How to Prepare for Auditions
With performance examinations coming up in many music schools across the country, I thought Iād address a question Iāve often heard, which is: How do I prepare for my performance jury? Whether you have an audition or a jury coming up for school, weāll be discussing some best kept secrets for how to prepare! Know […]
Developing Modern Repertoire
As Sterling mentioned in his last post, jazz music was built on the popular songs of the day, using them as vehicles for improvisation. There is no reason it should be any different today.Ā There is music being created all around us just begging to be improvised on, but sometimes we get stuck in the […]
Beyond the Real Book: Checking out the āFolio”
Being able to show up to a jam and read tunes out of a real book can be very handy, but.. Have you ever wondered where some of those songs come from? As jazz musicians, we are fortunate to be able to draw from an endless fountain of repertoire from the 20th century. Today, this […]
3 Step Process to Assimilate Improv Concepts
Have you ever wanted to incorporate a musical idea into your playing but struggled to get past the āCopy and Pasteā phase? This process will help you internalize musical ideas and make them a part of who you are, not just a lick that you can play. First, decide on a musical subject. Identify a […]
Jazz Fusion: The Electric, Rock-Infused Cousin of Jazz
Of course weāre talking aboutā¦ As an American art form, jazz has continually evolved to absorb elements of the culture and technology around it. Jazz had progressed from its Dixieland roots in New Orleans into the swing tradition of the 30ās, bebop in the 40ās to hard bop, modal, and cool jazz styles of the […]
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 […]
Rhythm: Itās 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 […]
Fill Style Comping (Part 2): Jobim āGirl From Ipanemaā Brazilian Comping Analysis
In part 1 of this series, we analyzed Oscar Petersonās fill-style comping on āSweet Loraineā alongside Herb Ellisā 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 […]
How to Reharmonize Like a Pro
What is Reharmonization? Letās do a quick reviewā¦ Reharmonization is the process of replacing the chords underneath a melody with other chords that still work musically but have a different function. Chords share a variety of common tones that allow us to interchange them without wreaking havoc on the music. Take, for example, one of […]
Fill-Style Comping (Part 1): Oscar Peterson āItās Only A Paper Moonā 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 guitaristās brazilian rhythmic comping when comping alongside a guitaristās ā4 to a barā comping In part 1 of this 3-part series, we are going to examine Oscar Petersonās […]
