of rhythm changes).

Here is a sample played of the Jazz lick played over Donna Lee:

How to memorize this Jazz lick in 12 keys:

The Jazz lick starts on the fifth of the minor chord and goes down the minor triad to the tonic. From there, it goes down a half step and encloses the third of the dominant chord. In the second bar, the lick starts on the fifth of the tri-tone of the minor chord (as I like to think a minor chord that’s a half step above the dominant chord) and goes down the triad all the way back to the fifth. The last two beats of the second bar is just enclosing the fifth of the one chord.

It’s a little tricky to get the sound in your ear at first, but it’s a fun lick to play!

Hope you find this lick useful.
John