When intonation becomes a deliberate color
I have one last but very important thought to add about intonation that I think rounds out this series on pitch. Don’y come away from the prior two posts on intonation thinking that intonation is only about aiming for perfectly accurate mathematically calculated frequencies. That’s no more true than great musical time comes from hitting […]
Lessons from the great Paul Bley
My fascination with pianist Paul Bley goes way back, and I was reminded of this while putting together a new video lesson for Pocket Jazz. If you haven’t yet checked out my free course on jazz improvisation called Pocket Jazz, you should. For only your name and email, you can get the entire course for […]
Frank Rosolino ‘sheds’ Round Midnight and Invitation with Lou Levy
This very rare recording is truly a treasure. It was shared with me by Barry Kierce who received it years ago from Rick Blanc, a well-known and beloved New York/Los Angeles-based bass trombone player who spent much of his earlier career in Europe. This is a “fly on the wall” recording of Frank and pianist Lou Levy […]
Another story from the new book by Richie Beirach and me
Richie and I have been writing a book on jazz education called Teaching and Learning Jazz: From tradition to technology – A frank appraisal of jazz education. Part one of the book is a collection of stories by Richie of musical life lessons he learned from his masters Chet Baker, Stan Getz, George Coleman, and […]
The new book by Richie Beirach and me
Throughout the past year, Richie and I have been writing a book on jazz education. It is called Teaching and Learning Jazz: From tradition to technology – A frank appraisal of jazz education. Throughout more than 150 pages, we explore the evolution of jazz education through the master apprentice practice of the early years, the […]
What is the jazz vocabulary and how you can learn it?
I recently listened to a podcast from Brent Vaartstra of LearnJazzStandards.com. Brent does a nice job with his podcasts, and his latest should give us all some food for thought.
A personal note to share from David Amram
The great composer, instrumentalist, and humanitarian David Amram replied to my post the other day on the book Richie Beirach and I put together on the film Whiplash.
Richie Beirach’s comment on my post, On time, practicing, and listening
That was a great article, as usual. Very persuasive and helpful points. Let me offer some thoughts of my own for people that will provide them with my perspective on these three topics as an experienced player.
Richie Beirach on how you can develop a good instinctive sense of time
Remember the scene in the movie What About Bob where Bob Wiley (Bill Murray), terrified of being on a boat, is tied to the mast as he proudly yells, “I sail! I’m sailing! I’m a sailor!”?
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.
Three things you should stop doing right now if you want to become an accomplished jazz player
The metronome is okay for young kids trying to practice beginner shit like five-finger little piano pieces or first attempts at trying to play scales, but for a jazz player, it’s very counterproductive.
My new project with Richie Beirach
Since my interview with Richie Beirach for the Jazz Master Summit more than a year ago, we’ve collaborated on a great many writing projects for books and articles.
