Books
A reaction I hadn’t expected to my recent audiobook
After announcing the audiobook version of the softcover book Richie Beirach and I recently published called A Framework for Jazz Mastery, I received a terrific response from a customer. Before I share with you what he wrote, let me share one objective for the books I’ve published over this past year with Richie, Dave Liebman,…
Read MoreIs the alto trombone a transposing instrument?
I am often asked this question and I’m not sure I’ve ever given a satisfactory answer, at least one that satisfies aspiring alto trombone players. So let me take another whack at it. The fundamental of the alto is Eb but it is considered a concert instrument. Remember that the tenor trombone is a concert…
Read MoreAudiobook excerpt from A Framework for Jazz Mastery
Last year, Richie Beirach and I published the book, A Framework for Jazz Mastery. I knew once we released it, I would want to create an audiobook version of it. It took some time, but I’ve finished the narration are we are almost ready to submit it to the audiobook platforms. Richie and I wrote…
Read MoreAudiobooks and the new one by Dave Liebman called The Art of Skill
As an experiment about two months ago, I recorded my reading of the book Richie Beirach and I produced called the Lineage of Modern Jazz Piano. I then made it into an audiobook. The audiobook market is growing by about 25% over the past couple years, so that must mean that people are becoming more…
Read MoreGreat artistic success with great material gain
Rarely does great artistic success lead to great material gain. Much more often, these two are at great odds against each other. Richie Beirach and I thought it would be interesting to write something about this important topic. Will it turn into a book? I don’t know but I think that’s what we’re aiming for. The…
Read MoreJoin me in making this your best year yet
As we all bid good riddance to 2020, I look forward to 2021 and the success I can help you and others achieve – in playing or in something else. It’s been exactly one year since I left corporate life in order to pursue a career building an organization and community that will help musicians…
Read MoreThe Creative Genius of Billy Strayhorn free eBook by Richie Beirach
This is a short eBook highlighting the life and music of Billy Strayhorn. These are the thoughts of Richie Beirach as someone admittedly influenced by Billy and considers him to be one of the iconic composers in jazz. This piece came about because of the composition competition during the Summer 2020 Jazz Master Summit. Our…
Read MoreThe Lineage of Modern Jazz Piano free eBook by Richie Beirach
Richie and I created an eBook that highlights the ten most essential modern jazz piano players from Art Tatum to Cecil Taylor. Richie went to great lengths to explain that these are not simply his favorite players, but instead are the ones who paved a new path forward in the evolution of jazz piano. These…
Read MoreCelebrating One Hundred Years of Bird free ebook
I recorded a conversation yesterday with Richie Beirach and published the result into an eBook paying tribute to Charlie Parker. After all, Bird’s 100th birthday was very recent Richie was his usual candid and insightful self, offering up a rich serving of perspective on Bird’s music, influence, and legacy. If you have been following the…
Read MoreWhat made Miles Davis a great band leader?
Dave Liebman and I are finishing a book called The Art of Skill. The book contains Dave’s advice on becoming a better jazz player, biographical reflections, and thoughts on how one goes about finding their own unique musical voice. The book consists of edited conversations between Dave and me, updated articles and talks by Dave,…
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