In a Mellow Tone

June 16, 2010 in Jazz Originals, Jazz Standards, Swing Era & Dixieland

This is such a great standard when done right. However, “In a Mellow Tone” Don’t Mean a Thing, If It Ain’t Got that Swing! Listen to the way Dizzy and his group does it. What a burnin’ chart! I changed the way I do my play alongs today, and I’d like some comments. See if you like it better. I …

Case Study: Learning Jazz Melodies from Recordings

June 3, 2010 in Jazz Recordings

This article will use three different recordings of the jazz standard “On the Sunny Side of the Street” to show how a jazz musician can approach learning the melody to a tune.

A jazz melody is often nebulous.  I have heard many people say “just listen, you can learn the melody from the recordings.”  However, it is often a difficult thing to …