Junior Cook solo - “Nica’s Dream” (1960)

Dropping a quick one on you for the February 2025 blog post. This is a transcription of Junior Cook’s tenor saxophone solo on the Horace Silver composition, “Nica’s Dream.” The album was recorded and released in 1960. At the time of recording (July 1960), Cook had been part of Silver’s quintet for about two years.

Silver had composed “Nica’s Dream” in 1954 (according to Wikipedia, don’t see a source on that) and recorded the tune with the Jazz Messengers in 1956. Many cats highlight in this tune Silver’s use of the minor chord with the major seventh (e.g. Bbmin(maj7). (I regard that chord as one of the saddest in the harmonic universe, and it’s a chord that I use as well to start my original composition, “Alderaan.”)

Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley played on the Jazz Messengers release in 1956, and it’s notable that Cook’s solo break coming into his solo (in 1960) is virtually identical to Mobley’s solo break in 1956. Nothing wrong with that…if you’re going to imitate a saxophonist, Mobley is one of the finest.

As you listen to Cook’s solo and follow along in the transcription, your ear and eye both will be drawn to the melodicism. I haven’t counted but probably a good 75 percent of the notes in the solo are chord tones. You’d have little problem with sussing out the chord changes of the tune if you only heard Cook’s tenor saxophone solo in isolation. Check out Cook’s solo on “Nica’s Dream” here.

Shout-out to saxophonist Alex Marcos, who transcribed the solo and posted it on YouTube.