“Beginning Jazz” Workshop Outline
Presented July, 2002 by Doug Talley
Goals
Reach as many students as possible
Enjoyment/love/appreciation of jazz
Basic (very) ability to play jazz styles and improvise
Recognition of some standard jazz literature
Some knowledge of jazz players/composers
Instrumentation
Non-standard
As inclusive as possible
Functions as very large combo w/ some big band characteristics
Rhythm section placement
Behind 1- 5 or 6 horns, piano/bass/drums
Beside more than 1 row of horns piano/drums/bass or piano/bass/drums
Eye contact with each other
Guitar as close to piano as possible
Amp behind and to the side of the player, pointed at an angle to be heard by as much of
the band as possible
Literature –
Criteria for selection
Titles the students will hopefully hear/play again
Available jazz recording
Composers who were/are historically significant
Mostly swing style, some straight eighth-note styles
Ex. C-Jam Blues, Sonnymoon for Two, Tenor Madness, Watermelon Man,
Preacher, Cantaloupe Island, Caravan, Blue Monk, Blue Seven, etc.
Lead sheets (concert pitch, Bb, Eb, B.C., F)
Allows all horn players to learn melodies
Rhythm section concentrates on style
Steady tempo
Comping rhythms
Sustain, quarter notes, pushes, punches, “playing the song”
Voicings
Bass line construction
Easy background riffs (by rote) to be played behind soloists
Written shout or interlude sections between soloists (unison and/or block writing)
Improvisation –
Start with blues
Play recorded example
What is the form?
Learn melody - rhythms, style, articulations, inflections, releases
Call and response
Minor pentatonic (F Ab Bb C Eb F, for F blues)
EASY licks, one measure, maybe as few as 2 pitches
Sing and play responses
Keep it simple, and make it swing
Most ineffective solos are the result of rhythm issues
One-measure call and response helps students keep their place
Blues scale (F Ab Bb B C Eb F, for F blues)
Same process as with minor pentatonic
Use the new note (B-natural) frequently
Dominant (Mixolydian) scales [or your scale of choice]
Choose a 3-chord blues song (Sonnymoon for Two, Watermelon Man, etc.)
Call and response MAJOR scale on the I chord
Scale degree pattern 123454321
Scale degree pattern 12345678987654321
Arpeggio 13531, 1357531, 135797531
Call and response DOMINANT scale
Same scale and arpeggio patterns as above
Repeat major and dominant process for IV and V chords
Call and response dominant scale material following chord progression
Keep it simple
Response will sometimes be in a different key than the call
A BRIEF (AND VERY INCOMPLETE) LOOK AT SOME JAZZ MATERIALS
BASS, DRUMS & PIANO
Mel Bay’s Electric Bass method
+ Starts from scratch
+ Learning fingerings, fingerboard
- Weak in “how to” bass line construction
- uses intervals rather than scale degrees
Bass Lines in Minutes, by Kris Berg, Houston Pub.
+ Simple to understand
+ Fast results
- Deals w/ individual chords rather than progressions
Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist, by Houghton and Warrington, Alfred Pub.
(2 volumes) – 50 styles
Reference w/ short (usually 2-measure) bass and drum written excerpt
With accompanying CD track and performance/listening notes for each style
+ great reference for Latin and “groove” feels
Jerry Coker’s Jazz Keyboard, Warner Bros.
+ great resource
- moves very quickly, assumes some knowledge
Jazz/Rock Voicings, Dan Haerle, Warner Bros.
+ great resource, bottom-up voicings
- assumes some knowledge
Introduction to Jazz Chord Voicing, Bill Boyd, Hal Leonard
Intermediate Jazz Chord Voicing
+ well-written, user-friendly
- assumes some knowledge
Voicings for Jazz Keyboard, Frank Mantooth, Hal Leonard
+ 2 basic top-down voicings, plus voicings for alterations
+ sound good
- just do it, lacks some flexibility
Chord Voicing Handbook, Matt Harris & Jeff Jarvis, Kendor
+ pretty good reference
- not a method or “practice” book
Jazz Piano Comping, 2 vols., (Houston), Tom Anderson
+ Identifies different chord qualities
+ Provides practice songs, but not standards
- not really a “how to”
+ discusses rhythms, but no CD
- user-friendly, but assumes some knowledge
JAZZ METHOD BOOKS
Essential Elements, Mike Steinel, Hal Leonard
+ Classroom method, good for typical classroom setting
+ Standard inst. NOT required.
+ CD w/call & response
+ - Ja-Da and St. Louis Blues are the only standards
Standard of Excellence
+ organized well for a classroom setting
+ 3 styles – rock, swing and Latin
+ CD w/ call & response
- NO standards
Chop Monster Series (2 vol.), Shelly Berg
+ theoretically solid
+ plenty of call and response, CD included
- no standard literature
Approaching the Standards, Willie Hill, Warner Bros.
+ Individual or group
+ CD w/plenty of improv., transcription and analysis practice
+ All standards, 8 per volume (3 volumes)
Billie’s Bounce
On the Trail
Cantaloupe Island
The Preacher
Summertime
Satin Doll
C-Jam Blues
I Got Rhythm
Now’s the Time
Sugar
Honeysuckle Rose
Maiden Voyage
Just Squeeze Me
Caravan
In a Mellow Tone
Perdido
Tenor Madness
Killer Joe
Bye Bye Blackbird
Take the A Train
Softly As In a Morning Sunrise
Secret Love
Speak Low
Cottontail
LISTENING LIBRARY
CANNONBALL ADDERLEY - SOMETHIN’ ELSE, Blue Note 46338, March 9, 1958
HERBIE HANCOCK - MAIDEN VOYAGE, Blue Note 46339
HERBIE HANCOCK – TAKIN’ OFF, 1962, Blue Note
JOHN COLTRANE - BLUE TRAIN, 1957, Blue Note 46095
JOHN COLTRANE - JOHN COLTRANE & JOHNNY HARTMAN, Impulse 157
HORACE SILVER - SONG FOR MY FATHER, Blue Note 84185
MILES DAVIS - KIND OF BLUE, Columbia 40579
MILES DAVIS - ‘ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT, (Miles Davis Quintet), Columbia
40610
SONNY ROLLINS - SAXOPHONE COLLOSSUS, OJC 291, June 22, 1956
DIZZY GILLESPIE - JAZZ AT MASSEY HALL, OJC 044, May 15, 1953
CHARLIE PARKER - NOW’S THE TIME, Verve 825 671
GENE AMMONS/SONNY STITT - BOSS TENORS, Verve 837 440, August 27, 1961
WES MONTGOMERY - INCREDIBLE JAZZ GUITAR, OJC 036, January 26 and 28,
1960
GRANT GREEN - BORN TO BE BLUE, Blue Note 84432, December 11, 1961 and
March 1, 1962
ART BLAKEY - MOANIN’, Blue Note 46516, October 30, 1958
ART BLAKEY – UGETSU, Riverside 090, June 16, 1963
LESTER YOUNG - THE PRESIDENT PLAYS W/THE OSCAR PETERSON TRIO,
Verve 831-670
CARL FONTANA - THE GREAT FONTANA, Uptown Records 27.28
SLIDE HAMPTON - WORLD OF TROMBONES, Black Lion 760113, January 8 & 9,
1979
CHARLES MINGUS – MINGUS AH UM, 1960, Columbia
COUNT BASIE & HIS ORCHESTRA:
THE COMPLETE DECCA RECORDINGS, 1937-39, GRP-Decca Jazz, 1992
APRIL IN PARIS, 1956, Verve
STRAIGHT AHEAD, 1867, Uni/Chess
DUKE ELLINGTON/COUNT BASIE -- FIRST TIME!, Columbia COL-40586
DUKE ELLINGTON:
THE BLANTON WEBSTER BAND, 1940-42, RCA
AT NEWPORT, 1956/1987, Columbia
AND HIS MOTHER CALLED HIM BILL, 1967/1988, Bluebird
OTHER GENERAL RESOURCES
Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Inc.
http://www.jajazz.com
Musichound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide, ed. By Steve Holtje and Nancy Ann Lee,
1998, Visible Ink Press.
PG Music – makers of Band-in-a-Box
http://www.pgmusic.com/
Double-time Jazz – online source for jazz CDs, if not available locally.
http://www.doubletimejazz.com