A unique approach to learning to play jazz, created by David Sharp. This free educational resource is a “look under the hood” at some great jazz compositions and solos.
Feel free to explore any section that interests you. For a more systematic approach, follow the chapters in order.
Use the navigation on the right to explore the chapters, or browse the sections below.
Rhythm in Jazz Rhythm has three constituent parts: Pulse, Period, and Pattern. Understanding these elements is fundamental to playing jazz.
Charlie Parker - 1945 Charlie Parker recorded ‘Billie’s Bounce’ in 1945, the same year World War II ended. The piece…
Thelonious Monk - 1954 ‘Bye-Ya’ was first released on the 1954 album ‘Thelonious Monk Trio’. It’s fun and relatively easy…
Herbie Nichols - 1955 If ever there was a Jazz composer ahead of their time it was Herbie Nichols. It…
Freddie Hubbard - 1962 Pianist Clare Fischer introduced his song ‘Pensativa’ on an album called ‘Bossa Nova Jazz Samba’ with…
Ahmad Jamal - 1970 Ahmad Jamal’s composition ’Patterns’ is from the 1970 album ‘The Awakening’. We offer here a short…
Things We Like - Recorded Jazz 1955 to 1970 The main focus of this site is Jazz music recorded between…
Pulse Drummers in the 1960s A whole new approach to Jazz drumming was developed by a handful of adventurous young…
Elmo Hope - 1961 ‘When the Groove is Low’ was released on the 1962 album "Here’s Hope". Elmo Hope was…
Sam Rivers - 1964 ‘Fuchsia Swing Song’ is the title track from Sam Rivers debut album as leader. The whole…
Freddie Redd - 1960 ‘Who Killed Cock Robin’ is from the Freddie Redd album "The Music from the Connection". Jackie…
Freddie Redd - 1960 ‘Time to Smile’ was written by Freddie Redd as part of the score for the play/film…
Horace Silver - 1960 ‘Strollin’ is the opening cut on “Horace-Scope" - Horace Silver’s first album of the 1960’s. The…
Jazz Intervals Explore the Perfect Group, Thirds Group, and Seconds Group. Intervals are the building blocks of melody and harmony.
Thelonious Monk - 1954 There is a recording of ‘Reflections’ on Monk’s 1954 trio recording but the version on the…
Jazz Chords Learn about naming chords, third stacks, indeterminates, fourth stacks, and shell voicings.
Thelonious Monk - 1947 Thelonious Monk is the glue that binds earlier piano masters like James P. Johnson to the…
Bud Powell - 1949 Bud Powell introduced the next generation of piano players to some important chord voicing solutions. His…
Thelonious Monk - 1952 ‘Monks Dream’ is another Monk twist on the II - V - I group (Bars 2…
Andrew Hill - 1963 ‘Ode to Von’ by Andrew Hill was recorded in 1963 and released on the album ‘Smoke…
Chapter 3, Part 2 - Advanced Chord Analysis Back to Part 1 - Chord Identification Theoretically any chord can be…
Chapter 2 - A New Approach to Jazz Intervals Traditionally, intervals have been organized by their subjective consonance (Example 1).…
Upper Structure Triads Upper structure triads offer a multitude of ways to enhance the colour and functionality of chords. Let’s…
Keith Jarrett - 1967 Keith Jarrett’s ‘Margot’ is from his debut album, "Life Between the Exit Signs". It is a…
Jazz Scales Discover symmetrical scales, compound scales, and stylistic approaches to scale usage in jazz.
Thelonious Monk - 1951 ‘Ask Me Now’ was first recorded in 1951 for the album ‘Genius of Modern Music’. The…
Jazz for Piano - The Sound of Dorian The Dorian mode has some unique yet subtle characteristics (Link). Let’s listen…
Diatonic Chord Extensions Upper structure diatonic chord extensions add colour to your voicings by using unaltered scale tones. Here are…
Flat 13 Chord Extensions The flat 13 chord extension offers lots of interesting possibilities. Added to a minor 7 chord…
Jazz for Piano - Orientation Before we begin looking at some specific artists and compositions we should get our bearings…
Chapter 4, Part 2 - Compound Scales Back to Part 1 - Symmetrical Scales. Compound Scales combine various intervals in their…
Chapter 4, Part 1 - Interpreting Scales Go to Part 2 - Compound & Stylistic Scales A scale is a…
Sonny Clark - 1957 ‘Dial ‘S’ for Sonny’ is the title track on Sonny Clark’s debut album. The piece is…
Aural Logic Understanding repetition, traceable movement, and expectations in jazz music.
Chapter 3, Part 1 - Chord Identification Go to Part 2 - Advanced Chord AnalysisThere’s no substitute for learning a…
Clifford Brown - 1954 Clifford Brown was just 23 when he wrote and recorded ‘Daahoud’. Two years later he died…
Chapter 5 - Aural Logic What is it that distinguishes Music from Noise? This website looks into such a broad…
Jazz Changes Explore the blues, minor jazz, chains, substitutions, and advanced harmonic concepts.
Thelonious Monk - 1947 Thelonious Monk’s ‘Introspection’ foreshadows a type of chord progression that would become popular in the 1960’s…
Charlie Parker - 1947 Relaxin’ at Camarillo is another 12 bar blues by Charlie Parker. Look at the ways he…
The Changes for Donna Lee Ultimately, this is all about chord groups and the setup to chord groups. Think of…
Tete Montoliu - 1974 Tete Montoliu’s solo over the changes of Charle Parker’s ‘Ornithology’ is, for me, a distillation of…
Kenny Drew - 1955 ‘Daddy plays the Horn’ is a Dexter Gordon composition from a 1955 album with the same…
Horace Silver - 1954 ‘Doodlin’ first appeared on the 1954 album ’Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers’. The A section…
Horace Silver - 1956 In Horace Silver’s own words ‘Senor Blues’ is a "low down, bluesy composition. A minor blues…
The Gospel Influence in Jazz In this analysis we will touch briefly on Gospel music and how it influences Jazz…
Mal Waldron - 1957 Mal Waldron had an incredible 50 year career, playing piano on more than 170 albums. He…
Oscar Pettiford - 1958 Oscar Pettiford was instrumental in developing the bass technique of the 1940s and 50s. ‘Blues in…
Tommy Flanagan - 1958 Tommy Flanagan’s ‘Freight Trane" was featured on the 1958 album ‘Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane’. Difficulty =…
Horace Silver - 1959 ‘Sister Sadie’ is from the essential 1959 Horace Silver album ‘Blowin the Blues Away’. Difficulty = Straightforward …
Horace Silver - 1959 ‘St. Vitus Dance’ is played by just the trio on ‘Blowin the Blues Away’ giving us…
John Coltrane 1959 ‘Naima’ was introduced on the 1959 album ‘Giant Steps’. It is an example of Coltrane’s brilliant solution…
Hank Mobley - 1960 Saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded over 100 of his own compositions during his tragically short career. Straightforward,…
Booker Little - 1960 Trumpeter Booker Little had a five year career. He died at 23 years of age. In…
Ornette Coleman - 1960 Ornette Coleman rode to prominence branded as the "avant-garde". His album titles tell the story: ‘Something…
John Coltrane - 1961 The first recording of John Coltrane’s ‘Impressions’ was made live at the Village Vanguard in 1961…
Introduction to Modal Jazz In the late 1950s and early 60s a diverse group of forward thinking musicians including Miles…
Flat 9 Chord Extensions Flat 9 chord extensions are fairly common. We have examples here from a diverse group of…
Sharp 9 Chord Extensions Sharp 9 Chord Extensions are interesting because a sharp 9 is the same (enharmonic) as flat…
Sharp 11 Chord Extensions The sharp 11 chord extension was used quite a bit in the 1960s. As well as…
Foundational Blues Back to Getting Started (Link)Here are a few examples of what we call "Foundational Blues", that is, relatively…
Jazz for Piano - Count Basie 1938 Count Basie recorded ‘How Long Blues’ shortly after forming his own band in…
Americana 1 ‘Back Home Again In Indiana’ is a great example of rustic Americana. If your looking to add a…
Eric Dolphy - 1960 ‘245’ by Eric Dolphy was released on the album ‘Outward Bound’. It was recorded the same…
Herbie Hancock - 1962 Herbie Hancock’s ‘Empty Pockets’ is from the album "Takin’ Off", his first album as leader. It…
Sonny Clark - 1957 ‘Bootin’ It’ is on Sonny Clark’s first studio album, ‘Dial "S" for Sonny’. It’s a straightforward…
Coltrane Changes Coltrane Changes are essentially a series of V-I or II-V-I chains. The ‘I’ chords are symmetrically related by…
Chapter 6, Part 1 - Changes We have talked a bit about Rhythm, Intervals, Scales and Chords. Now we will…
Chapter 6, Part 2 - Changes Two In the quest to "get to a different type of improvisational area" Jazz…
Elmo Hope - 1961 Elmo Hope’s ‘De-Dah’ is from his 1962 album "Here’s Hope". He recorded with Clifford Brown, John…
McCoy Tyner - 1967 ‘Passion Dance’ is from McCoy Tyner’s essential 1967 album "The Real McCoy". It has all the…
Eric Dolphy 1962 ‘Miss Ann’ is from Eric Dolphy’s 1962 album "Far Cry". The piece is constructed linearly and is…
Charles Mingus - 1974 ‘Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love’ is on the essential Mingus album "Changes One" with Don Pullen…
Herbie Nichols - 1956 ‘The Gig’ by Herbie Nichols was released on the album "Herbie Nichols Trio" in 1956. It’s…
Thelonious Monk - 1956 Thelonious Monk’s ‘Pannonica’ is an example of how motifs, familiar changes and "blue notes" can create…
Wayne Shorter - 1962 ‘This is for Albert’ is from Art Blakey’s 1963 album "Caravan". Wayne Shorter is a brilliant…
Kenny Dorham - 1955 Kenny Dorham’s ‘Prince Albert’ premiered on the first Jazz Messengers album. It’s modelled after the chord…
Thelonious Monk - 1958 ‘Coming on the Hudson’ first appeared on the live album "Thelonious in Action". It is a…
Keith Jarrett - 1967 ‘Lisbon Stomp’ is from Keith Jarrett’s debut album, “Life Between the Exit Signs”. It’s a fresh…
Carla Bley - 1964 Paul Bley recorded ‘Ida Lupino’ for his classic 1966 album "Closer". It’s a good example of…
McCoy Tyner - 1967 ‘Four by Five’ is from McCoy Tyner’s essential 1967 album "The Real McCoy". Tyner was always…
Duke Jordan - 1960 ‘Squawkin’ is an up tempo blues from Duke Jordan’s 1960 album "Flight to Jordan". Difficulty =…
Charles Mingus - 1974 ‘Sue’s Changes’ was released on the 1975 album "Changes One" by Charles Mingus. The composition brilliantly…
Our Analysis Deep dives into the inner workings of great jazz compositions and solos.
Al Neil, Vancouver B.C. Our Approach "Learned technique is a law method; natural technique is nature’s method. And this is…
Our Analysis... This free educational resource focuses on the tools you need to take your playing to the next level.…
Things We Do Do you have a piece you would like analyzed or a topic you’d like to explore? Contact…
Miles Davis - 1947 Many musicians look at ‘Donna Lee’ as a right of passage. It’s a great melody and…
Gil Evans - 1949 ‘Boplicity’ was recorded in 1949 and released on the seminal 1957 compilation album ‘Birth of the…
Gerry Mulligan - 1949 ‘Jeru’ by Gerry Mulligan, recorded in 1949, is included in the classic 1957 compilation ’Birth of…
Bud Powell - 1950 Bud Powell recorded Hallucinations’ as a solo in 1950. But before that, Miles Davis recorded the…
Gerry Mulligan - 1952 Gerry Mulligan again employs lovely counter melody polyphony in his arrangement of ‘Line for Lyons’ (see…
Horace Silver - 1952 The first recording of ‘Ecaroh’ is a trio version from 1952. The second version is on…
Gerry Mulligan - 1952 ‘Bernie’s Tune’ is another signature Gerry Mulligan interpretation employing counter-melody polyphony. The trumpet player is a…
Horace Silver - 1953 Horace Silver’s ‘Opus de Funk’ should be high on any piano players list of pieces to…
Duke Ellington - 1953 ‘Who Knows’ is on the 1953 trio album ‘The Duke Plays Ellington’. The material was later…
Horace Silver - 1954 The first recording of ‘Nica’s Dream was on the album ‘The Jazz Messengers’ (1956). It is…
Tete Montoliu - 1974 Tete Montoliu shines brightly on the 1974 Anthony Braxton album ‘In the Tradition’. His precise, percussive…
Horace Silver - 1954 ‘Room 608’ was first released in 1954 on a 10" disc. In 1956 it was rereleased…
Duke Jordan - 1954 ‘Jordu’ is a 1953 composition by the great Duke Jordan. It came to the fore with…
Jazz for Piano - Review The next piece we will look at is ‘Reflections’ by Thelonious Monk so it seems…
Gil Evans - 1957 Miles Ahead gives us another chance to look at the lush, dense orchestration of Canadian Gil…
Bobby Timmons - 1958 Pianist Bobby Timmons incorporates the long tradition of call and response in ‘Moanin’. The technique has…
Charles Mingus - 1959 Charles Mingus is among the top four or five greatest composers in Jazz. He was a…
Charles Mingus - 1959 There is a lot of conflicting information (and misinformation) out there about the song ‘Goodbye Porkpie…
Bill Evans - 1959 ‘Blue in Green’ was first heard on the 1959 Miles Davis album ‘Kind of Blue’. Bill…
Hank Mobley - 1960 Another catchy tune from Hank Mobley’s ‘Soul Station’. Difficulty = Intermediate YouTube link ‘This I Dig of…
Clifford Brown - 1954 ‘Joy Spring’ certainly lives up to its name. A fairly straightforward harmonic language lets the melody…
Wayne Shorter - 1964 ‘Free For All’ is the title track from a 1964 album by Art Blakey and the…
Thelonious Monk - 1957 ‘Crepuscule with Nellie’ was first released on the 1957 album ‘Monks Music’. It’s a great example…
Duke Jordan - 1960 Duke Jordan’s song ‘No Problem’ was first released in 1960 on the excellent album ’Flight to…
Benny Golson - 1956 Benny Golson is a master saxophonist and composer. ‘Whisper Not’ is one of his many beautiful…
Miles Davis - 1959 Anyone with even a passing interest in Jazz has probably come across the song ‘So What’,…
Andrew Hill - 1959 ‘Penthouse Party’ is the first cut on Andrew Hill’s first album. Hill would go on to…
Eric Dolphy - 1961 Eric Dolphy recorded ‘Potsa Lotsa’ live with a group of like minded musicians eager to bend…
Ahmad Jamal - 1955 ‘New Rhumba’ was the first song on Ahmad Jamal’s first album and it was clear right…
Jazz for Piano - Getting Started First off, a few suggestions on organizing your music and using this site:(1) Everything…
Americana 2 I’m Crazy ‘Bout Your Lovin’ was published in 1919. Perry Bradford (along with Eubie Blake and W.C. Handy)…
Gerry Mulligan - 1971 ‘Golden Notebooks’ by Gerry Mulligan is on the wonderful 1972 album ‘Age of Steam’. Mulligan plays…
Andrew Hill - 1965 ‘Erato’ by Andrew Hill was recorded in 1965 but Blue Note didn’t release the song until…
Cecil Taylor - 1962 ‘Lena’ is from Cecil Taylor’s 1962 album ‘Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come’. It was recorded…
Mal Waldron - 1970 ‘Down at the Gills’ is from Mal Waldron’s live 1970 album "Blood and Guts". The very…
Paul Bley Paul Bley was a central figure in the emergence of "New Music" in the 1960s, 70s and beyond.…
Paul Bley - 1964 ‘Batterie’ is from Paul Bley’s 1964 recording "Closer". The album features seven Carla Bley compositions including…
Andrew Hill - 1963 "Black Fire" was the first of sixteen Andrew Hill Blue Note albums. The title track is…
Joe Henderson - 1964 ‘Isotope’ is from Joe Henderson’s 1966 Blue Note album "Inner Urge". The album was recorded in…
Horace Silver - 1966 The title track of Horace Silver’s "The Jody Grind" was released in 1967. Silver was clearly…
Carla & Paul Bley - 1964 Carla Bley’s composition ’And Now the Queen’ was first recorded by a quintet on…
Eric Dolphy 1960 ‘Les’ is from Eric Dolphy’s "Outward Bound" album, his first album as leader. The head is a…
Billy Taylor - 1962 Billy Taylor’s ‘Capricious’ was recorded by Gerry Mulligan and Tommy Flanagan in 1962 and released on…
Jimmy Lyons - 1969 The album "Other Afternoons" was recorded in 1969. Jimmy Lyons brought together Lester Bowie, Alan Silva…
Bud Powell - 1949 Bud Powell’s ‘Celia’, recorded with Ray Brown and Max Roach, was first released on the album…
Ornette Coleman - 1958 ‘Invisible’ is the first song on Ornette Coleman’s debut album "Something Else!!" We can find many…
Joe Henderson - 1963 ‘Recorda Me’ debuted on "Page One", Joe Henderson’s first album as leader. It’s a great example…
Herbie Hancock - 1962 ‘Three Bags Full’ is on Herbie Hancock’s first album "Takin’ Off". The head features some interesting…
Elmo Hope - 1953 Elmo Hope recorded ‘Bellarosa’ with Lou Donaldson and Clifford Brown in 1953. This would have been…
Clark Terry - 1957 ‘Serenade to a Bus Seat’ is the title track of Clark Terry’s third album as leader.…
Herbie Hancock - 1962 ‘The Maze’ is from Herbie Hancock’s debut recording "Takin’ Off". Its a good example of how…
Hank Mobley - 1960 ‘A Peck A Sec’ is a straight ahead hard bop head by Hank Mobley. It was…
Mal Waldron 1961 Mal Waldron composed ‘Fire Waltz’ for the important sextet with Eric Dolphy and Booker Ervin up front. Difficulty…
Duke Pearson 1963 Duke Pearson’s ‘Idle Moments’ was first featured on guitarists Grant Green‘s 1963 album with the same title.…
Andrew Hill - 1964 ‘Refuge’ is from Andrew Hill’s indispensable 1965 album "Point of Departure". The band - Eric Dolphy,…
David Sharp - A Musical Legacy Jazz for Piano was created by David Sharp as a free educational resource to…
This content is from David Sharp's Jazz for Piano, preserved as part of his musical legacy by the New York Jazz Workshop.