Started taking jazz piano lessons.

BOTTOM LINE:

ITS All ABOUT THE JAZZ!!!

Amen Brother!!!!!

I've been studying for the past year and 1/2 and It has really opened my eyes and thumped my playing skills to a new level. I've always been a fan and listened to jazz recordings, but I've never truly heard jazz until I started studying it. What a revelation!

Al

Congratulations on entering into an exciting area...you'll be hooked for life, and every day will be an education..

Best of luck,

Russ

What music books are you using for the study?

Is it focusing on Jazz Piano, or other areas (like organ/sax styles)?

Jerry
Amsterdam

I'm using many books, but the one I use which was recommended to me for theory ; "The Jazz Piano Book" by Mark Levine. It covers everything Jazz.

For improvisation, look at "Learn to Improvise Jazz", by Jamey Aebersold. Get volume 24 and you will learn to improvise major and minor in all keys.

First met Jamey in 1966. He is from New Albany, Indiana, just down the road from me.

What a committed pro...


Russ

I had the priviledge of studying privately with Levine and highly recommend his book "The Jazz Piano Book": http://www.shermusic.com/jazzpno.htm

This book even covers rootless chord voicings.

On another note, another Synthzone Member & contributor here (yet who doesn't want me to give his name out) was the manuscript editor for this book.

Scott

You guys have given good advise about the important references for those who want to dive deep in the jazz language. Mark Levine's books are indeed very complete works about many forms of jazz. Let me add some more references that focuse on perhaps the easiest (or the most familiar) jazz idioma, based in tonal harmony (present in most of the jazz standards). These books are helping me quite a bit, and the first one is particularly original:

- The New Guide to Harmony with LEGO bricks, by Conrad Cork
- The Harmonic Language of Jazz Standards, by Marc Sabatella

They are both sold online by the authors. Conrad is a brit and his book comes with a very useful "after-sales support". You can meet Marc Sabatella in some newsgroups, like rec.music.makers.jazz .

For those specifically interested in blues, I've never found a better book than this one:

- Improvising Blues Piano, by Tim Richards [Schott Educational Publications]

-- José.

Jose,

Wow...The New Guide to Harmony with LEGO bricks, by Conrad Cork looks interesting, but I just can't bring myself to pay $63.00US for a paperback book!

Is it THAT revolutionary?

Want to sell me yours?

Al

While it is not a work about theory, I would recommend Reading Jazz edited by Robert Gottlieb. I believe it is the premier work on the history of jazz. It is facinating and sad. There are many essays by artists detailing their lives and careers. Sme of the greats has horrible lives; sadly brought on by their own personal problems.

It's worth a look...


Russ