Booker Little
– seine Improvisations- und Kompositionstechnik
Booker Little's (1938–1961) improvisational virtuosity is characterized by dense, scale centered, harmonic-melodic alternating melody structures, analogous to John Coltrane's so-called "sheets of sound". In his creative period from 1958 until 1961, Little further developed this style of improvisation by including pronounced motivic craftsmanship and high points, consisting of alternating lyrical and virtuoso, partially modal phrases. As trumpeter in Max Roach's and Eric Dolphy's ensembles, and as leader of his own groups, Little belonged to the most progressive improvisors of modern hard Bop. As composer and arranger, he strove to surpass the boundaries of the up until then accepted Jazz standard, and succeeded, in part outside of the tradi tional, functional harmonic established tonal basis, to create arrangements with strongly liberated dissonances.