Today our warm up was in the Mingus blues composition called” Noddin Your Head Blues.” It’s a slow blues using the triplet’s as a base to feel the eighth notes. We checked out playing over and emphasizing the diminished chord […]

When I showed up to class we had a violinists and a new pianist. The pianist Bob told us he has delivered 2,000 babies and is retired and just wants to play jazz piano. He fit into the group very […]

Hi! I wanna share with you an interview that I had with journalist Brent Black from Critical Jazz. I think it can be helpful since I touch some subjects we also discuss in class about creativity and improvisation. Check it […]

There’s a good discussion about chord subs on this tune on website all about jazz, including this contrefact  (new melody) by Miles on A section. Playing Gm+5 in bars 5 and 7 is worth exploring. I’ll send out a pdf […]

Back to some warmups involving the modes in major and scoped out the locrian natural 2, 6th mode of melodic minor. And we are learning the head of mingus classic reincarnation of a lovebird, an absolute masterpiece. Next is Reflections […]

Today we worked mostly on originals. Two tunes of Clement, one in 5/4 and one with a cycle of 3/4 4/4 3/4 5/4 plus a metric modulation. We also checked out T-leaf by Chris, a great melody. Next week back […]

What does My Foolish Heart have in Blue Moon and Heart and Soul, and with many hits from the 1950’s such as Silhouettes on the Shade, Teen Angel, All I Have to Do Is Dream, Duke of Earl, Earth Angel, […]

Here’s a transcription of Grant Green’s solo on Airegin. And Craig Buhler dedicates a post on his website to a nice lick from Sonny Rollins’ solo on Aeiregin that can be used on any V7-Im, here.

In our last class we welcomed Shri who plays bass and sat in with us. There was an immediate connection with him and the students. We worked on Just Friends in the key of G. Shri had played it in […]

Check out this now-classic phrase from Parker’s Anthropology solo (line 14, Omnibook transcription), here, in all keys and with a play-along. Listen to the entire solo, here.

Today the Bebop Workshop started to work on Rhythm Changes! After our gig at Smalls we have been jamming for several weeks on famous standards of the Bebop era and now it’s time to focus on a new repertoire. Rhythm […]

This is the video of our class performing Freddie Hubbards’s “Birld Like” at Smalls.

This past session of the Jazz Vocal Workshop was super fun! I think we’re beginning to hit our stride as the students settle into the format and to their music. Plus we’re still growing, with another full house with a […]