That lick is telling you how you feel about the music, not how Coltrane felt about the music. If you’ve ever found yourself in the practice room, horn in hand, thinking “What should I work on?”, this fantastic mini-master class from Hal Galper is for you. Some points to listen for: Where he learned vocabulary […]
#InTheShed
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37 Most Popular #InTheShed Posts of 2014 – Brecker, Redman, Potter, Marsalis, Webster, Henderson, Hawkins, Shorter & More…
I put a lot of stuff on this blog in 2014. If you missed any of it (all of it?) here’s a short list of the most popular posts…in reverse order. 37. Look inside my practice journal from 20 years ago 36. Wynton Marsalis’ 1-Minute Guide to Playing Hipper Rhythms 35. Storytelling in Jazz: The […]
How Joshua Redman practices
Check out what he says from 15:00-18:30. I posted this video before, but for different reasons. One of my students asked about what to do when his practicing felt unfocused. I explained the common phenomenon of the beginner’s curse: plenty of time to practice & not sure what to practice. Once life’s demands take some […]
Charlie Parker with Strings turns 65
Recorded 65 years ago today (Nov 30, 1949), Charlie Parker with Strings is one of those classic jazz recordings you must get intimately familiar with. Don’t just take my word for it. 6 prominent alto saxophonists recently named this in their top favorites. There’s a reason why: It holds up. As I re-read the liner […]
Jazz Pianist Bill Evans on the Creative Process and Self-Teaching
Jazz is not a style, it’s a process. It’s one minute’s music in one minute’s time. — Bill Evans This is one of the most important things I’ve seen, read, or heard, on the creative process in general and jazz improvisation in particular. Part 1: Master fundamentals A few things to note: [Bill Evans believes it’s necessary […]
Compare Branford Marsalis and Sting Performing Roxanne…22 Years Apart
I often point to this as my blueprint for what saxophone in a pop setting can be: For my money it gets no better. But thanks to YouTube, we have the opportunity to compare and contrast that performance with one from 22 years earlier: Lots to glean from this. (Hint: maturity; nuance.)