July 30, 2010 in Jazz Standards
These are the regular changes to this song. To experiment with some hip alternate changes, click HERE. And make sure you learn the shout chorus and the piano intro-they are very cool!
Recordings
Amazon.com Widgets
Take the A-Train .pdf
Take the A-Train-C Instruments (.pdf)
Take the A-Train-Bb Instruments (.pdf)
Take the A-Train-Eb Instruments (.pdf)
Take the A-Train Piano Intro
A-Train …
July 29, 2010 in Jazz Standards
Nice changes, I think. They are fun to experiment with. Please comment and let me know what you think of them!
-Camden
Take the A-Train Reharm
Take the A-Train-C Instruments (.pdf)
Take the A-Train-Bb Instruments (.pdf)
Take the A-Train-Eb Instruments (.pdf)
Take the A-Train-Hip Alt Changes Jazz Track
…
July 28, 2010 in Jazz Standards
This standard is the basis for another standard, Bird’s composition Scrapple from the Apple. Bird took the A section of these changes and made a “contrafacts” out of it, or a new melody over the changes to a jazz standard. This is one of the most common standards you must know as a jazz musician. The charismatic Fats Waller released …
July 27, 2010 in Learning Jazz
Do you need to brush up on your jazz history a little bit? Here’s a nice reference guide by my friend Brent Jensen. Brent is a saxophone recording artist for Origin Records, and he teaches jazz at the College of Southern Idaho.
I’ve included the Style Periods in a text format, as well as doc and pdf files.
JAZZ STYLE …
July 26, 2010 in Jazz Standards
This famous tune was made for a 1947 movie, “Green Dolphin Street,” and is known for switching back and forth between latin and swing feels, and for the pedal I underneath changing harmonies for the first 7 bars of the A section. The form is basically ABAB, with the second B being different than the first B. It’s a 32 …
July 24, 2010 in Jazz Standards
My Funny Valentine was written by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart (before there was Rogers and Hammerstein). It’s from “Babes In Arms,” a 1937 musical from which the standards “Where or When” and “The Lady is a Tramp” also originated. The musical was made into a film starring Judy Garland and 19-year-old Mickey Rooney, in 1939, although they cut My …
July 23, 2010 in Jazz Recordings
Carl Saunders is a world-class trumpet player who has worked with Buddy Rich, Stan Kenton, Harry James, Maynard Ferguson, and Benny Goodman, among many other great musicians. I’ve had the privilege of working with him at the Great Basin Jazz Camp for the past three years. In addition to being “the best trumpet player you’ve never heard,” as trombonist Carl …
July 22, 2010 in Learning Jazz
Teaching improvisation can be a daunting task. How do I teach kids how to invent a solo from thin air? I am the lead instructor at the Great Basin Junior Jazz Camp this week (I am also on faculty for the big camp, which is held a different week), and I created this handout to do just that. I do …
July 21, 2010 in Jazz Standards
Learning to navigate Blues for Alice is like taking the training wheels off the blues.
by Azmil77, Flickr.com
www.flickr.com/photos/23596957@N02/2348934926
This isn’t just I, IV, and V chords. It’s called “backdoor” blues changes because instead of going from F to Bb7, up, it goes through the backdoor, down to Em7b5 (into a ii-7b5-V7-i in the relative minor, D minor).
I can …
July 19, 2010 in Learning Jazz
Here’s the updated version of Charlie Parker’s three chorus solo on Blues for Alice. Make sure to listen to the recording and learn it with that. You should never learn a transcription without listening to it a lot! I hope you enjoy!
Bird’s Solo Transcription-Blues for Alice (.pdf)
Blues for Alice-Bird’s Solo-C Instruments
Blues for Alice-Bird’s Solo-Trumpet
Blues for Alice-Bird’s …
