LOTW #133 – Bill Evans’ Rubato Stylings on “Danny Boy”
Bill Evans interprets the traditional ballad “Danny Boy” showcasing his elegant piano style and beautiful voicings. Note how he presents the melody with advanced harmonies and splits the voicings between two hands with the flexibility to maintain the melody. Bill Evans shows his mastery in this recording, the rest of this track is definitely worth […]
Fill Style Comping (Part 2): Jobim “Girl From Ipanema” Brazilian Comping Analysis
In part 1 of this series, we analyzed Oscar Peterson’s fill-style comping on “Sweet Loraine” alongside Herb Ellis’ 4-in-the-bar style comping. In part 2 of this 3-part series, we are going to examine how to comp alongside a guitarist on a Bossa nova tune. When comping in a Brazilian group, the guitarist serves as the […]
Fill-Style Comping (Part 1): Oscar Peterson “It’s Only A Paper Moon” Comping Analysis
Fill-style comping can be a very effective tool when dealing with a crowded accompaniment space: when comping in a traditional big band setting when comping alongside a guitarist’s brazilian rhythmic comping when comping alongside a guitarist’s “4 to a bar” comping In part 1 of this 3-part series, we are going to examine Oscar Peterson’s […]
Keith Jarrett’s Fiery Opening Lick (LOTW #115)
This is a solo by a young Keith Jarrett during his professional debut on tour with Charles Lloyd in 1966. His fiery opening line became infamous because of his technical fluidity and his use of harmonic color.
What is a Bebop Scale? And Why Is It Important?
Are Bebop Scales the secret to unlocking the mystery of bebop improvisation for you? No. In order to truly sound authentic with bebop improvisation, you must develop a solid bebop vocabulary and incorporate staples of bebop phraseology such as: enclosures, chromaticism, triplets in between a string of eighth notes, and particular sounds like the altered […]
Bud Powell’s Groovin’ Lick on “Celia” (LOTW #114)
Bud Powell was an extremely influential artist to jazz and jazz pianists to come. Here is a great lick from one of his very famous tunes called “Celia”.
Killin’ Diminished Line Using Chord Scale Above Approaches (LOTW #113)
Share on facebook Facebook Share on google Google+ Share on twitter Twitter Share on linkedin LinkedIn Love this diminished pattern. Sounds fantastic and is pretty simple. Just approaching diminished chord tones from chord scale above using the whole half scale again. A little easier said than done! I get that. Enjoy! CLICK HERE TO GET […]
How To Play Block Chords Like Bill Evans
In this blog we are going to examine how to play block chords, ala Bill Evans. Block chord soloing is when you harmonize a melody where all 4 or 5 voices are in rhythmic unison. The two most common forms of block chord soloing that we are going to examine are “locked-hands/double lead” and “drop […]
Accompanying Singers – Hillary Kole “Duets”: How To Set Up A Solid Intro
Hillary Kole’s You Are There (Duets) is a fascinating study in how to accompany a jazz singer in a vocal-piano duo setting. The record contains 13 vocal-piano duets with many different pianists, including Kenny Barron, Dave Brubeck, Benny Green, Hank Jones, Steve Kuhn, Freddy Cole, Cedar Walton, Alan Broadbent, Monty Alexander, Michel Legrand, and Mike […]
Modal Improvisation – Coltrane’s “Pursuance”: Achieving A Modern Sound
Recently, I had the privilege of performing Jim McNeely’s arrangements of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme with Joe Lovano in a series of concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Aaron Davis Hall CCNY. A Love Supreme notably includes 2 major piano solos, in the 2nd movement (“Resolution”) as well as the 3rd movement (“Pursuance”). […]
