Benny Green Lays it Down on “These are Soulful Days” (LOTW #184)

Learn how Benny Green Lays it Down

Benny Green shows his Hard-Bop jazz chops on this Lee Morgan tune, “These are Soulful Days” from his album of the same name. He lays down a double time line and grooves over a minor cadence, putting a period at the end of a masterful sentence of improvisation CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION OF […]

Oscar Peterson Starts Things off Right with “Just You, Just Me” (LOTW #183)

Watch as Oscar Peterson starts things off right with this lick of the week

Besides being the king of burning down the blues, Oscar Peterson was also a master of playing intros! Setting up the tune can be on of a pianist’s most important responsibilities. Listen how Oscar starts things off right on “Just You, Just Me” from his classic album with Lester Young. https://youtu.be/RNLghVAt8sU CLICK HERE TO GET […]

Kenny Kirkland Lets Loose on this Modal Lick! (LOTW #182)

Watch Kenny Kirkland let loose on this modal lick

Kenny Kirkland is one of those stars who burnt brightly, but quickly. During the short time we had him on this Earth, he left us with some amazing piano playing! Listen as he lets loose on “Mr. J.C.,” a track dedicated to John Coltrane off his self-titled album from 1991. Kenny could sure burn!!! https://youtu.be/CKj2oZ7KdQc […]

A Sexy Solo Break by Edward Simon on “My Cherie Amour” (LOTW #181)

Learn this sex solo break by Edward Simon

For those of you who don’t know pianist Edward Simon, you’ll want to get to know him after this week’s lick! During his tenure in the SFJazz Collective, his arrangements and solos brought an extra layer of sophistication to the group. Listen to this sultry solo break over their reimagining of the classic Stevie Wonder […]

Stevie Wonder’s Famous Line from “Sir Duke” Pt. 2 (LOTW #180)

Stevie Wonder's Famous Line from "Sir Duke"

“Sir Duke” is a tune off of Stevie Wonders iconic album, “Songs in the Key of Life” (1976). He wrote it in homage to one of his great jazz influences, Duke Ellington. This week’s LOTW features the second half of the line in its completion. Check it out! https://youtu.be/PmYX04TN6uE CLICK HERE TO GET A TRANSCRIPTION […]

Stevie Wonder’s Famous Line from “Sir Duke” Pt. 1 (LOTW #179)

Learn Stevie Wonder's Famous Line from "Sir Duke"

“Sir Duke” is a tune off of Stevie Wonders iconic album, “Songs in the Key of Life” (1976). He wrote it in homage to one of his great jazz influences, Duke Ellington. This soli line one minute into the song is infamous among horn players, and uses some hip pentatonic language. Check it out! https://youtu.be/_QltxXyKvS8 […]

Herbie’s Minor Third Lick from “Dolphin Dance” (LOTW #178)

Learn Herbie's Minor Third Lick from "Dolphin Dance"

Herbie Hancock is known as one of the great innovators of jazz piano. In honor of his 80th birthday last week, we’ve got a lick this week from his iconic record “Maiden Voyage” (1965). He introduces his solo with this ascending minor third idea on what would become a jazz standard tune of his, “Dolphin […]

Keith Jarrett Opens His Solo with this Genius Pattern (LOTW #176)

Keith Jarrett Opens his solo with this genius pattern

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)

Bill Evans swings this opening melodic sequence

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 […]

Jazz Piano School