I took the 4-day NYJW Rhythm Workshop this summer with Tony Moreno. It was excellent. Great for working on your time. “Time” has been one (among many) of my big weaknesses and I’m spending a lot of practice time working on it. Mike Longo has a DVD and book using drumming to improve one’s jazz time and feel, and I’ve been practicing a lot from his material.

TheAugust issue of The New York Jazz Record has a article by Larry Coryell (Yikes! I remember seeing him with Gary Burton in the 60’s and doing the fusion thing with John McLaughlin in the 70’s.) about improvising. Here’s a snippet:

“Now there is also the ability to execute what you play. Whatever you’re about to play, make sure the “time-feel” is right —there’s nothing worse than a great idea poorly executed. What you do in this case is to start with a very, very simple idea and play it cleanly with good “time,” then go into more complex variations……. So when it comes to what phrases you want to play, keep it simple as you develop your solo, then allow the process to happen…..developing your complexity, yes,…..but keep the “feeling” uppermost—don’t lose that—jazz is an emotion and it’s emotional (and redeeming) music.”

Check it.