Chick Corea’s Burning Lines from Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (LOTW #127)
On his original tune “Matrix,” Chick Corea burns through this blues chorus with unique flair and creativity at a blistering tempo. He begins with some F suspended vocabulary which is reminiscent of McCoy Tyner, one of his major influences. He ascends dramatically to the top of the keyboard, and returns down to Earth to burn […]
Gospel Meets Jazz: The Hammond B3 Organ
Jazz, Blues, and Gospel have been evolving alongside each other for decades. The presence of blues and gospel influences brought jazz to another level and helped it become what it is today. The History of the Organ Organs had been used in gospel churches for years when some jazz musicians such as Fats Waller and […]
McCoy Tyner Rips Through Suspended Chord (LOTW #126)
There is one and only one McCoy Tyner, and this lick from his seminole album The Real McCoy (1967) brings home the point. Check how he rips through different pentatonic sounds over the F pedal on his tune “Passion Dance.”
Red Garland Signature Blues Lick on “If I Were a Bell” (LOTW #125)
Red Garland begins a chorus of the classic standard “If I Were a Bell” with his signature blues lick. Watch out, he throws in a three beat hemiola at the end of the phrase to keep us guessing!
Wynton Kelly Navigates Changes in “On Green Dolphin Street” (LOTW #124)
Here is Wynton Kelly’s trio rendition of the classic tune “On Green Dolphin Street.” Listen how he navigates the changes in a unique way with some of his own quintessential hard bop vocabulary.
Rhythm: It’s All About Feel!
In jazz, what separates the good players from the very best? At the end of the day, in my experience playing with musicians from all over, the thing that sets someone apart is their time feel. When I sit down to play with someone, I can instantly tell the caliber of their musicianship by their […]
Brad Meldhau’s Tasty Lines on “Blackbird” by the Beatles (LOTW #123)
Check out these tasty blues-infused lines from Brad’s version of “Blackbird.” He takes this popular hit from the Beatles and puts his own modern spin on it on his iconic album, “Art of the Trio.”
Keith Jarrett’s Beautiful Melody on “Someday My Prince Will Come” Pt. 2 (LOTW #122)
Usually we all want to learn cool, hip sounding voicings right?! Trust me, I’ve been there. But unfortunately these one off voicings don’t do much for our education. It’s like someone giving us a fish instead of TEACHING us HOW to fish. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather learn HOW to […]
Keith Jarrett’s Beautiful Melody on “Someday My Prince Will Come” Pt. 1 (LOTW #121)
As jazz pianists, we can’t always be burning or pulling out crazy licks. Sometimes the hottest lines are beautiful melodies! Check out Keith Jarrett playing “Someday My Prince Will Come” at a live concert in France from 2002. He sequences melodic material through the changes in a way that melts the hearts of his audience.
Taylor Eigsti Sidestepping Pentatonic Lines (LOTW #120)
Taylor Eigsti rips through some changes on his arrangement of the standard tune, “I Love You” for his album Let It Come to You. The line begins with a chromatic enclosure around a Bb and ascends through some melodic minor modes. Where some people would place a conventional 3625 progression, he sidesteps downwards with a […]
