Tag: randy brecker

A blog about jazz and related musings

Randy Brecker on practicing during the COVID-19 lockdown

I remember sitting in the back of a large music classroom at the University of Redlands in California almost three years ago. Jiggs Wigham was talking about all things trombone at that year’s International Trombone Festival. Jiggs said something early on that has stuck with me ever since. He said,…

Recent posts...

Vangelis
An important lesson from this musical genius
I’m assuming you’ve heard of the composer named Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou. Ok, maybe you know him as Vangelis (hard G). Vangelis passed...
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Point and counter points on the 'who wrote Nardis' argument
One of the most popular pages on MusicSavvy.com is the post I wrote a while back called “Who Really Wrote Nardis.“ That article came from several...
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Examples of learning and entertainment from Jazz Chat
As I continue to improve and test Jazz Master Chat, my AI that uses interviews, course, blog posts, and books as it’s ‘brain’, I asked...
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How to develop your musical personality and style
Think about playing using your right (creative) brain. It’s the part of your brain that, if connected well to your instrument, allows for the most personally...
Empty jazz stage
How to learn improvisation through the "Circle" in the Jazz Circle membership
The word “circle” within the name Jazz Circle membership has two meanings. The first is a reference to a group of people all sharing a common...
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A membership taking you full circle to jazz excellence
In the introduction video I recently posted, I started by saying, “I’m trying to solve a problem.” I went on to say that the problem I’m...
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More video lessons on playing jazz
People’s desire to learn through video has grown steadily through the years. A recent survey shows that 68% of consumers prefer watching videos to...
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Richie Beirach on unnecessary ornamentation in improvisation
With audiobooks becoming more and more popular and with the recent addition of audiobooks to Spotify, I thought I should record my last book with Richie,...
Musician playing with chords coming out of his head
Should you know the chord changes?
I’ve always believed that the best way to gain skill as a musician is to develop one’s ear and its connection to the instrument. That belief...
Ear to instrument connection
The Benefits of the Ear to Instrument Connection
I recently watched a video performance by the amazing classical pianist Yuja Chang. I’ve seen her memorizing motion and heard her virtuosic playing...
Picture of Michael Lake

Michael Lake

Trombonist, author, composer, marketer

Courses and books

Pocket Jazz

The Pocket Jazz course is a completely redesigned series of online videos of no more than three-minutes each. Most of the lessons also contain short excerpts of tips and wisdom from masters like Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and many more.

Teaching & Learning Jazz

From this book, Richie Beirach and Mike provide great stories of jazz wisdom, a reflection on university jazz education including how to choose a school, an analysis of the Hollywood view of jazz education, a look at the psychology of education, and many other previously unexplored essential topics for both teachers and students.

Available in soft cover and digital editions.

Trombone Improvisation Savvy

Trombone demands different physical abilities from other instruments, but certain skills are universal such as connecting your instrument to your musical mind. Learn from exercises and audio files specifically focused on trombone that will help you improvise much better.