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 […]

I’ve been working on the exercises in “How Not to Suck at Half diminished Chords” on the Jazz Advice blog, so I don’t have to rely on my bag of memorized licks every time I see a IIm7b5. All the […]

Here’s an harmonic analysis of mm. 1-8 of Alice in Wonderland and Bill Evans’ solo. Transcriptions of solos by Miles, Percy Heath (bass line) and Pat Martino on Oleo are here and Michael Brecker’s solo here (makes me want to […]

was so impressed with the students on how they were able to read through some new material. The horn players had to transpose and they did a wonderful job. We really focused on the triplet rhythm that propels the swing […]

I’ve been reading articles on www.jazzadvice.com, which Marco turned me onto in a comment to an earlier post. The blog aims for the intermediate level jazz improviser. There are articles on virtually every aspect improvising, e.g., how to play to […]

I’ve been thinking about what songs I’d like to concentrate on next, and that led me to look at some “must-know” song lists for jazz musicians. Here are a few. http://tamingthesaxophone.com/jazz-repertoire.html (categorized by “standards,” “jazz standards,” and “jazz blues” and […]

Here  the first of 2 videos of the theory class performance at smalls MRMr Knight & Autumn Leaves All the things you are & Lady Bird