Keith Jarrett Opens His Solo with this Genius Pattern (LOTW #176)
We all know Keith Jarrett as one of the greats, but did you know he was a child prodigy? By age 7, he was already performing major works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven and Chopin. As an adult pianist and improviser, he now performs entire concerts completely extemporaneously. In one of his iconic jazz […]
Bill Evans Swings this Opening Melodic Sequence from “Waltz for Debby” (LOTW #175)
On one of his most iconic trio tunes,”Waltz for Debby,” Bill Evans takes a left turn from the ordinary waltz and goes into 4/4 meter after the first chorus! Check out this week’s lick as Bill opens his solo with a beautiful melodic sequence, demonstrating quintessential characteristics of his own style improvisation. The rest of […]
Bud Powell Shows How It’s Done on “Parisian Thoroughfare” (LOTW #174)
Bud Powell was the originator of Bebop piano playing. Watch as he shows how he masterfully plays changes in this excerpt from his trademark tune, “Parisian Thoroughfare.” CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION OF THE LICK If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick Of The Week you would like us to do, please […]
Cedar Walton “Clockwise” Riff (LOTW #173)
Check out the opening riff from Cedar Walton’s renowned composition,”Clockwise.” After ascending up an E major triad, he goes back down by way of a C major seventh sound. Dig this, and develop your own compositional ideas! CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION OF THE LICK If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick […]
Oscar Plays the Blues On “Love For Sale” (LOTW #172)
We love Oscar Peterson for his ability to play beautiful lines over chord changes, but most of all for his bluesy solo ideas! Check out this passage from “Love For Sale” off of the album Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Songbook, it ain’t nothin’ but the blues!! CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION OF […]
A Swinging Solo Break by Red Garland on “A Foggy Day” (LOTW #171)
Here is Red Garland’s solo break from a classic album of his, “A Garland of Red” (1957). There is some quintessential playing from Red on this record that is definitely worth checking out! https://youtu.be/9O5UwrR2Nt4 CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION OF THE LICK If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick Of The Week […]
Gerald Clayton Plays it Cool on Strasbourg St. Denis (LOTW #170)
Gerald Clayton lays down possibly one of the most grooving solos of all time over Roy Hargrove’s jam tune “Strasbourg St. Denis.” At the end of several choruses of pure groove, he plays it cool with a line which sidesteps its way outside of the changes. Follow along with the notation to see how he […]
How to Prepare for Auditions
With performance examinations coming up in many music schools across the country, I thought I’d address a question I’ve often heard, which is: How do I prepare for my performance jury? Whether you have an audition or a jury coming up for school, we’ll be discussing some best kept secrets for how to prepare! Know […]
Understanding Jazz Theory (Part 2): Functioning Dominants & 3 Functioning V7 Alterations
In Part 1 in this “Making Sense of Jazz Theory” series we looked at 3 foundational concepts: the 4 Chord Families, Diatonic Harmony, and the Church Modes. If you haven’t checked that out yet, Click Here to read that first. Today we are going to be looking at the importance of understanding Functioning Dominants and […]
Developing Your Own Style: Listening Through Generations
What do Brad Mehldau, Mark Turner, and Eric Harland all have in common? They’re some of the foremost jazz musicians of our time. And yes, they’d sound amazing in a band together, of course. But what are we really talking about here? STYLE. Each one of these musicians has their own unique style and voice […]
