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Jazz Improv With Students This Week

Posted by Cece Worrall Rubin on

Jazz Improv with students

THIS PAGE IS A SORT OF “IMPROV of the WEEK” with certain students.
It may look like I’m taking a hiatus on improv BUT my focus of late is to start having students transcribe solos.
Some as young as 6th grade. Why not?
Check out solo transcriptions at this LINK on my website!

* If no backing tracks are indicated, it’s because we are using iReal Pro’s tracks that you can find on your iPhone /iPad apps or any Mac/Apple computer.  Not sure if you can use it on a Windows PC or certain tablets.

Week of 01/27/19

  1. Blue Monk | Backing Track 1 | Track 2 | Track 3

 

Week of 12/13/18

  1. Be My Love (Nicolas Brodszky) – as played by Phil Woods – track 1 / backing track
  2. Stolen Moments – track 1 (Phil Woods) / backing track 1 / BT2 / BT3

 

Week of 9/27/18

  1. Freddie Freeloader* – track 1 / track 2 / Miles Davis
    * measures 11 & 12 always Ab7 on improv section.
  2. Dancing on the Ceiling – track 1 / track 2 / reference track / Chet Baker / Charlie Parker
  3. Blues for Alice – track 1 / track 2 / Charlie Parker

Week of 8/20/18

  1. Alice in Wonderland – track 1 / track 2 / Dave Brubeck / Bill Evans

Week of July 9 – July 12

  1. Wildflower – track 1 / track 2 / Wayne Shorter

Week of June 4 – June 10

  1. * Dear Old Stockholm – track 1 / track 2  / reference track
  2. * Dearly Beloved – track 1 / track 2 / Wes Montgomery /
  3.  Maiden Voyage – track 1 / track 2 / Herbie Hancock
  4. Majong  – track 1 (with intro) / track 2 / Wayne Shorter
  5. Memories of Tomorrow / track 1 / track 2 / Keith Jarrett

Week of May 28 to June 1

  1. Confirmation – track 1 (slow) / track 2 
  2. Boplicity (Be Bop Live)  – track 1 / track 2 / reference track
  3. Invitation – track 1 / track 2 / track 3
  4. Killer Joe (Real Book 2) – track 1  / track 2  / track 3  / reference 1 / reference 2

Week of May 7, to May 13

  1. Reflections – track 1 / track 2 / reference track
  2. Nardis – track 1 / track 2 (groove) / track 3 (smooth jazz) / track 4 (reggae) / track 5
  3. Recordame – track 1 / track 2 / track 3 / reference recording /  Joe Henderson’s solo
  4. What Is This Thing Called Love? – track 1 / track 2 / track 3
  5. What’s New? – track 1 / track 2/ track 3 / reference recording
  6. ** I Love You – track 1 / track 2 / track 3 / reference recording  / Phil Woods

Week of April 30 to May 6, 2018

  1. Someday My Prince Will Come – track 1 / track 2 (no piano) / track 3 / track 4 / track 5
  2. Lullaby of Birdland – track 1 / track 2 / track 3 / reference track

Week of April 16 – 23, 2018

  1. Moment’s Notice – track 1 / track 2 / track 3
  2. Four – track 1 / track 2
  3. I Let A Song Out of My Heart – track 1 / track 2 / track 3 / reference recording 1
  4. Boplicity –  track 1 / track 2 / track 3 / reference recording
  5. Bright Sized Life – track 1  / reference recording
  6. Spain – track 1 / track 2 / track 3
  7. (You Came To Me) Out of Nowhere / track 1 / track 2 / track 3
  8. Green Dolphin Street (C Concert) / track 1 / track 2
  9. Green Dolphin Street (Eb Concert) – track 1 / track 2 / track 3 (funk)
  10. Star Eyes – track 1 / track 2 / track 3

Week of April 9 – 16, 2018

  1. All Blues – track 1 (no intro) / track 2 / reference recording
  2. Autumn Leaves (E minor) – track 1 (funk) / track 2 / track 3 / reference recording
    ** Saxes think of switching from ii-V-I-IV in E major to iib5-V7b9-i in C# harmonic minor and/or melodic minor.
    After the iib5-V7b9 – C#- natural minor works too.
  3. Bye Bye Blackbird – track 1 (med) / track 2 (med-fast)
    track 3 (uptempo) / reference 1 / reference 2   / reference 3 
                ** on measure 9-12 try to incorporate a line using the voice leading of the descending half steps. Measures 9-12 & 27-30
    …..root, Δ7 , mi7, Δ3rd.  (ie for altos:  E, D#, D, C#).
  4. Deluge (Wayne Shorter) – track 1 / track 2 / reference 1 /
  5. Minority (Gigi Gryce) – track 1 (med) / track 2 (med-fast) / reference 1 / reference 2
                  * try using “Concert F” harmonic and/or melodic minor on the first 6 measures and the last measure.
  6. _____
  7. ______

Week March 27, 2018

  1. Anthropology – track 1 (med) / track 2 (slow) / track 3 (fast)
  2. Seven Steps To Heaven – track 1 / track 2 (smidge faster) / track 3 (med-grooooooove) / reference recording
  3. Giant Steps – track 1 (slow!)  / track 2 (slow-bossa) / track 3 (funk groove) / track 4 (guitar) / track 5 (fast)

Week March 19 to March 26, 2018

  1. A Night In Tunisia – track 1 / track 2 / funky track 3
  2. Speak Low – Speak Low, Alto Lead Sheet
  3. Speak No Evil – track 1 / track 2 / track 3 / 
  4. Speak No Evil – reference recording (Wayne Shorter!)
  5. I Could Write A Book / track 1 (med-slow) / track 2 (med) / track 3 (uptempo)
  6. Nica’s Dream / track 1 / track 2 / track 3
  7. Daahoud / track 1-med / track 2 / track 3 / reference recording

Week March 12 to March 19, 2018

  1. Lady Bird – track 1 / track 2
  2. Stablemates – track 1 /  track 2
  3. Stablemates / Reference Recordings – track 1, track 2

Week of March 5 to March 12, 2018

  1. How High The Moon – backing track
  2. The Girl From Ipanema* – backing track
    * Most called upon song on gigs where lots of musicians SUCK on the bridge! Try #11 on 3rd chord of the A sections just like “A Train” (whole tone). Also on the concert Gb7b5…more whole tone. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE this song…lots of people die trying (jk).
    Look for a “V-ii” in the bridge instead of “ii-V” ….. Jobim’s genius!
  3. The Girl From Ipanema** – backing track
    ** Good site to see simplified version of scales to play in concert pitch
  4. 500 miles high – backing track 1 
    ** reference recording with horns – click here   / reference 2 / reference 3
  5. Airegin – backing track  * learn your concert F, Bb & A harmonic/melodic minors inside and out!

Week of Feb 26 to March 4, 2018

  1. I Remember Clifford – backing track
  2.  Lucky Southern – backing track
  3. Lucky Southern – backing track 2 
  4. Lucky Southern reference recording – Eric Marienthal – track
  5. Afternoon in Paris (fast) – backing track

Week of Feb 19 to 23

  1. Song for My Father – backing track 1 / reference track
  2. Just the Two Us – why not!? Time to get funky! backing track
  3. An American in Paris – backing track
  4. All The Things You Are – “another funky groove”. backing track
  5.  Jazz History Video – Charlie Parker

Week of Feb 12 to Feb 17

  1. Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)* – backing track 1
  2.  Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)* – backing track 2
  3. Chega de Saudade (No More Blues)* – backing track 3
  4. Joy Spring* – backing track / med temp
  5. Joy Spring* – backing track / fast!   & backing track
  6. Solar – backing track 1

Week of Feb 5 to Feb 9, 2018

  1. Speak Low – backing track
  2. Take the A Train – backing track / reference

Week of Jan 29 to Feb 2, 2018

  1. Jordu – backing track 1  /  backing track 2
  2. Jordu – reference recording / Harold Land’s transcription
  3. Peri’s Scope – backing track
  4. Passion Dance – backing track
  5. The Sidewinder – backing track
  • BEAST changes!

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