Product Description
This beautiful  jazz history wall calendar explores the history, careers and lives of the defining Jazz musicians, including quotes in their own words. Illustrated with rare historical jazz photos from the Institute for Jazz Studies at Rutgers University.  This 2011 Wall Calendar, replete with Jazz History  is a fascinating addition to the Jazz and music lovers library. JAZZ, The Defining Artists 2011 Jazz History Calendar also includes suggestions for listening. This 2011 Jazz calendar is printed on 100% recycled paper and uses soy ink. Ghigo Press is a member of The Green Press Initiative. JAZZ, The Defining Artists, Their Thoughts Words and Stories 2011 Wall Calendar features vintage photos and biographies of: Jelly Roll Morton, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet, Charlie Christian, Stéphane Grappelli, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Count Basie.  King Oliver and his band photographed in "Storyville" New Orleans grace the front cover, with an intro to the beginnings of Jazz and a description of Storyville (also called "the District") on the inside cover. Each page is suitable for framing.  Perfect for a student of Jazz History or for any Jazz music lover.

(ERRATUM NOTE: Regretfully the name of Mr. Stéphane Grappelli appears as Stéphan Grappelli, due to a last minute production error and implies no disrespect to Mr. Grappelli. This will be corrected in all future printings.) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great gift for music lovers
I got this for one of my musician friends and he loved this calendar. The photos are excellent and the information is very interesting. This is absolutely a great gift to anyone with interest for music and jazz history.

lineup, erratum and content
I really apreciate this lineup. To see jazz greats like Charlie Christian and Jelly Roll and read their stories is a real pleasure. I considerd taking off one star however for the typo on Stephane Grappelli, but then I read theirerratum discussion and figured I had been fair warned. All in all this is a very special calendar.I am impressed by the writing and their choice to leave out some of the less savory elements and focus on the music. Stephane's "e" notwithstanding, this is an excellent and entertaining calendar.I hope to see my other favorites and those yet to become my favorites in next year's lineup. I am curious to hear others thoughtd on listening suggestions!?

Incredible Photos
This is an excellent calendar.The photos are great and the history and the bios are to the point and fascinating.The whole things is a beautiful package if you love Jazz and need a calendar. ... Read more

Product Description
The Music Theory series is designed from the ground-up to explain the terminology and musical structures needed for modern applications. Level One is an introductory course which covers music notation, key signatures, basic scales, intervals, modes, diatonic relationships and 3-and 4-part chords. Level Two is an intermediate-level course covering larger chord forms, "definitive" chords in major and minor keys, substitutions, analysis of key centers in tunes, "upper structure" chords, voiceleading, and pentatonic and blues scale applications. Both levels include reference appendices, a complete glossary of terms, and hundreds of written theory exercises with answers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

I'll add a voice to the chorus.
If you're trying to teach yourself piano in one or more popular styles, you can't go wrong with anything written by Mark Harrison.

This book is no exception.

I bought this book even though I already own "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory". Don't get me wrong, it's a good book, but it doesn't compare to Harrison's treatment of the subject matter in this book.

It's the difference between a good presentation and a great presentation.

I've looked at a few treatments of elementary music theory, and although they all cover the same ground more or less, Harrison's book shows the logic behind the suff you have to memorize. That's what separates this book from the others.

For very beginner
It is the first of three volumes but I can say that if they had used a little smaller font sizes, all volumes can be in a mid-size book. And the information in all volumes is just for the very beginner. If you got his The Pop Piano Book so don't get them - just a waste of money. It's bad that in the text the writer is always offering you another book of him, sounds like 'i never teach you anything if you don't buy all of my books'. And after all he's got 6 books but the other 5 except the Pop Piano Book, are useless: Don't let the very big font sizes fool you, all the page have only 15-20 sentences, so with a normal size font it can take only 40-45 pages. Buy just a little book about harmony for beginner and you'll get what you expect from this one.

Good for jazz theory, but not concise - skips music notation
I teach college level music and was experimenting this semester with this text. I was initially drawn to it because I was looking for a little more modern approach as I also strongly gear students toward being able to play by ear as well.I thought that it would be a good reference for my students to have later in its explanation of theory, too.
But I was very disappointed when I got to the section about the Circle of 5ths. It's diagram explains it so that the flats circle clockwise and sharpes circle counter-clockwise. This is backwards to me! I could not teach my students something I felt was unconventional, so I had to avert to a supplemental text.Also, it totally skips introducing music notation (counting rhythm of notes,etc in written music) in the first book entirely!Even though I agree that contemporary and jazz music is best expressed by introducing chord structures,and jazz music is more liberal than what is just written. I just can't personally totally eliminate rhythm altogether and ignore it as if it weren't a foundational element.
Also, overall I found it too wordy to make reference to while explaining the topic during class. Good for individual study but not classroom. IT was not concise enough and on some topics skipped around illogically on explaining it.

Excellent for self-teaching and classroom work
I am using this book to teach music theory with highschool students. The text is very readable, the graphics are very intuitive. His methodology is very helpful for broad understanding. I highly recommend this book for individual learning or classroom support.

Good teaching; poor typesetting
"CMT - Level 1" serves it's purpose wonderfully.It taught me many things clearly where other books failed (such as intervals, and the Circle of Fifths/Fourths).Mr. Harrison is a good teacher, and I would recommend this book to my friends.But I will keep the praises brief seeing as there are many reviews here that do just that for me.

The reason I give this book four stars rather than five is because of the typesetting used.The text is very large, and there is a *lot* of wasted real-estate on each page.If the typesetting had been improved, this book could have been truncated by at least 100 pages, allowing for cheaper production, and finally, a less expensive book for the public.If it's any revelation, I was able to complete this book in only four days, with two-three hours each day(this includes doing half of the exercises).

Also, there is one more complaint.Mr. Harrison is a great teacher, but is not as fortunate in his writing skills.Although this does not take away from the things learned, it is a bit annoying at times.For instance, about every other sentence is terminated with an exclamation mark.There were times I felt like I was reading a chat log from an AOL channel.Also, there are numerous places where paragraphs (and sometimes several pages) were copied and pasted into another area of the book, with a few [music] notes changed here and there.About one-third of the book is a result of copy and pastes from the other two-thirds.

All of that aside, it did exactly what it was meant to do: give me a clear introduction to music theory. ... Read more

Product Description
Play jazz piano with new facility and expression as Ray Santisi, one of the most revered educators at the Berklee College of Music - and mentor to Keith Jarrett, Diana Krall, Joe Zawinul, and thousands of others - reveals the pedagogy at the core of Berklee's jazz piano curriculum. From beginning through advanced levels, Berklee Jazz Piano maps the school's curriculum: a unique blend of theory and application that gives you a deep, practical understanding of how to play jazz. Concepts are illustrated by the accompanying practice CD, where you'll hear how one of the great jazz pianists and educators of our time applies these concepts to both jazz standards and original compositions, and how you can do the same. You will learn: * Jazz chords and their characteristic tension substitutions, in many voicings and configurations * Modes and scales common in jazz * Techniques for comping, developing bass lines, harmonizing melodies, melodizing harmonies, and improvisation * Practice techniques for committing these concepts to your muscle memory * Variations for solo and ensemble playing * Advanced concepts, such as rhythmic displacement, approach-chord harmonization, and jazz counterpoint ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Berklee Jazz Piano Book by Ray Santisi
Berklee Jazz Piano Book by Ray Santisi is a wonderful book about jazz piano techniques, harmony, pentatonic patterns, compositions, rhythm tracks to play along with, modernistic jazz concepts and most of all, the tried and true methods that the author Ray Santisi has used with his students at Berklee for over 50 + years. Ray is still teaching at Berklee and playing gigs in Boston every week. Mr Santisi taught Keith Jarrett, Diana Krall and many other noted and famous jazz musicians.

As a former Berklee student myself in the 70's and studying jazz piano privately with Mr Santisi personally, I can attest to the exceptional value of going through the book at your own pace, using what works for you and hearing the exercises and drills filter in the student's style to keep advancing to higher levels in the art. If the student takes the time to play through the book even 10-20 daily for a month, a significant improvement will be noticed in the performance.

Another plus about buying the book is; an enclosed CD of the drills and examples plus the play along rhythm tracks and original compositions played by Mr Santisi or his advanced students to get an idea of how the exercises sound in real time. Many jazz piano technique books don't include a CD, so this is really like getting a freebie CD with Berklee Jazz Piano. Some pianists are not good at sight reading and can transcribe music faster by ear, so the CD comes in handy for this purpose. Just pop the CD into ITunes and you're ready to rock..(jazz).

Although this book is geared more toward medium to advanced jazz piano students or classical pianists needing additional sources for jazz piano techniques, beginning students could use it as a method book with the guidance of a jazz piano teacher. I will also use it myself if I start teaching modern keyboard styles in the new year 2011.

Berklee Jazz Piano by Ray Santisi is a great text which teaches jazz piano techniques in a concise and necessary manner, easily understood and applied to the student's needs and desires to grow as a jazz pianist. You also can't beat the price of the book being offered here at Amazon.

Great Jazz Piano book !!!
This book is good guys..it is really a jazz piano book that you could keep in your shelves. It would be a complement to Jazz Piano Book (Mark Levine). Furthermore, this is a very professional book..you will really find stuffs as detailed, and new topics that is new to Jazz Piano books, like Pianitization. Detailed lessons on compings which is very helpful, has some walking bass concepts explained...much much more !!

Overall, I absolutely recommend this book to any Jazz Pianist !!! Seriously guys and girls !!

Not so great
Although I'm sure that Mr. Santisi is a wonderful teacher, this is rather poorly organized material. Editing is lousy too. A far superior book is Randy Halberstadt's Metaphors For The Music available from Sher Music.

superb book
I own an entire library of "how to" jazz books, and this is easily the best book I have ever come across.It is understandable and has more valuable information per page than any book I have encountered. If you buy just one jazz book, buy this one.

Berklee Jazz Piano Book Review
The book is great.I don't agree with some of the teaching methods, however.Make sure you are well versed in music theory before purchasing.I was hoping the book would have more on passing chords/ chord substitutions but I still learned several things.I haven't even put the CD in so I can't review that part, but I'm sure the CD compliments the book great because the book is always refering to different tracks on the CD.You can play along with several tunes and the lead sheets are all included. ... Read more

Product Description
This book has been a top-selling item for years, and now a companion CD with play-along and backing tracks is available! This means flute players can now learn this legendary piece of music on their own - our perfect piano accompaniment CDs eliminate the need for a pianist to play with! The CD can be purchased alone, for those who already own the book, and a book/CD pack is also available for those purchasing this for the first time. This suite in seven parts is composed for a "classic" flute and a "jazz" piano. It was the first jazz recording of world-renowned flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal and Claude Bolling. It is possible to play the whole piece with only flute and piano, but bass and drum parts are included for the complete Suite. The CD includes full recordings and flute play-along tracks for seven songs: Baroque and Blue * Fugace * Irlandaise * Javanaise * Sentimentale * Veloce * Versatile. Also available: CD Only (HL00672559, $16.95); Book Only (00490508, $47.50). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great Bolling/Rampal Album Even Better When You Can Play It!
Wonderful transcription of all of the parts of a classic album with the bonus feature of the CD minus the flute part so that you can play (or try to play) along.

Mandatory piece for the serious flutist
I consider this piece a mandatory one in the repertoire of any serious flutist, as it is perhaps one of the first examples of "crossover" music between classical and jazz styles. The recording itself was a platinum record during the 1970's. The recording is still available so that the written music can be followed easily, and if you are fortunate enough to have a good pianist to follow, you will find the music fun and not so difficult to play, if you are an intermediate or advanced flutist.

Nearly perfect transcription!
I bought this a few months ago and am about half way through learning the whole thing.I've owned the record/CD since 1974, so I was very familiar with the music , which I think helps.Claude Bolling's unique piano style can be imitated very easily once the songs are learned.There are some very difficult passages in these songs, so learning everything may take some time, but the challenge is worth it once you start to become familiar with them.The one relatively easy song, Irlandaise, can be learned fairly quickly if you've had any classical musical training.Overall, a great piece of music and worth every penny!

Melliflous music.
I`ve just heard this music performed live in Thiviers France.
If you like jazz and classical you`ll like this.
It`s a sprinkling of Bach with a dusting of Jaques Loussier and a dash of Django and a soupcon of MJQ and a generous helping of Bolling. It`s lively, melodious and lyrical in turn.
I`m going to buy it.

The Flute at its Best
This is a wonderful piece of music if you love the idea of playing jazz but do not know how to improvise. The jazz purests would condem music like this...not improvised, but it is good and absolutley fun to play. It isnecessary to get a good jazz trio-(piano,bass and drums) to accompany theflute. The feel must be right so the flute can sound its best! ... Read more

Product Description
F. Scott Fitzgerald named it, Louis Armstrong launched it, Paul Whiteman and Fletcher Henderson orchestrated it, and now Arnold Shaw chronicles this fabulous era in his marvelously engrossing book, appropriately called The Jazz Age.Enriching his account with lively anecdotes and inside stories, he describes the astonishing outpouring of significant musical innovations that emerged during the "Roaring Twenties"--including blues, jazz, band music, torch ballads, operettas, and musicals--and sets them against the background of the Prohibition world of the Flapper and the Gangster.
The Jazz Age offers an insider's view into the significant developments and personalities of the jazz age, including the maturation and Americanization of the Broadway musical theater, the explosion of the arts celebrated in the Harlem Renaissance, the rise of the Classic Blues Singers, and the evolution of ragtime into stride piano. It also contains a bibliography, detailed discography, and listings of the songs of the twenties in Variety's "Golden 100" and of films featuring singers and songwriters of the era. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

American pop music in the 20s
This goody describes American popular and show music during the period; Jazz was one of these forms and interacted in a number of ways with the other music. It's essential to show the proper place of jazz in the American music scene, but is more a basic introduction for anyone interested in the period.

This book was a fantastic overview of the music of the era.
I thought this book was captivating! It captured the essence of the music of that time. Jazz is such music of the soul. In a sense, you feel as if you know what it was like in the 1920's. When the jazz was jazz.

This book was a fantastic overview of the music of the era.
I thought this book was captivating! It captured the essence of the music of that time. Jazz is such music of the soul. In a sense, you feel as if you know what it was like in the 1920's. When the jazz was jazz. ... Read more

Product Description
"What good is music if it ain't got that swing?"- Duke EllingtonThe Associated Board responds with Jazz Piano, a comprehensive introduction to the world of jazz. A pioneering set of publications and optional assessment materials provide the building blocks you need to play jazz with imagination, understanding, and style, and to improvise effectively right from the start. Five levels of graded pieces contain a wide range of styles: funky jazz, up-tempo swing, calypso, Latin, jazz waltz, modal, bebop, Gospel, ragtime, free jazz, and more. There are classic tunes by Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and Thelonious Monk. Within each level there are 15 pieces, aural tests, quick studies, scales, arpeggios, and a CD. The 15 pieces are presented in three categories: blues, standards, and contemporary jazz. Each piece provides a head/melody which contains all the characteristic voicings, phrasing, and rhythmic patterns needed for a stylish performance. An improvised section follows, where guideline pitches and left-hand voicings are given as a practical starting point for solos. Totally accessible and at the highest musical standards, these pieces provide the opportunity to play jazz confidently and creatively. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is great for guitarists who have learned the basics of jazz harmony and improvisation. Topics include the ii-V-I progression, creating solo lines, altered chord formulas, and comping in different jazz feels such as Latin, swing, ballad, and even funk. Continuing in the format of Beginning Jazz Guitar, every new concept is accompanied by etudes and songs for practice, and every chapter is clearly divided into lessons on harmony and improvisation. Packed with literally hundreds of chord voicings and improv ideas, this book is a must for any serious student of jazz guitar. All music is shown in standard notation and TAB, and the optional CD demonstrates the examples in the book. 96 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

quality and well thought throughout
I feel that this series is most worthwhile for any student on his own or one being guided by a teacher.I jumped right into the first of the series and am enjoying the method and the results.The Intermediate book and CD appears to simply enhance the Beginning Jazz Guitar book and move on to greater depth.My only small criticism of the series(4 in all) is that they should include a DVD to further augment their instruction in all 4 of the books and not just with the Beginning Jazz text.Nice series overall. Ps. A good selection of practice pieces as well.

The 2nd of a series of 4 books
This is the second of a series of 4 books that cover arpeggio, modal, and chord melody theory for playing jazz guitar.They don't touch on the CAGED system at all which is a slight weakness, but these books are a great all-around quick education.I think each of these books is easily worth what you would get from a couple guitar lessons.A great deal. ... Read more

Product Description
The jazz guitar and its master players have had vast influence in a genre of uniquely provocative 20th century music. Written by some of the world's leading jazz authorities and featuring over 200 gorgeous photographs, this book spotlights remarkable musicians whose artistry have made the guitar fundamental to jazz. From 1930s electric pioneer Charlie Christian, to 1960s fusion visionary Larry Coryell and beyond, Masters of Jazz Guitar celebrates the achievements of players who changed the sound of jazz. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A MUST have for any jazz guitarist or fan.
This is quite an excellent book and is surprisingly done in soft cover now. My copy is hard cover and is a prized possession. It's thoughtfully and knowledgably written, has excellent references, recommendations, photos and discussions.

I love this book, and it would be a GREAT present for ANY jazz guitarist. If you love one, buy it for them and they'll never forget it!

(-:

-d ... Read more

Product Description
"...his economical writing style ... manages to pack lots of information - and opinion - into a few carefully chosen words ... Besides detail work well-grounded in scholarship...the author isn't afraid to interpolate such generalizations and speculations as he sees fit; he may be the Stephen Hawking of jazz criticism." - Bob Tarte, The Beat ... Read more

Product Description
Sperie Karas, an experienced big band drummer and music teacher, presents an easy-to-grasp way of learning jazz drumming. The underlying principle of this method is to use material created in performance for performance. All of the important aspects of Jazz Drumming in Big Band and Combo - from independence exercises to fills - are treated in such a way that they may be put into practice with the band immediately! The CD is comprised of many examples and play-along pieces found in the book, allowing the student the opportunity to play alongside professional musicians. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Super Service
A highly recommended seller. I ordered this book and unfortunately it came with the CD broken. Must have been mishandled along the way. I wrote the seller and she immediately refunded the purchase. I thought that kind of service was exceptional. ... Read more

Product Description
A lively comparison of musical meaning in Ohio's Jazz, metal, and hard rock scene. ... Read more

Product Description
PATTERNS FOR JAZZ stands as a monument among jazz educational materials.Condensed charts and pertinent explanations are conveniently inserted throughout the book to give greater clarity to the application of more than 400 patterns built on chords and scales -- from simple(major) to complex (lydian augmented scales). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

From a novice
I'm taking lessons trying to learn jazz piano, after being classically trained.This is the book that's required by my piano instructor, so I assume it's good.It seems good to me, but I'm not really in a position to evaluate it.

An excellent way to learn about jazz
This book was used as the textbook for a college jazz theory course that I took recently. Although previous experience with Mr. Haerle's books, such as Scales for Jazz Improvisation: A Practice Method for All Instruments made me think this would be nothing but dry theory, I was surprised at how really informative it was. The whole book is densely packed with information vital to any jazz musician. Although I had a pretty good grounding in the fundamentals of jazz before taking the course, by working through the chapters in this book, I was really able to build up my understanding of some jazz elements that I wasn't so knowledgeable about, such as 13th chords, altered chords, synthetic scales, harmonic and melodic minor scales, and many other topics. The main strength of this book is that everything is explained with an eye toward improving the overall ability of the jazz performer. Once a topic is studied, there are writing, listening, and playing exercises that can be tackled to reinforce the individual lesson, building on previous lessons, and of course, improving one's jazz musicality. Ultimately, that is what any musician should be striving for, and this book certainly accomplishes that goal. I will point out that I feel I could have gotten a lot more out of this book if I'd had any formal music theory instruction prior to using this book, so I would especially recommend this book to music students who have had some theory and are looking to broaden their understanding and appreciation of jazz. There is enough explanation included, however, that any serious student will still be able to effectively use this book to become a better jazz musician.

Good Book
this book has everything you'll need for learning alot about jazz. i know i did. however, some parts are for very advanced players.

Simple & clear review of this musical language...
A simple,well organized and concise explanation of what constitutes a specific musical language known as Jazz....Important item to have all those interested in this musical style

the best teacher I've ever had.
Dan Haerle was one of my teachers at the University of North Texas and I can say from personal experience that this man is BRILLIANT!!I make a living as a jazz pianist and I owe much of my success to what he taught me in those classes.This book was our textbook for Jazz101.You will find this book easy to use if you have a strong musical foundation.If you are one of those people who completely plays by ear and can't read music--this book is not for you.

If you are mainly a classical pianist/musician looking to expand your abilities--BUY THIS BOOK.This book is NOT a collection of transcribed jazz arrangements--it's a book that explains, in detail, the basic concepts of jazz theory.All instrumentalists will find this book helpful.

It has in depth discussions and examples of chord voicings, jazz/blues scales, and improvisation.It also contains and explains the many terms that we musicians use to communicate quickly and efficiently in the studio or rehearsal.

If you want to learn to play jazz this book is indespensible!

BUY IT!! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

The best introduction so far!
This book is by far the best introduction to Jazz available. The text is clear and entertaining and the books on the "further reading" section are pretty well picked. ... Read more

Product Description
Book 5 of In Recital with Jazz, Blues, & Rags gives the intermediate-level pianist a wonderful collection of solos and equal-part duets to choose from, sure to become personal favorites in their performance repertoire. Solo titles include Ragamuffin, Chatterbox Rag, and Jazz Toccata, and equal-part duets include arrangements of Dill Pickles Rag, Bohemia, and (The Original) Chicago Blues. As in all of the books of the In Recital series, the pieces are written to conform to the pedagogical criteria for the specific level, so students are assured that the repertoire is appropriately leveled and written with the utmost creativity. Includes a full-performance CD along with interesting information in About the Pieces and Composers. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive study of modern jazz trumpet playing by renowned jazz musician John McNeil. Contains a personal history of jazz trumpet, articulation, valve technique, and alternate fingerings. This complete edition combines and updates the earlier works and includes a CD as a practice aid. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great jazzy study
I only wish I had found this book years ago when I began studying jazz trumpet. If I had, I'd already have these tips under my fingers. The book gives some *great* bebop lines/patterns in all keys. I'd say it is the H.L Clark Technical Studies for the jazz trumpet player. Also includes some cool suggestions for alternative fingering riffs - think Lee Morgan. The CD gives you something to hear, model yourself after and strive for. I'm totally sold.

The jazz technique book for trumpet.
I received this book not long ago, and as an experienced jazz and classical player, it fulfilled the purpose I purchased it for. That is, it's a technical method book for jazz. It won't give you any new ideas *probably* and it certainly doesn't have a lot of "patterns" to transpose or advanced jazz theory and such, but what it does well is that it focuses on the most common "problem" areas for jazz technique. That is, articulation, finger dexterity, and key familiarity. There is also a section on "wide intervals" for jazz, but IMHO this was a nice addition, but not as important (to me) as the other sections. I consider myself to be a strong player (don't we all) and I thought this book did a good job of zeroing in on my weak areas, and providing practical, tough exercises to improve them.

Don't think of this book as an endall "how to" to play jazz anymore than you would consider any single classical method the "endall" to classical music. Jazz is a language to be learned by listening and playing, this is a book to improve your facility with jazz to make your final goal easier. A method book in the truest sense.

I'd recommend the use of this book in conjunction with ear training or playalongs ie... Aebersold.

The art of BEBOP trumpet
This book does has some interesting biographies in it, but that is not the purpose behind this book. I bought this expecting a book that would give me some ideas on improvisation and jazz style. All this book delivers is some ideas that pertain strictly to Bebop. If you like playing that side of the horn then this is a good book, but it certainly is not advertised as such. It does; however provide some challenging sight reading material, but again, that is not what this book is advertised to be. The exercises are not in the least bit hip, and all in all this was just a poor investment. The author even advises to steer away from wide intervals, calling them "unpractical", which is absolute nonsense! Maybe if you only have a two octave range as the authors playing on the CD suggests, but for those of us with a good solid three or more octaves wide intervals are effective and quite practical. Do yourself a favor, and invest in an Arban's Book, Clarke Book, The Jazz Theory Book, and LOTS of Basie, Armstrong, Maynard Ferguson CDs. I especially recommend, Count Basie - Basie In Europe and Buddy Rich - Rich in London.

Required reading for jazz trumpeters
It is important to realise that unlike many other jazz books this book does not set out to try to teach you how to improvise, nor is it a jazz theory book.You would benefit from at least some working knowledge of both these topics before you embark on this book (I would recommend something like Levine's The Jazz Theory Book if you need more background).Instead it helps you to develop the more technical aspects of jazz trumpet playing through exercises, etudes and well-written text.

The first part of the book covers the history of jazz trumpet from about the bebop era onwards, through some discussions of the musical styles of a number of key players and some musical examples.
The hard work starts with a large section on jazz articulation, in which you learn to control your placement of accents on different notes in a phrase and develop a polyrhythmic feel. He provides exercises for wide interval playing - something that is quite hard on trumpet compared to an instrument like the saxophone.Alternate fingerings are covered along with some exercises.He also discusses doodle tonguing made famous by especially by Clark Terry.This is the jazz player's way of tonguing fast passage as opposed to the multiple tonguing used by classical players. He has a useful section on tricky fingering studies which you can even practise without blowing into the horn (useful when the chops are tired).

Although I said that he doesn't try to teach you how to improvise, there are a few useful ideas scattered through the text.For example, after his first articulation study, he gives an example of how you might shift sections of it up or down a semitone at random when you are playing to get an "out" feeling.Putting some randomness into a fixed exercise helps you to exercise the parts of your brain that are needed for improvising without throwing you completely in the deep end.Another exercise he mentions is to play a 1235or 1535 pattern around the cycle, alternating at random between 1235 and 1535 at random. McNeil describes this particular exercise in more detail in a 2002 journal article for the International Trumpet Guild entitled "Creative Pattern Practice" which is worth scouring the web for - it will give you a good taste of his writing style and his way of thinking about improvisation.

The book also comes with a CD demonstrating some of the exercises and etudes so you can hear what they sound like when performed correctly.

John McNeil is a highly respected Jazz trumpeter and his book is a classic that every aspiring jazz trumpet player should own.I love this book and use it often.

Great
This book is great! The articulation studies are hip and tricky, and you can actually use them in a "real life situation". There are also some interesting articles on various jazz trumpeters. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This must-own collection includes more than 625 songs spanning all jazz styles from more than 9 decades - from traditional to swing to modern jazz, carefully chosen chords with common practice chord substitutions, lyrics to accomodate vocalists, easy-to-read music, and composer and performer indexes. Songs include: Maple Leaf Rag * Basin Street Blues * A Night In Tunisia * Lullaby Of Birdland * The Girl From Ipanema * Bag's Groove * I Can't Get Started * All The Things You Are * and many more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Excellent Book
The book was in great condition, and I'm enjoying using it a lot. The print is nice and large, and there are so many songs, both jazz and from musicals.

Great book!
This is a great fake book. It contains many cool tunes, and has rich chord patterns that allow one to really capture the spirit of the song. It's not just an overly simply, watered down easy book.

And did you know.......??
This is a great fakebook for old standards but would probably be lacking for jazz purists.We play duets, flute and flugel, and have both the C and Bb editions.We also have Band In A Box and discovered that Notes Norton sells BIAB backups for all 620 songs in the book.This saved us tons of time in not having to make our own backups and we have all the songs we need for our gigs.

Fine if you are faking it.
This book has an excellent selection of really great jazz tunes and standards.Like a lot of fake books and older sheet music, a few of the chords are either wrong or theoretically oriented in a rather bizarre context.Anyone who is trying to learn a song from this book should probably try to get a creditable recording of the song and double check the chords by ear. This is not an ideal collection, but in my opinion, worth the money.

Good jazz book. Disappinted in Amazon shipping.
Very nice jazz book. Son really likes it. This WAS shipped to me, however, I'm VERY VERY disappointed in Amazon's lackluster, unreliable (lack of shipping) to military APO addresses. In general, they've shipped to my military APO address about 60% (if that) of the time - for very basic items. Many purchases were not made because items can't be shipped to me, other items I had to have shipped somewhere else and pay additional shipping to get item mailed to me. Shame on Amazon! Unfortunately I've received NO good answer from Amazon! ... Read more

Product Description
A one-of-a-kind book encompassing a wide scope of jazz topics, for beginners and pros of any instrument. A three-pronged approach was envisioned with the creation of this comprehensive resource: as an encyclopedia for ready reference, as a thorough methodology for the student, and as a workbook for the classroom, complete with ample exercises and conceptual discussion. Includes the basics of intervals, jazz harmony, scales and modes, ii-V-I cadences. For harmony, it covers: harmonic analysis, piano voicings and voice leading; modulations and modal interchange, and reharmonization. For performance, it takes players through: jazz piano comping, jazz tune forms, arranging techniques, improvisation, traditional jazz fundamentals, practice techniques, and much more!Customer reviews on amazon.com for Jazzology average a glowing 5 stars! Here is a typical reader comment: "The book's approach is so intuitive, it almost leads you by the hand into the world of jazz. Certainly jazz is freedom of expression, but you have to know what you're doing and this book is the tool for that ... (it) should be standard in every high school with a jazz program and every college lab band." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

A real encyclopedia
I was surprised by this product. It delivers what it promises, and with very good didactical devices. The treatment of harmonic analysis is fantastic, from the ground up. The improvisional devices are up to the point. The best book on jazz theory I've read in recent years, a perfect companion to Levine's "Jazz Theory Book".

It's always a BIG BIG WOWWW ever
I am a musician, want to play jazz at all, but I can't find the book that fits my need, but .... after I have Jazzology, I think that jazz is not the way I was before...Jazzology gave the jazz a good name ever !!! Suggest to all wannabe jazzers or the real jazzers, take it as valuable source of this "kinda" jazz...
Bravo ....

good book for musicians
AMAZON.COM best e-store on this century. excellent book to learn to play jazz . Love this kind of books. I enjoy a lot of...Best wishes to all to make this possible. Greetings.

Not for everyone
An excellent reference for current jazz students who accept the premise that "real" jazz began in the 1940's with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and further evolved by John Coltrane.For the minority of students looking for information as to how to play like Armstrong, Beiderbecke, Goodman, Shaw, Teagarden, Young and
other jazz heroes of the developmental years prior to 1940, this isn't the book for you.

Excellent Presentation
I had my reservations with this article. I am the kind of guy that loves when books have a nice presentation. It inspires me to take action. All the lessons are carefully explained. I am learning a lot from this book. I've found that the ilustrations are awesome and the style of encyclopedia learning is cool. ... Read more

Product Description
Terrific duet arrangements of 15 cool jazz tunes playable by any combination of Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Trumpet or Trombone. Includes: Bewitched * Cry Me a River * Fly Me to the Moon * In the Mood * My One and Only Love * Old Devil Moon * Poor Butterfly * Sentimental Journey * Stella by Starlight * Tenderly * Where or When * and more. ... Read more

Product Description
14 songs for solo instruments, complete with a play-along CD. Includes: Bernie's Tune * Cry Me a River * Fever * Fly Me to the Moon * God Bless' the Child * Harlem Nocturne * Moonglow * A Night in Tunisia * One Note Samba * Opus One * Satin Doll * Slightly Out of Tune (Desafinado) * Take the "A" Train * Yardbird Suite. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Poor!
I bought this to listen to a sax play better than me.No sax playing!Just a lame tone to follow along with.

Nobody should be disappointed 'bout this @ all
I was rarely a lil dissappointed 'cuz I don't think it's not that bad b/c the solos that I was getting were alright but I just kept practicing more and more until I got it better.

Anyway not 'gon say much 'bout it but I believe its a great book u should enjoy. No bad luck.

A Disappointment
I am a professional player and teacher with students ranging from beginner to adult.

First the good things: the book has songs that not represented on prior play-alongs, including "Harlem Nocturne" ,"Opus One" and "Bernie's Tune". Plus, the players involved are quite good. This book could be useful for helping a beginner (to jazz) develop feel, at least in playing melodies.

However, the flaws are pretty severe. Most songs have only 1 chorus of improvisation, some less. On "Harlem Nocturne" and "Desafinado", the solos are less than 12 bars TOTAL. Next, some arrangements are poor. "A Night In Tunisia" does not include the interlude before the break. "Harlem Nocturne" does not include the interval pattern at the end of the bridge.

Again, this title might have a little value for a beginning jazz player to follow the melodies in an appropriate style. I can't recommend this to anyone else. There are better play-alongs out there." ... Read more