ANATOMY OF AN IMPROVISER: THE STYLE OF NAILOR AZEVEDO “PROVETA”
Manuel Silveira Falleiros
2.2.3 Transcription and Analysis of the Solo in João Valentão
Below is the transcription in its complete version:
[Full Transcription Placeholder]
This is the solo in which Nailor presents the melodies with a markedly freer approach. Many of his compositional and improvisational procedures have already been described in the analyses of the previous two solos.
However, we do not observe the explicit use of development based on a specific motive from the original piece. It appears only subtly between measures 24 and 26. Comparing it with the original theme, we note that this motive undergoes development through rhythmic expansion. Below is the solo, followed by the original theme.
[Excerpt: Solo measures 24–26]
[Excerpt: Original theme]
The antecedent-consequent relationships are not clearly defined in their strictest structural sense. Nevertheless, when viewed through the lens of his melodic line, we observe that it behaves according to patterns widely recognized as indicative of quality melodic construction.
In measure 3, we note the use of a melodic resource known as deviation. A deviation occurs when an expected scalar sequence is interrupted by alternative intervals, breaking its linear continuity. According to Ernst Toch, without such deviation the line becomes neutral, colorless, and bland, whereas the deviation imparts animation and individuality.
[Excerpt: Original phrase]
[Excerpt: Hypothetical phrase without deviation]
Above is the original, and below is the reconstructed melody without deviations. This second version is derived by maintaining the contour established in the first measure, using notes that surround and remain proximate to a principal pitch.
At the solo’s climax, measure 19, we observe the same two-voice imitation construction previously described, which evidence suggests references a characteristic performance practice in choro.
However, a feature not previously identified in the earlier analyses appears in this solo: the explicit use of a jazz cliché. As noted earlier, Nailor’s training involved extensive transcription of jazz saxophonists. Through his immersion in jazz pedagogy and the practical application of this absorbed language in professional settings such as the 150 Night Club ensemble, he deepened his familiarity with the idiom, which naturally led to the internalization of certain of its conventional elements.
Below is the excerpt where this cliché appears, near the middle of measure 15:
[Excerpt: Jazz cliché in measure 15]
This phrase belongs to the phrasal repertoire most prominently featured in a particular jazz style known as bebop. We will use as an example one of its foremost representatives, saxophonist John Coltrane, who employs this same cliché in measure 48 of his solo on Blue Train⁸³:
[Excerpt: Coltrane, Blue Train, m. 48]
This cliché appears in several variations that are readily identifiable across numerous solos, for example:
[Excerpt: Variation 1]
or
[Excerpt: Variation 2]
Transposing this cliché to the key of Nailor’s solo, we can verify its structural similarity; the primary difference lies in the precise metric placement of its application. In Nailor’s solo, the cliché begins on the upbeat of the second beat, whereas in Coltrane’s original, it initiates on the downbeat of the second beat.
[Excerpt: Side-by-side rhythmic placement]
This demonstrates how Nailor absorbed elements of the jazz language and his capacity to adapt and transplant them into other stylistic contexts within his improvised solos.
Furthermore, we verified the same types of developmental procedures described in previous analyses, in addition to demonstrating how Nailor strategically employs melodic deviation in constructing his improvisational lines.