JazzEd July 2008

JULY 2008 • $10.00

THE JAZZ EDUCATOR'S MAGAZINE

CHICO HAMILTON “DEALING IN HUMAN EMOTIONS” FOCUS SESSION Pentatonic Scales Roundtable Substitute Gigging

Bob Franceschini Bob is one of the best players you didn’t know you’ve heard. His work with Mike Stern and the Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra has taken melody and harmony in a whole new direction. Bob uses V16 mouthpieces, ZZ reeds and Optimum ligatures.

David Sanborn With a body of work that spans Rock, R&B, Pop and Jazz, David is the father of the contemporary alto sound.

David uses V16 reeds.

Bruce Williams No one thrives on stylistic diversity like Bruce Williams.

Comfortable in settings from Bebop, Hip-hop and Avant-garde, Bruce can make any style look easy. Bruce uses V16 soprano, alto and tenor mouthpieces, Traditional, Java and ZZ reeds, and Optimum and Leather ligatures.

Crisp notes. Clean sound. Top artists use the world’s finest mouthpieces and reeds.

For a free artist poster, visit vandojazzusa.com and click on The Payoff.

Where jazz is more than a legend.

©

2007 Vandoren SAS. Imported to the U.S. by DANSR, 818 W. Evergreen, Chicago, IL 60642, 888.707.4455

Your nex t school year is pack ed with travel possibilities.

It’s Time to Get Your Bearings

• The Disney Honors • Magic Music Days • Disney Jazz Celebration • Broadway Shows • Music Performances • Educational Trips • International Tours • Bowl Games • Holiday Parades

Wherever you travel, we handle all the details with “GPS”…

Genuine Personalized Service!

Call us today to start planning your next tour.

In 2009, the nation’s best high school concert bands, orchestras and chorus groups will take center stage at The Disney Honors music festival, an opportunity you don’t want to miss! March 5–9, 2009

Tui Student Travel is the exclusive travel planner for The Disney Honors.

Ask about our new, worry-free Refund Guarantee Program.

NewHorizons Tour Travel, Inc. A Tui Student Travel Company

Talk to your New Horizons Sales Manager today about application materials and details.

800.327.4695 • www.nhtt.com • travel@nhtt.com

New Horizons is proud to be a BOA preferred travel partner.

Chico Hamilton

“I try to teach these students how to become professional musicians, as well as showing them how to play.”

contents

J U LY 20 0 8

GUEST EDITORIAL: DR. ROBERT KLEVAN 14

Dr. Robert Klevan, Jazz Education director for the Monterey Jazz Festival, discusses some “required listening” material for any jazz scholar.

FOCUS SESSION: PENTATONIC SCALES 20

Guitarist and educator Chaim Burstein outlines the many applications of pentatonic scales.

CHICO HAMILTON 24

JAZZed speaks with the legendary drummer about his storied career, his approach to playing and studying jazz, and his experiences as an educator.

ROUNDTABLE: SUBSTITUTE GIGGING 30

We hear from a handful of experienced jazzers on how to best prepare oneself to succeed when asked to fill in at a gig on short notice.

BASIC TRAINING: GUIDE TONES 36

Regular JAZZed contributor Miles Donahue walks readers through the concepts behind applying guide tones to improv playing.

ROUNDUP: GUITARS 40 GUEST CLINICIAN: DR. JOHN KUZMICH 44

Respected educator and clinician, Dr. John Kuzmich, shares thoughts on how to effectively introduce students to improvisation.

™

2 JAZZed July 2008

™

JULY 2008

Volume 3, Number 4 GROUP PUBLISHER Sidney L. Davis sdavis@symphonypublishing.com PUBLISHER Richard E. Kessel rkessel@symphonypublishing.com Editorial Staff EDITOR Christian Wissmuller cwissmuller@symphonypublishing.com

30

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Eliahu Sussman esussman@symphonypublishing.com STAFF WRITER Denyce Neilson dneilson@symphonypublishing.com Art Staff PRODUCTION MANAGER Laurie Guptill lguptill@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Andrew P. Ross aross@symphonypublishing.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Laurie Chesna lchesna@symphonypublishing.com Advertising Staff ADVERTISING SALES Iris Fox ifox@symphonypublishing.com CLASSIFIED SALES Maureen Johan mjohan@symphonypublishing.com

61

12

departments PUBLISHER’S LETTER 4 NOTEWORTHY 6 ESPERANZA SPALDING: WHAT’S ON YOUR PLAYLIST 12 CROSSWORD PUZZLE 48 GEARCHECK 49 HOT WAX 51 BACKBEAT: ESBJÖRN SVENSSON 53 CLASSIFIEDS 54 AD INDEX 56.

Cover photograph: Matthew Sussman, N.Y.C.

Business Staff CIRCULATION MANAGER Melanie A. Prescott mprescott@symphonypublishing.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Popi Galileos pgalileos@symphonypublishing.com WEBMASTER Sanford Kearns skearns@symphonypublishing.com Symphony Publishing, LLC CHAIRMAN Xen Zapis PRESIDENT Lee Zapis lzapis@symphonypublishing.com CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Rich Bongorno rbongorno@symphonypublishing.com Corporate Headquarters 26202 Detroit Road, Suite 300 Westlake, Ohio 44145 (440) 871-1300 www.symphonypublishing.com Publishing, Sales, & Editorial Office 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1 Needham, MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 FAX (781) 453-9389 1-800-964-5150 www.jazzedmagazine.com

Member 2008

RPMDA

JAZZed™ is published six times annually by Symphony Publishing, LLC, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494, (781) 453-9310.

Publisher of Choral Director, School Band and Orchestra, Music Parents America, and Musical Merchandise Review. Subscription rates $30 one year; $60 two years. Rates outside U.S. available upon request. Single issues $5. Resource Guide $15. Standard postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing ofces. Postmaster: Please send address changes to JAZZed, 21 Highland Circle, Suite 1, Needham, MA 02494.

The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. © 2008 by Symphony Publishing, LLC. Printed in the U.S.A.

JAZZed July 2008 3

publisher’s letter

RICK KESSEL

The Jazz Education Network:

A Fresh Start

M

usic education happens to be a very small yet ered in Chicago in early June to develop a concept highly visible field, which has a large number of for a completely new organization dedicated to associations and organizations that are targeted jazz education. From this meeting, the foundations towards this niche. There are groups that focus on were laid for a new association called the Jazz Eduthe local, state, national, and even international cation Network (JEN). JEN’s mission is: “dedicated levels, some of which are incredibly well manto building the jazz arts community by advancing aged and others that seem to have more difficulty. education, promoting performance, and developBy now, you’ve no doubt heard about the tragic ing new audiences.” demise of the premier jazz education organizaThere are organizations which have membertion, IAJE (not the individual state ships that must conform to rigid groups, many of which are still specifications about the type of “One of the operating successfully) which took person, school, or company that exciting aspects many in the field of jazz by surprise. may be involved. One of the of JEN is their Although at the time of the writing exciting aspects of JEN is their of this editorial, the group has yet commitment to include a variety commitment to to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy; of different types of members, include a variety the facts are that the organization many of whom will bring a wide of different types diversity of skills, experience, and owed over $1 million to creditors of members” which included American Express, passion to the association. There Starwood Hotels, a magazine printer are obviously legions of people in Kansas, a local bank, and others. who are interested in our unique Though this venerable organization has died an world of jazz, and there are numerous positive untimely death, the people who are dedicated to reasons for bringing everyone to the table to jazz are alive and well and are not willing to simhelp to build the jazz education community. On ply allow their passion to be untended. one final note, it’s rare to find two people with An enterprising group of more than 35 motisuch tremendous dedication, leadership skills, vated individuals from all arenas of jazz, includand pure love for jazz education as Mary Jo ing educators, publishers, association leaders, and Lou. We’ll have more news in the coming and businesses led by Mary Jo Papich, Fine and months on the JEN organization, so be sure to Applied Arts Dept. chair at Highland Park High check our Web sites periodically for the latest School, Ill., and Dr. Lou Fischer, professor of Muhappenings: www.jazzedmagazine.com and sic, Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, gathwww.jazzplayer.com.

rkessel@symphonypublishing.com

4 JAZZed July 2008

Custom XO Hard Rubber Mouthpiece

Exclusive Rovner EV0-5™ Ligature

Unique Pearl Inlaid Octave Mechanism

Both Hand-Hammered Brass AND Rose Brass Neck to Customize Your Sound

PROFESSIONAL BY DESIGN

Adjustable Front F Mechanism Fully Ribbed Alto Tilting G# - Bb Table Keys Long-Lasting Blued Steel Springs

Bell Wire for Increased Resonance

Left and Right Hand Stack Adjustment Screws

For more information on Jupiter XO Professional Instruments, visit:

jupiterxo.com

Kid Pads with Metal Tone Boosters

Beautifully Engraved Bell and Neck

noteworthy Juilliard Jazz’s New Faculty

J

uilliard Jazz has announced the addition of ten new artists to its faculty for the 2008-09 academic year: Ron Carter will join Juilliard as a bass instructor; Xavier Davis will teach piano for non-pianists in the Juilliard Jazz program; Bassist Ray Drummond will teach jazz improvisation; Benny Golson will become artist in residence and guest conductor for the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra; Benny Green will be a visiting artist; Frank Kimbrough joins the program as piano instructor; Christian McBride will become artist in residence and guest conductor for the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra; Ted Nash will conduct the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra; Steve Turre will teach trombone and jazz small ensemble; and Kenny Washington will teach rhythm section and jazz history.

The 2008-09 season will mark the 8th anniversary of Juilliard Jazz.

Juilliard offers an undergraduate jazz degree, awarding a bachelor of music degree to those completing its four-year curriculum; a two-year master of music degree program designed for advanced performers who want to maximize their professional opportunities, onstage, and in the academic world; and an advanced pre-professional curriculum leading to an Artist Diploma, offered through the Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies – a collaboration between Juilliard and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

For more information, visit www.juilliard.edu.

MILES

by Rupert Hörst (www.hoerbst.net) Rupert's collections of music-themed cartoons – Brassival, Woodstocks, and Stringled – are available in the U.S. through Hal Leonard Publishing.

6 JAZZed July 2008

TI:ME Names New Executive Director

TI:ME, the Technology Institute for Music Educators, has appointed Kay Fitzpatrick the new executive director. Kay replaces John Dunphy, who resigned in December 2007.

Kay Fitzpatrick, JD, CAE, has been in association management for 18 years; she was certified as an association executive in 1997.

She has served as CEO of two nonprofit 501(c)(6) and two nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, including the Michigan Music Conference since 2006. Kay served on the Board of Directors of her state professional society, the Michigan Society of Association Executives, for six years; she currently serves on the Boards of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation and the Detroit Executive Service Corps. She has taught university level law, association management and business-related courses, both face-to-face and online.

For more information, please visit TI:ME’s Web site at www.ti-me.org.

noteworthy Jazz Education Network Launched

T

he Jazz Education Network (JEN) was formed on June 1, 2008. The association will be focused on advancing and expanding jazz education, jazz performance opportunities, and jazz audiences.

More than 35 leaders from the jazz education community and its affiliated industries gathered in suburban Chicago to discuss the need for an organization geared to serve professionals and students in the jazz education field. The meetings were facilitated by Gene Wenner of Arts & Education Consultants, Bob Breithaupt of JazzArts Group and Matt Carter of Music Crossroads. After two days of discussion and deliberations, the group enthusiastically agreed to form Dr. Lou Fischer Jazz Education Network.

“The outcome of this meeting was clear,” said Mary Jo Papich, president of JEN. “There is a burning need to help build a strong community in jazz education. There is a void that must be filled. Our goal is to be an essential resource for anyone involved in or with jazz education.”

The mission statement for the organization states: The JazzEducation Network is dedicated to Mary Jo Papich building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences.

“We understand that this is a monumental endeavor,” said Papich, “but it is vitally important this work be done. Collaborating together, our goal is to support a strong and well-

equipped community that meets the needs of 21st-century education. We will strive to be inclusive, rather than exclusive. As a result, jazz education can have a positive impact on the lives of many more students of all backgrounds. We will work to identify and inspire new audiences. Our goal is to help focus the creative power, grace, and beauty of jazz that expands far beyond playing the music and into what makes a life well lived.”

In addition to electing Papich as president, the Network’s initial temporary board will include Lou Fischer as vice president, Bruce Silva as treasurer, and Julie Traenkenschuh as secretary.

Papich is the Fine Arts chair at Highland Park High School and Focus on the Arts festival director in Highland Park, Ill. Fischer is a leading jazz educator who serves as professor of music at Capital University Conservatory of Music in Columbus, Ohio. Silva is vice president of Buffet Crampon USA in Jacksonville, Fla., and Traenkenschuh is director of bands at Woodruff High School in Peoria, Ill. The following agreed to hold office as board members until after the first meeting of the membership: Jim Widner (Mo.) Steve Crissinger (Ohio) Paul Chiaravelle (Ill.) Ruben Alvarez (Ill.) Paris Rutherford (Texas) Andrew Surmani (Calif.)

Rick Kessel (Mass.)

Michael Kenyon (Ind.) Dan Gregerman (Ill.) Bob Breithaupt (Ohio) Ellen Rowe (Mich.)

Jarrard Harris (Ill.) The Network is in the process of filing for non-profit organization status. Once complete, it will begin the work of developing programs, events and attracting membership.

A Web site will be up shortly at www.jazzednet.org that will provide organizational updates and membership information.

There will be a section requesting input from potential membership, as JEN will be a member driven organization. For more information, please contact Mary Jo Papich (mjpapich@yahoo.com) or Lou Fischer (ljazzmanf@yahoo.com).

Letter Creating A Jazz Education Nonprofit In April, 2008, the International Association of Jazz Educators, an internationally respected arts organization, filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the US Bankruptcy Code. Having been an active member of the arts education community for more than 25 years, I was both surprised and dismayed at the downfall of IAJE. Veiled behind the news of the bankruptcy action was the revelation that IAJE’s failing was a combination of the lack of fiscal

oversight by the Board of Directors and the less than transparent financial reports made by the Executive Director. I wish that I could say that with non-profits this is an isolated incident, but unfortunately, it happens too often.

When I was asked to help in the creation of a new national jazz education organization and facilitate that process I was most pleased to provide that assistance. More than 35 leaders from the jazz education community and its affiliated industries gathered in

JAZZed July 2008 7

noteworthy suburban Chicago to discuss the need for an organization geared to serve professionals and students in the jazz education field.

Representatives from Down Beat magazine, JazzEd magazine, from such prestigious groups as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz, Past Presidents of IAJE, college professors and school directors participated in two days of discussion and deliberations. At the end of the weekend, the group enthusiastically agreed to form the new Jazz Education Network (JEN).

“The outcome of this meeting was clear,” said Mary Jo Papich, new president of JEN. “There is a burning need to help build a strong community in jazz education. There is a void that must be filled. Our goal is to be an essential resource for anyone involved in or with jazz education.” It is evidenced in the mission statement: The Jazz Education Network is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance and developing new audiences.

There are two important points I want to emphasize. First, it is critical that in the life of every non-profit organization the role of the Board of Directors in providing fiscal oversight not be pushed aside while a well-established executive director makes decisions for the board. So the “blame” for what happened here falls on both parties. Board/staff relations can often be at the root of many non-profit problems.

I should point out that although Boards of Directors are volunteers, by State and Federal law, they are responsible for the non-profit, not the staff. Unfortunately some boards are often not willing to take the time to understand every aspect of the non-profit organization and provide oversight (not micro-management) of the staff.

There have been too many examples of the same problem of lack of fiscal oversight in national state and local non-profit organizations. It was announced in December, 2007 that the National Music Foundation was suspending operations due to the retirement of its president and CEO. I assisted NMF in the development of their American Music Education Initiative that gave grants to teachers that used American Music (including

jazz) effectively in their classrooms. It is unfortunate that this program will no longer exist.

Second, I cannot overstate the importance of arts education as an integral part of the education of all students. The arts still tend to be “pushed” out of the budget for what some perceive as more important things at budget time. The same can be said about jazz education. Jazz is one very important American tradition that gets cast aside to make way for pop music, rock, and rap.

In spite of that, there are many exceptional jazz ensembles in schools and colleges both here in the county as well as across the nation. There are countless jazz festivals throughout the country but it is hard to determine in how many of these festivals, school jazz ensembles are included. They need to be showcased for administrators, parents and the general public, separately from other school performance groups.

In my long service to non-profit arts and education nonprofits, the importance of strong arts education programs in the schools, including jazz education, is essential and needs to be recognized and valued.

The establishment of the Jazz Education Network and its mission serves an important role in assuring that one of the “nation’s treasures” continues to thrive. It was a distinct pleasure for me to have played a role in making it happen. All that were present at the meeting in Chicago left with optimism while knowing that there was still much work to be done.

Dr. Lou Fisher, vice president, said, “Your role as facilitator really proved to be beneficial to the flow of the meeting. It was a monumental task and your expertise, attention to detail, mildmannered, expert guidance was truly a gift to the new organization”.

I look forward to watching JEN grow and become a vital part of our culture and education.

Gene C. Wenner, president Arts & Education Consultants www.aecwenn.com

International Jazz Composers Symposium The second International Jazz Composers’ Symposium, sponsored by the University of South Florida’s Center for Jazz Composition and BMI, drew over 80 jazz composers and musicians from throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe to the University of South Florida for 3 days of intensive new music presentations, concerts, workshops, panel discussions, and much more. Featured guest composers included Bill Holman, Jim McNeely, and Stefon Harris who performed in tandem with the Turtle Island Quartet as well as an ensemble of mixed winds and rhythm. Performing the wide-ranging works of 18 competitively selected composers as well that of master artists Holman & McNeely was Artistic Director, Chuck Owen and his 17piece Jazz Surge. At the end of the Symposium the guest artist panel selected works in two categories to honor with Symposium New Music Awards. The winner for Small Group composition was Jambo,

by Michael LeBrun of Chicago, Ill., and for Big Band composition,

8 JAZZed July 2008

“Folk Song #1” by Lars Moller of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Each guest artist had an opportunity to expound upon their philosophies, observations, and concerns as a composer in 90-minute “conversations” with the attendees.

Clinics and presentations were offered on string writing techniques in jazz (David Balakrishnan and Mark Summer from TSQ), the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop (McNeely), the Center for Jazz Composition’s “Michael Brecker Tribute Project” (Owen), in addition to the formal presentation of research papers. New music reading sessions highlighted works of 18 composers in three different categories - Big Band, Small Group, and Student Compositions – with the latter receiving a master class from the visiting guest composers. Each day was capped off with an evening concert presenting one of the guest artists’ music.

For more information, please visit centerforjazzcomp.arts.usf.edu.

noteworthy NAMM Members Lobby Congress to Support Music Ed Members of NAMM, the not-for-profit trade association of the international music products industry, recently converged on Washington D.C. for the organization’s annual Advocacy Fly-In event to take the music product industry’s pro-music-education message to their respective elected federal lawmakers in Congress.

The group of 25 music product industry professionals separated into eight groups, logging an unprecedented 73 meetings with elected officials and staffers.

The NAMM delegates explained the need to keep music and arts education as core curriculum subjects in the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, and to include in the law greater flexibility and funding in Title I to provide access to music education and ensure a quality and complete education for all students.

The NAMM representatives also outlined their goals to advance policy reform by supporting an ongoing study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess the impact of NCLB on student access to quality music and arts education.

Strengthening the industry’s case, NAMM has supported scientific research showing the link between music and student performance. Recent NAMM-sponsored studies have shown: • Students in top-quality middle school music programs scored 22 percent better in English and 20 percent better in math than students in deficient music programs • Students in top-quality instrumental programs in high schools scored 17 percent higher in mathematics than

students in schools without a music program • Teenagers’ view music making as their “social glue” and that music education gives them the balanced experience in life they require.

In addition, recent public opinion surveys have shown overwhelming support for access to music education and identify a new and growing constituency of voters (30 percent) who advocate building capacities of the imagination and education going beyond the current focus on “basics.” Statistics include: • 91 percent of voters indicate that music and arts are essential to building imagination • 82 percent of voters want to build imagination and creative skills in schools • 86 percent of those people with college degrees participated in a music education program • 96 percent of principals interviewed agree that participating in music programs encourages students to stay in school.

For years, NAMM has conducted research regarding the effects of playing music on children and people of all ages.

Research indicates that children who are engaged in music score higher on standardized tests and have higher school retention and graduation rates. Playing music has helped adults increase productivity, build confidence, reduce stress, stave off depression and provides an opportunity to learn and grow socially and emotionally.

For more information, visit www.namm.org.

PASIC 2008 Highlights The Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) will take place in Austin, Texas from November 5-8, 2008. For the second time in the event’s history, Austin will play host to more than 7,000 drummers and percussionists from around the world at the Austin Convention Center and Hilton Hotel. The event will feature more than 130 events on 13 stages and session topics spanning a variety of areas, including drumset, symphonic, marching, recreational, world, and keyboard percussion.

Legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes and the Fountain of Youth Band will present Saturday evening’s showcase concert. Other showcase events include German marimba virtuoso Katarzyna Mycka and a performance by Na’rimbo,

a marimba ensemble from Chiapas, Mexico.

Drumset artists include Thomas Pridgen (Mars Volta), Ed Soph (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree), Derico Watson (Victor Wooten Band), Erik Smith (Erik Smith Trio, Smiths Venner), Albe Bonacci (Jack Segal, Diane Warren), Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation) and Marc Quiñones, Bobby Allende, and Jessie Caraballo will come together for a joint Latin drumset session.

The convention’s International Drum and Percussion Expo will highlight more than 100 industry exhibitors showcasing the latest in percussion instruments, publications, and services.

The Expo will be open to convention

attendees November 6-8 and available to the general public daily for $15; children under 12 are admitted free.

The annual PASIC Marching Percussion Festival will take place on November 6 and 7. The festival features a competition of high school and collegiate drumlines and solo performers vying for top honors in this nationally recognized contest. Tickets for Friday, November 7 are available to the general public for $15 and includes access to the International Drum and Percussion Expo; children 12 and under are admitted free.

Registration for PASIC 2008 is available online at www.pasic.org or by calling (800) 540-9030. Early registration pricing is available through September 26; on-site registration is also available.

JAZZed July 2008 9

noteworthy FESTIVALS Centrum Presents Jazz Port Townsend Washington’s largest summer jazz festival, headlined by such internationally renowned musicians as Taylor Eigsti, Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Alexander and Paquito d’Rivera, turns the Victorian seaport and arts community of Port Townsend into the summer jazz getaway July 24–26, 2008.

The festival continues this year under the John Clayton leadership of artistic director John Clayton, a prominent Grammy-winning performer, composer, and arranger. Clayton played in Count Basie’s orchestra and currently conducts, composes it and co-leads the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

Jazz Port Townsend’s main-stage shows take place at Fort Worden State Park’s McCurdy Pavilion—a renovated WWI-era balloon hangar converted into a 1,200-seat performance hall.

Smaller, more intimate shows take place in Port Townsend’s historic downtown restaurants and clubs.

The lineup of mainstage and club performers also includes Clarence Acox, Clipper Anderson, Dan Balmer, Alex Brown, George Cables, Gilbert Castellanos, Steve Christofferson, Jeff Clayton, Dee Daniels, Chuck Deardorf, Bruce Forman, Benny Green, Randy Halberstadt, John Hansen, Andre Hayward, Tamir Hendleman, Gary Hobbs, Matt Jorgensen, Rickey Kelly, Steve Korn, D’vonne Lewis, Christoph Luty, Doug Miller, Kim Nazarian, Gary Smulyan, Phil Sparks, Terell Stafford, Nancy King, Bill Ramsay, Kim Richmond, Dave Speranza, Chris Spencer, Jay Thomas, Sachal Vasandani, Eric Verlinde, Gary Versace, Byron Vannoy, Matt Wilson, Laura Welland, Jiggs Whigham, Greg Williamson, Martin Wind, and Jon Wikan.

To order tickets, visit www.centrum.org or call Centrum at (800) 733-3608 or (360) 385-3102, extension 117.

Montreal Jazz Festival Drawn by a program of 701 performances – 376 of them free – offered by 3,000 musicians from 30 countries, over 250,000 visitors from five continents recently converged on downtown Montreal for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

The Festival site featured a dozen stages for free open-air concerts, in addition to over 15 indoor concert venues offering music fans 50 concerts per day in ideal conditions.

The major names on this year’s marquee ranged from Aretha Franklin to Woody Allen,

10 JAZZed July 2008

including the likes of Leonard Cohen, Return To Forever, Abbey Lincoln, Dianne Reeves, James Taylor, Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Wailers, David Murray, Michel Donato, Guy Nadon, Ravi Coltrane, Coral Egan, Steely Dan, Katie Melua, Yael Naim, the double program featuring Al Green / Lizz Wright, and the return of Lewis Furey.

This year, festival organizers dedicated the 29th edition to the late Oscar Peterson, who passed away last winter. The absence of this great Canadian and jazz colossus is marked notably by the Invitation Rio Tinto Alcan series, featuring a number of illustrious pianists, with Hank Jones, McCoy Tyner and Dave Brubeck splitting up nine concerts, and welcoming Brad Mehldau and Oliver Jones, among others.

For more information, visit www.montrealjazzfest.com.

JVC Launches Jazz Fest Web site JVC, the electronics maker and sponsor of the JVC Jazz Festival, has launched a new Web site, www.jazz.jvc.com.

The recently launched site was conceived at the outset to be more than just a schedule of JVC Jazz Festival performances, so in addition to offering all the details about the worldwide festival, it also offers artists profiles, feature articles and music tracks, and videos from selected artists.

The JVC Jazz Festival, now in its 25th year, presents live performances by both legendary performers and the genre’s most promising rising stars. The festival includes the JVC Jazz Festival – Newport, one of the most prominent and popular jazz events each year, as well as festivals in five other U.S. cities this year, plus events in Rotterdam and Paris.

The new site presents a detailed schedule of performances for all eight 2008 festivals along with photos and profiles of more than 150 artists and a link for ticket purchases. There are also 25 full-length feature articles and a large selection of audio tracks and videos, along with links to the artists’ own Web sites.

Plans call for the site to be updated throughout the year with new information and insights into the music and the artists.

Visit the site at www.jazz.jvc.com.

Fox Jazz Fest The 16th Annual Fox Jazz Fest: Tribute to the Greats, hosted by the Jazz Corner Society, will take place Saturday, August 30, 2008 and Sunday, August 31, 2008 in Jefferson Park, Menasha, Wis. Free to the general public, the Fox Jazz Fest is dedicated to providing the residents of the Fox Valley with high quality jazz and entertainment every Labor Day weekend. This year’s festival features the Tigran Hamasyan Trio with Grammy award winning drummer Zach Harmon, the Jerry Bergonzi Quartet, Steve March Tormé, area jazz musicians and local middle and high school jazz bands.

For more information, visit www.foxjazzfest.com.

for every stage

EXCLUSIVELY DISTRIBUTED BY

price l and e d o lete m rands comp ajor b Get a m ll a of . arison udget comp om/b c . ic s itermu at jup

jupitermusic.com • 512.288.7400

What’s on Your Playlist?

Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding was just 15 years old when she began her professional music career, performing at a Portland, Ore. blues club. Other early gigs included stints with area jazz septets, a trio, and the fusion group, Noise for Pretend, that released two albums on the Hush Records label.

Spalding has since collaborated with the likes of Stanley Clarke, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheney, Dave Samuels, and Regina Carter, among others. The 2005 recipient of the Boston Jazz Society scholarship for outstanding musicianship, Esperanza also holds a B.M. from Berklee College of Music, where she now teaches as the youngest faculty member in the school’s history.

Her sophomore solo CD, Esperanza, is a showcase of Spalding’s ambitious creative spirit and enormous musical talents, dipping into samba, bop, straight-up jazz, pop, funk, latin, afro-cuban, and many other territories.

1. “You Can’t Hide Love” – Earth Wind and Fire Lyrics so simple, but potent. The arrangement is beautiful, reminiscent of Wayne Shorter's fusion period. They are grooving their asses off.

2. “When You Dream/Aung San Suu Kyi/Fee Fi Fo Fum” – Wayne Shorter There is no way for me to choose one Wayne Shorter tune.

These three are the dearest to my heart, because to me, you hear three distinct facets of this completely brilliant being.

3. “Tarde” – Milton Nascimento The version from Native Dancer. The lyrics are so haunting, and his singing is the closest I’ve ever heard a singer get to not “singing” with his/her instrument in the way.

4. “Love Poems” – Bilal He finds the mountain in his voice, and we get to scale it together. There are so many places he goes with his voice!

It’s like he uses the different rooms in the house of his voice to show all of what he describes going through in a budding romance that he tries to tie into being “plutonic.” Brilliant.

Photo by: Johann Sauty

5. World Clique – Deee-Lite These guys were amazing! When I was about 8 through 14 years old, I would listen to them all the time. They had a sound way ahead of their time (or we are already starting to recycle that decade!). They made me listen to what was happening in the music for the first time, because there was so much going on. It was like a fun game to try and hear everything happening in the cuts.

6. “Liberation” – André 3000 The lyrics in this one resonate terribly deeply within me. Also, Erykah Badu’s featured in this tune. Viva el André! He is one of the most talented, creative artists of our century... I love everything he does.

7. Water No Get Enemy – Fela Kuti Raw power. Not sure what else to say. Good way to test whether you are a corpse or not. If when you hear this song, your back doesn’t turn into a water snake, feet twisting and pounding the ground... you should be concerned.

Esperanza Spalding’s album, Esperanza (Concord), was released in May of 2008. www.esperanzaspalding.com

12 JAZZed July 2008

8. “Lo Que Vendra” – Astor Piazolla Sounds like the natural world reacting to the wind. You know, the tune is like a camera panning, and zooming in on different plants, ponds, trees, and faces, and framing them in afternoon sunlight, helping you notice how beautiful the simplest things really are – all the things that you wish you had time to appreciate when there is a spring breeze.

9. “Jazz (Ain’t Nothin But Soul)” – Betty Carter It’s the truth, damnit. She was just the first to say that s.

10. “K.O.S. (Determination)” – Black Star Theme song.

Record & Listen & Improve Order a Free Demo DVD online Dual Drives from $799 &

&

&

CD Recorders

for Music Practice

Record. Make great sounding CDs. Create custom mix or practice discs.

Listen. Change the tempo on any CD without affecting the key.

Improve. Fine tune an accompanying CD to match your voice or instrument.

Pro New! Marantz Handheld

Record on the Go

$399

Use the built-in stereo mics to record concerts, marching bands & spontaneous moments when the action won’t wait. &

&

&

Records on SD Cards for easy transfer to your PC or Mac. Add Clip-on Instrument Mics from Superscope to isolate soloists.

Record Lessons & Podcasts as MP3 files for easy sharing on the Web.

www.superscope.net

&

800-374-4118

New York is JAZZ

THE NEW SCHOOL

is New York

GET A BFA IN

THE JAZZ CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

News

For Additional News in JAZZed, please visit www.jazzedmagazine.com

Learn jazz by living it in the heart of Greenwich Village. Here, your mentors are legendary professionals from New York City’s renowned jazz community. Your classmates are brilliant musicians from around the globe who are passionate about their art and ready to take their talent to the next level. r Perform in the city’s hottest clubs, including Sweet Rhythm and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola r Take advantage of the resources of a major university r Get real-world performance experience through the professional Gig Office r Consider the five-year, dual-degree BA/BFA option (available with Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts) For application and audition information, call 212.229.5896 x4589 or visit us online.

www.newschool.edu/jazz1

JAZZed July 2008 13

guest editorial

D R . R O B E R T K L E VA N

Jazz Class Assignment:

Required Listening!

"I

n the name of increasing your knowledge of the music and vocabulary, [listening] is really a must. It would be the equivalent of reading newspapers on a daily basis and reading novels if you want to become a writer…same process I think.”

– Saxophonist, composer/arranger, band leader Bob Mintzer

Most jazz educators and professional jazz musicians would agree that any aspiring young high school and/or middle school jazz student should spend a good deal of time actually listening to jazz in order to learn, recognize, and better appreciate the many characteristics of this unique music. Through time spent in focused listening, the young jazz musician will no doubt obtain a better feel for various jazz styles, improve perGerald Wilson sonal playing technique, and ultimately become a more competent jazz musician.

The premise being that as novices, most students cannot be expected to fully understand the many subtleties of this complex form of music if their only exposure and experience with jazz is solely through participation in the school ensemble rehearsal, performance, or occasional music festival/competition.

However, I would venture to guess that even in

14 JAZZed July 2008

school programs where the enthusiasm for playing jazz is profuse, it is highly probable that a number of students will lack an answer when queried to name a favorite jazz artist or specific recording they enjoy.

In my experience with working with young students, I have found that often the problem is not a student’s unwillingness to listen to jazz, but rather with his or her uncertainty as to who to listen to and consequently which recordings to obtain. Although published guides are available, they may not be readily or easily accessible to students, or might in fact be too comprehensive for the average high school or middle school adolescent.

In addition, the problem is often exacerbated by the high cost and sheer volume of recordings available on the market today. Even with the ease

guest editorial of obtaining recordings via the internet through on-line stores such as Amazon or Borders, or through such popular sites as iTunes and Napster, students might be reluctant to purchase a jazz CD or recording without some sort of direction, or a clear understanding of what they should expect to gain from their investment.

Whatever the reasons might be, if students are willing to listen to jazz, but are not doing so, it is only fitting that jazz education directors and organizations such as the Monterey Jazz Festival step forward and offer some added help and guidance.

Develop a Listening Library As a high school instrumental and vocal music teacher, I rarely dedicated time in rehearsal for listening to jazz, and was unfortunately unaware of the fact that my jazz students were not listening to this music outside of the classroom. On one occasion during a sight-reading session at festival, my students in the big band were questioned by a clinician as to which jazz artists and recordings were their favorites. Only one of my young musicians could respond with an answer.

Only one! I realized then and there that more effort was required on my part to encourage students to listen to jazz. However, as mentioned above, there were so many recordings available that it was difficult for me to recommend specific examples for students to hear.

Of course, I personally owned a substantial collection of jazz recordings, but I was at a loss as to which of these, if any, would serve best for an educational and influential purpose.

In need of help, I sought the advice of experts in the field, specifically the professional jazz musicians who at the time were serving as clinicians with the Monterey Jazz Festival. I realize how fortunate I was to be living in the same area that hosts one of the world’s greatest jazz events and had at my disposal the expertise of these incredible musicians who devoted their time and effort to furthering jazz education in their role as the Monterey Jazz Festival’s traveling clinicians. Each month, the clinicians would enter my jazz classroom and actually sit-in with my student musicians during rehearsals. On one of these occasions, I asked them for suggestions of recordings with which every aspiring young jazz musician should become familiar.

Below is a brief compilation of recordings recommended for listening by the MJF traveling clinicians past and present. Clinicians who contributed suggestions to this list include Paul Contos (saxophone), Terry Russell (trombone), Bill Berry (trumpet), Bruce Forman (guitar), Scott Steed (bass), Tee Carson (piano), Vince Lateano (drums), and Madeline Eastman (vocals).

John Clayton

Recommended Recordings for Listening – Instrumental: Louis Armstrong – Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson (Verve) Count Basie – Long Live the Chief (Denon Records) George Benson –White Rabbit (Sony) George Benson –Body Talk (Sony) Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers –Free for All (Blue Note) Paul Chambers – Paul Chambers Quintet (Blue Note) John Coltrane – Ballads (GRP) John Coltrane – Blue Trane (Blue Note) John Coltrane – Giant Steps (Atlantic Rhino) Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (Sony) Miles Davis – Workin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige) Duke Ellington – Live at the Newport Jazz Festival (1959) (Polygram) Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges – Back to Back (Polygram) Bill Evans – You Must Believe in Spring (Warner Bros.)

Slide Hampton – World of Trombones (Black Lion/Da Music/ Ka) Johnny Hodges – At Sportpalast, Berlin (Pablo) JJ Johnson – Proof Positive (GRP) JJ Johnson – The Eminent JJ Johnson (Blue Note) Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass – Play the Jazz Classics (Concord) Wes Montgomery, Wynton Kelly – Smokin at the Half-Note (Verve) Joe Pass – Virtuoso (Pablo) Oscar Peterson – A Royal Wedding Suite (OJC) Frank Rosolino – Fond Memories of… (Double-Time Records) Wayne Shorter – Night Dreamer (Blue Note) Frank Wess Orchestra – Entre Nous (Concord) Gerald Wilson – Theme for Monterey (MAMA Records) JAZZed July 2008 15

guest editorial Recommended Recordings for Listening – Vocal: Chet Baker – Chet Baker Sings (Blue Note) Betty Carter – Inside Betty Carter (Blue Note) Ray Charles – The Genius of Ray Charles (Atlantic / Wea) June Christy – Something Cool (Blue Note) Kurt Elling – Close Your Eyes (Blue Note) Ella Fitzgerald – Ella in Berlin (live) (Verve) Johnny Hartman – John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (Grp Records) Billie Holiday – Lady Sings the Blues (Verve) Eddie Jefferson – The Main Man (Inner City) Nancy King – Live at the Jazz Standard (Max Jazz Records)

of other jazz artists they happened to run across and enjoy.

Listening became infectious! Most importantly, I could immediately hear a positive difference in my band and vocal groups. The jazz ensembles began to truly swing, and I did not have to use up minutes for group listening from the precious little class rehearsal time I had available each week. I did note, however, that as the band and vocal jazz ensembles improved, I could actually devote a portion of my rehearsal to listening as a group. By then, students had become better listeners and were able to focus full attention on the exercise.

Digital Music Education Project “The dream of every musician who loves his art is to involve gifted listeners everywhere as an active force in the musical community. The attitude of each individual listener, especially the gifted listener is the principal resource we have in bringing to fruition the immense musical potentialities of our own time.”

– Aaron Copland from “Music and Imagination” (Harvard U. Press)

Peter Erskine

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross – Everybody’s Boppin’ (Sony) Carmen McRae – The Great American Songbook (Atlantic / Wea) Mark Murphy – September Ballads (Milestone) Flora Purim – 500 Miles High (Ojc) Leon Thomas – Spirits Known and Unknown (RCA Victor Europe) Nancy Wilson – Nancy Wilson & Cannonball Adderly (Blue Note) Of course, these suggestions are just a very few of the thousands of recordings available that through devoted listening would serve to increase the students’ vocabulary and knowledge of jazz. But, with this small library of recordings made readily available to my students for checkout, I made “listening” a requirement for the class, and pointed out that failure to do the assignment would affect individual grade evaluations for the term.

As I suspected, my students did not voice any objections, but eagerly began to participate. In hardly any time at all, each had completed the assignment and began to expand the library list on her or his own. Soon students were bringing to class their own suggestions of recordings

When I came on board as the jazz education director for the Monterey Jazz Festival, I realized that there was an opportunity to establish a listening library source on-line that would reach beyond the borders of my classroom and our immediate area. By its very nature as being one of the great jazz festivals of our time, The MJF provided a means of connecting with the very top musicians in the jazz world, gathering their input, and making their suggestions and advice available to anyone with access to the internet. Last September, just prior to the 50th Monterey Jazz Festival, the Digital Music Education Project (DMEP) was officially launched.

For the DMEP, artists are basically asked three questions: 1. Who their influences were early on in their career? 2.

What recordings should every aspiring young jazz musician list to and why? 3. What tips about playing jazz can they share?

Not only were artists being interviewed on site at the MJF, but because of its extensive education program, the Monterey Jazz Festival also afforded other opportunities to interact with experts in the field. One such event where this takes place is the Next Generation Festival which utilizes the skills and knowledge of the incredible jazz musicians/educators who serve as adjudicators and clinicians. In addition, each year the MJF names an Artist in Residence, a major figure in jazz

“JUSTIFYING THE LEGITIMATE FORMAL STUDY OF JAZZ HAS BEEN, AND REMAINS, AN ONGOING CHALLENGE FOR HIGH SCHOOLS AND ESPECIALLY FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS.”

16 JAZZed July 2008

guest editorial who works and interacts with students at the Next Generation Festival, Summer Jazz Camp, and at the MJF itself. Former Artists in Residence have included Regina Carter, Branford Marsalis, Kurt Elling, and Terence Blanchard. In addressing young people in these various settings, each of these stellar jazz musicians emphasized the importance of listening to jazz recordings.

The Digital Music Education Project can be easily accessed via the MJF Web site: www.montereyjazzfestival. org. Listed under “jazz education programs,” the DMEP now has over thirty interviews available with some of the world’s most famous jazz musicians. Included in the list are Dave Brubeck, Jim Hall, Randy Brecker, Gerald Wilson, Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Regina Carter, John Clayton, George Duke, Shelly Berg, Kendrick Scott, Terence Blanchard, Ornette Coleman, Chris Potter, Ernestine Anderson, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and John McLaughlin, to name a few. Each interview includes a list of recordings that are recommended for listening by the artist as well as a link to a site to purchase the recording and to the artists’ own Web site where students can obtain even more information. The DMEP is an ever-expanding resource and in addition to posting more interviews, future plans for the site include on-line podcasts, free sheet-music downloads, access to videotaped clinics, and lessons and advice for teachers presented by some of the top jazz educators in the world.

Hopefully, students understand that the DMEP is just one of many valuable tools available to them in their musical development, and that an approach to the study of jazz should be no different than an approach to understanding the complexities of other academic subjects.

Were I teaching at the high school level today, I would create a new lis-

tening assignment for students based on the many recordings suggested through the interviews with artists on the DMEP. With this added emphasis, students would have a better understanding that to become proficient in jazz requires practice and

focus in a wide range of skill sets and areas, and that the exercise of listening is one of those skill sets and as important a requirement as any other component in the process.

Why assign the exercise of listening to the jazz greats as a requirement

JAZZed July 2008 17

guest editorial for your students? For music teachers who are seeking new ways to improve the skill level of their school jazz ensembles, a listening requirement is definitely worth trying. A parallel can be made in the methodologies of other academic disciplines. In mathematics, the math student studies the formulas and theorems developed by the great mathematicians in order to gain a better concept of the workings of the world of numbers. In studying a foreign language, the linguist might spend time listening to the inflection and accents of the native speaker so as to obtain mastery of a foreign language. And, as saxman Bob Mintzer alluded to in the quote above, an essential skill in learning to improve as a writer requires time spent reading the works of others deemed to be exemplary in the literary field.

In order to improve as a jazz musician, listening to the performances of professionals, especially the jazz greats of the past is just as essential as the hours devoted to practice. To become a critical listener of jazz is a valuable skill which, with dedication and perseverance, the high school and middle school jazz student can develop into an enjoyable and rewarding lifelong endeavor.

Dr. Robert Klevan is the jazz education director for the Monterey Jazz Festival and conducts the wind ensemble and big band at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

For 27 years, Dr. Klevan served as director of Music and Fine Arts at the Stevenson High School in Pebble Beach and is currently the past president of the California Music Educators Association, MENC, vice president of the California chapter of IAJE, and a resource team member for IAJE. In 2004 Dr. Klevan received the MJF Jazz Director of the Year award and most recently received the CMEA Jazz Educator of the Year Award for 2007.

18 JAZZed July 2008

tery Chord/Scale Mas Master the Top Ten es

Jazz Chords and their Scal Treble Clef

n Versio

ts men str u all In For cluded! ng CD in Play-alo

ch Keith Fel Felch.com

Š Keith Felch

- All Rights

Reserved

www.Keith

Zildjian is. . .

education Concert band, marching band, indoor percussion, wind ensemble, jazz band or orchestra. Zildjian has the sound to complete any ensemble.

“For generations, jazz drummers have depended on the sound of Zildjian to help swing, colorize, and shade large and small ensemble music.

With determination and passion, the Zildjian family continues to provide the example for my students of what an instrument should be: consistent, d e p e n d a b l e , a n d m u s i c a l .” Ú !VEDIS :ILDJIAN #OMPANY

- Steve Fidyk, Te m p l e U n i v e r s i t y C o - L e a d e r o f t h e Ta y l o r / F i d y k B i g B a n d

zildjian.com/education

focus session

P E N TAT O N I C S C A L E S

The Power of Pentatonics

BY CHAIM BURSTEIN

P

Photo by: Lauren Hansen Fleish

Pentatonic scales are everywhere! They can be found in folk music from all around the world including: China, Japan, Greece, Poland, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Scotland. American spirituals such as “Amazing Grace” and “Old Man River” utilize pentatonic scales exclusively and many rock guitar players have built their entire careers upon the five notes of the minor pentatonic scale alone. Pentatonic scales can be found throughout the music of Impressionist composers such as Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy as well as in the music of modern jazz giants like John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea.

The Pentatonic Scale

Technically, a pentatonic scale is any scale with five notes per octave. In practice however, there are only a handful of useful pentatonic scales. Today we will explore the two most common forms of the pentatonic scale: the major pentatonic and its relative minor pentatonic. In contrast to the familiar heptatonic scales, which tend to lead the improviser towards more linear improvisations, pentatonic scales can help musicians achieve a more structurally focused intervallic approach to their lines.

The major pentatonic and its relative minor pentatonic are displayed in Example 1ab. Because both of these scales are made up of the same five notes, they can be used interchangeably. Some musicians prefer to think of the scale as a major pentatonic, while others tend to think of the

scale in its minor form. Personally, I’d rather think of the scale as a major pentatonic; so from now on, the term “pentatonic” will refer only to the major form of the pentatonic scale. If you prefer to think of these scales as minor, you may convert to minor simply by starting the scale on the last note of the major pentatonic. (see Example 1b) Pentatonic Patterns

Patterns can assist students with assimilating new scales and sounds into their repertoire. In Examples 2a-b I have provided two examples of pentatonic patterns. Pentatonic patterns can be categorized as either scalar or intervallic. In general, scalar patterns tend to use adjacent notes, whereas intervallic patterns tend to skip around the scale. To simplify the explanations of these patterns I

“YOUR OWN EAR WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR BEST GUIDE AS TO WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T.”

20 JAZZed July 2008

focus session Example 1a: C Major Pentatonic Scale

Example 1b: A Minor Pentatonic Scale

Example 2a: Scalar Pattern

Example 2b: Intervallic Pattern

will refer to steps and skips. A step will occur when the next note is an adjacent note, and a skip will occur when we ‘skip’ over a note in the scale to play the next available note. Thus, we could describe the scalar pattern in Example 2a as: stepϮ, stepϮ, stepϮ, skipϫ. To play the same pattern in reverse, we simply invert the formula. Thus Example 2a in reverse is: stepϫ, stepϫ, stepϫ, skipϮ. Example 2b is an intervallic pattern based upon 4ths and 2nds. The formula for this pattern would read: skipϮ, stepϮ, skipϫ, stepϮ. The reverse pattern for Example 2b would read: skipϫ, stepϫ, skipϮ, stepϫ.

These patterns are useful in a number of ways. First, it familiarizes the student with the scale and forces them to internalize the notes involved. Second, when developing an intervallic approach, these patterns will tie together two seemingly disparate tonal centers through their structural consistency. In order to have enough material to generate interesting lines, I have my students create several intervallic and scalar patterns of their own.

Chord Scale Relationships

Most heptatonic scales such as locrian or lydian are useful for only one type of chord or another. In contrast, pentatonic scales may be used for over a dozen different chord sounds.

Example 3 displays twelve different uses of the pentatonic scale. The first column shows the chord type (e.g. Major, Minor, Dominant), the second column presents the scale degree from which to build the major pentatonic, and the third column displays the resulting chord tones and tensions that each chord/scale relationship will produce. Thus, when the improviser is given the chord CMaj7, he has the option of playing a pentatonic from the root 9th or 5th of the chord.

Generally, the easiest way to apply these new chord/scale options is by practicing them over modal or static chord progressions.

Example 3

Example 3 Chord Type Major

Pentatonic Scale

Note Functions

I

1

9

3

5

6

II

9

3

#11

6

7

V

5

6

7

9

3

bIII

b3

11

5

b7

1

IV

11

5

6

1

9

bVII

b7

1

9

11

5

Dominant

I

1

9

3

5

13

Altered Dominant

bV

b5

#5

b7

b9

#9

{4} - Avoid Note

bII

b9

#9

{4}

#5

b7

Sus 4

IV

4

5

13

1

9

bVII

b7

1

9

4

5

bVI

b6

b7

1

b3

11

Minor

Half Diminished

Modal/Free Playing

Many improvisers complain of feeling boxed in or trapped by modal tunes and free playing over ostinatos. Pentatonics can provide a tonal framework with which to create new sounds that are not only interesting but structurally coherent as well. Example 4a displays three possible chord/scale options for the chord CMaj7.

Notice how the scalar pattern from example 2a creates a structural consistency that links each new chord sound to the previous one.

Example 4b demonstrates a technique known as ‘side-stepping’. In this example the improviser defines the tonal center by clearly outlining a C major pentatonic scale in the first measure.

Upon reaching the second measure, he plays the same pattern a 1/2 step above from Db, thus taking the listener ‘outside’ of the prescribed harmony. Measures 3-4 bring the listener back ‘inside’ the changes by playing the descending version of the

JAZZed July 2008 21

focus session Example 4a: Chord / Scale Options

Example 4b: Side Stepping

Example 4c: Chord / Scale Options & Side Stepping Combined

Example 5a: ii-V-I

Example 5b: ii-V-I

original C major pentatonic sequence.

Example 4c combines the concept of alternative chord/scale options with side-stepping. Try playing these examples and creating a few of your own.

Notice how your ear recognizes the sequence and thus accepts each transposition of the pentatonic scale as a development of the previous idea.

Running Changes

Pentatonics are not confined to only modal and free jazz improvisations. In 22 JAZZed July 2008

fact, pentatonics can provide the improviser with a break from his or her ‘stock licks’ when running changes. To break away from the scalar, or arpeggiated lines of your typical ii-V-I, I have provided two different ways of approaching the progression with pentatonics. Examples 5a-b utilize a pentatonic pattern built upon 4ths and 2nds. The formula for the ascending pattern is as follows: skipϮ, stepϫ, skipϮ, stepϫ. The descending pattern would read: skipϫ, stepϮ, skipϫ, stepϮ. Although both examples utilize

the same pattern, they each approach the progression differently.

Example 5a is a typical ii-V-I in the key of C. The pentatonics played over each chord are as follows: Dm7=G pentatonic, G7Alt=Ab pentatonic and CMaj7=G pentatonic. The resulting line is effective for several reasons.

First, there is a pattern which our ear naturally gravitates towards. Second, each pattern begins on the root of its respective pentatonic, making it easier for our ears to recognize. Lastly, the

focus session pentatonic patterns move around in half steps. Half step resolutions are very powerful and can often warrant the use of so called ‘wrong notes’. Example 5a contains a so-called ‘wrong note’ in the second bar. Even though the 4th is an avoid note on the V7alt, our ears justify the ‘wrong note’ because of the consistency created by both the pentatonic pattern and its chromatic movement between each chord change.

Example 5b displays the same ii-V-I progression with different pentatonics superimposed over each chord. They are as follows: Dm7 = C pentatonic, G7Alt = Db pentatonic and CMaj7 = D pentatonic. We still have chromatic movement between each pentatonic pattern.

However, instead of creating the sound of parallel structures by starting from the root of each pentatonic as in Example 5a, Example 5b sounds more like one continuous idea based upon an intervallic line. This result is achieved by starting the new pattern as close as possible to where the last pattern left off.

patterns and ideas as well. Oftentimes improvisers see a chord or a scale and forget that jazz is about thinking ‘outside the box’. Your own ear will always be your best guide as to what works and what doesn’t. Good Luck!

Chaim Burstein holds a M.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a B.M. from Berklee College of Music. He is currently residing in Philadelphia where he is working as an active musician and educator. www.myspace.com/chaimburstein

The World’s Finest Mouthpieces Hite

Pentatonic Practice

Hopefully, the techniques and skills outlined in this article have shed some light on the many uses of the pentatonic scale. In the next issue, we’ll take a closer look at altered pentatonics and their uses.

Until then, hit the woodshed and get comfortable with the new chord scale options and intervallic structures created by the major pentatonic scale. For further listening and analysis, check out Chick Corea’s solo on the tune “500 Miles High” from Return to Forever’s Light As A Feather (Verve) or take a listen to Herbie Hancock’s free playing over the tune “A Jump Ahead” off his album Inventions & Dimensions (Blue Note). Additional examples of pentatonic scales can be found in the opening of Maurice Ravel’s “Trois Poemes de Stephane Mallarme,” as well as in the piano work, Pagodes by composer Claude Debussy. Try transcribing and analyzing some of these works to expand your knowledge of pentatonics. Always remember to experiment with your own

Beautiful Music from jj Babbitt. jj Babbitt produces the sax or clarinet mouthpiece for every individual level and style of play—from easy-to-blow student models to super-responsive professional models. Under our label or yours, there is no finer quality mouthpiece or more choice in styles and facings than from jj Babbitt. That’s why our mouthpieces are the number one choice of musicians worldwide.

Great-sounding Music Starts with a Great-Playing Mouthpiece.

www.jjbabbitt.com E-mail: info@jjbabbitt.com

JAZZed July 2008 23

By Christian Wissmuller

A

A fearlessly creative and inspired drummer, Chico Hamilton has exerted enormous influence on the world of jazz both as a recording and performing artist, as well as a keen-eyed (and eared) scout for fresh new talent.

24 JAZZed March July 2008 2008

hico Hamilto

Dealing in Human Emotions

By Christian Wissmuller

JAZZed July 2008 25

Hamilton was immersed in music virtually from the start – his early years saw him playing in a high school jazz group with the likes of Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette, Ernie Royal, and Jack Kelso.

Stints with Lionel Hamilton, Count Basie, and Lester Young followed and Chico eventually hooked up with Lena Horne, with whom he toured for six years.

Chico then assembled one of the most significant of the ‘50s West Coast jazz ensembles, The Chico Hamilton Quintet. Initially featuring Buddy Collette, Carson Smith, Jim Hall, and Fred Katz, the group quickly became extremely popular and appeared in a number of high profile studio films including The Sweet Smell of Success and Jazz on a Summer’s Day. After launching a highly successful career composing music for commercials in the mid1960s, Hamilton became one of the architects of the jazz program at The New School in NYC, where he contin-

ues to instruct young musicians to the present day.

Earlier this summer, Chico Hamilton took a break from his active performance and recording schedule (and teaching duties) to speak with JAZZed about his life as a student, performer, and teacher of jazz.

JAZZed: First off, thanks much for taking the time to meet today.

Chico Hamilton: Sure thing.

Whatever you want to talk about – it’s fine with me. Wanna talk about girls, booze, music?

JAZZed: I’d be up for shooting the breeze about all three, but let’s start off with music: How did you first get into jazz?

CH: Well, when I came up, man, I came up with the people who created this kind of music, as far as jazz is concerned, you know? I learned quite a bit

“I just consider myself blessed.

Hey man, I’m 86 years old and I’m still able to play.

That’s my reward.”

from Jo Jones, Luther Henderson, Billy Strayhorn, and Duke Ellington.

JAZZed: You also started out of the gate hot: Your high school jazz band was a virtual “who’s who” of luminaries from that era.

CH: My high school band consisted of Charlie Mingus, Buddy Collette, Jack Kelso, Dexter Gordon, myself, Illinois Jacquet, and Ernie Royal.

JAZZed: That’s just a ridiculous lineup.

Was that ensemble traditional band music with “jazzy” overtones that you guys would slip in, or was it straight-up jazz?

CH: It was stone-cold jazz, man.

JAZZed: Talk a little about being a music student during that time.

CH: The education system out in L.A. at that time… Every student was required to take some form of music – either sing or play some instrument or something. It was a requirement before you could even graduate from grade school. Music was considered to be more important than it is today.

JAZZed: Who was the high school band director?

CH: The band director at the school was Samuel Brown.

JAZZed: Did he lead your jazz band or was he strictly in charge of the marching band program?

CH: He had nothing to do with our jazz band. The only reason why I joined the marching band was to get a sweater. You got a sweater free and my family couldn’t afford to get one of those sweaters, so I joined. [laughs].

JAZZed: Had you started out on the drums right from the get-go?

CH: My first instrument was the clarinet. I was about 8 years old and my best friend, Jack Kelso, had a clarinet and I wanted one, too. It took my folks about six months before I could have one because it cost two dollars

26 JAZZed July 2008

to rent a clarinet. Jack and I have been friends ever since that age we’ve never had an argument, and we’re still good friends. He was Best Man at my wedding, as a matter of fact, and I just got through recording with him, recently.

Anyways, when I finally got a clarinet, my older brother Tommy was playing drums in the school orchestra. I was fighting this clarinet, man, and when Tommy graduated from grade school I just figured, “Hey, well, I might as well try to play the drums,” and that’s how I got started.

JAZZed: Who were some of your early influences or mentors as far as drumming goes?

CH: Lionel Hampton, who lived in L.A. at that time, influenced me very heavily. He had an act where he played on the walls and the floors – I used to imitate him.

CHICO HAMILTON: Précis Awards & Accolades: NEA Jazz Master Fellowship (2004), Congress confirms the nomination of Chico to the President’s Council on the Arts (2006), Living Legacy Jazz Award – Kennedy Center’s “Jazz in Our Time Festival” (2007), honorary PhD of Fine Arts from The New School (2007).

Selected Discography: Chico Hamilton Quintet feat. Buddy Collette, Chico Hamilton Quintet in Hi-Fi, Chico Hamilton Trio (Pacific Jazz), Ellington Suite (World Pacific), With Strings Attached, Gongs East!, The Three Faces of Chico (Warner Bros.), Chico Hamilton Special, Drumfusion (Columbia), Man From Two Worlds, Chic Chic Chico, El Chico, The Dealer (Impulse), The Master (Stax), Peregrinations, The Players (Blue Note), Nomad (Elektra), Reunion, Arroyo, Dancing to a Different Drummer (Soul Note), 6th Avenue Romp, Heritage, Hamiltonia (Joyous Shout!).

Web site: www.joyousshout.com

JAZZed: Are you primarily self-taught?

CH: More or less self-taught. I didn’t learn how to read music until I went into the service.

JAZZed: Unreal.

JAZZed: Tell me about your time in the military.

JAZZed: What was next for you after the service?

CH: When I got drafted, they sent me to Anniston, Alabama. There were two camps: a white camp and a black camp. In the white camp there was a drummer by the name of Billy Exner who was with Claude Thornhill’s band.

We used to meet in the woods and Billy would bring his drums – he taught me how to read drum music in the woods of Alabama.

What happened was: when I got drafted, man – you won’t believe this – I went down there with my drums, right, and they wouldn’t put me in the band! They had about four drummers in this band and none of them could play a show. I grew up playing shows, you know? They put me in the drum and bugle core and they made me play a bugle! [laughs] But every time they had a show to play, they had to send for me because none of those drummers knew how to play for dances and singers.

CH: I went back to L.A. and enrolled in the L.A. Conservatory of Music. I was there for about six months and I got a gig playing for 88 dollars a week. All of a sudden Basie came into town and Jo Jones came by and got me and told me to come to the Lincoln Theatre that day. I was standing in the wings, watching the show, Jo comes off the stage, takes the sticks and puts them in my hand and says, “You got it!” Basie was really upset, but Freddie Green said, “Jo said the kid can do it – let him do it,” and that’s how I got started with Basie.

CH: You said it.

JAZZed: What a break. How long did you play with Basie?

CH: Oh, that was about six, seven weeks. It was cool.

JAZZed: How did you hook up with Lena Horne?

CH: I played for a dancer – a singer, comedienne, dancer, and all that – and she and Lena Horne were very close.

At that time, I didn’t even know who in the hell Lena Horne was. I got a call from Luther Henderson to come out and audition for her – Charlie Dreyton and me. Man, that turned my whole life around. I didn’t know nothing about show business; I was a street musician. I made the audition for Lena, got the gig, and stayed with her for eight years.

In ’55 I decided I wasn’t going to go to Europe with Lena and I stayed in L.A. That’s how I got together with Gerry Mulligan and we got the original Gerry Mulligan Quartet going.

I recorded my first album with George Duvivier and Howard Roberts.

That was the first time that guitar, bass, and drums were actually the solo instrumentalists as opposed to being just part of the rhythm section. From then it went on to my second album with Fred Katz, Buddy Collette, Carson Smith on bass, myself on drums, and Jim Hall on guitar.

JAZZed: Can you tell me about how you first got involved with teaching, yourself?

JAZZed July 2008 27

“I don’t play music for people; I play music for the music’s sake.�

Advertising by the name of Mike Wollman and he wanted to know if I would do a commercial for them.

JAZZed: You did quite a bit of that type of work throughout the ‘70s. How did that lead to teaching, though?

CH: It was the mid-‘60s and I was in London working with Lena and I was making a movie with Roman Polanski, Repulsion – I cued the whole film and I earned quite a bit of recognition from it.

While I was doing the film I got a call from a creative art director from Grey

CH: Well, in the meantime, while I started this production company here in New York, Arnie Lawrence and Dave Levy decided that they were going to start this school. Dave was one of the big wheels at New School University. They wanted me to come on board and I held out for a long time, but then I finally decided that I would participate and that’s how I started at the New School. That was 20 years ago – we started the jazz program there.

JAZZed: What’s your current teaching schedule like?

CH: I teach two classes a week: ensemble playing and rhythm classes.

JAZZed: How large are the classes?

CH: This semester I got about 20 kids in my reading class and about 10 in my ensemble right now.

JAZZed: What do you ďŹ nd to be the most rewarding element of teaching?

CH: It’s my way of giving something back. Music has been very good to me, man. I realized that the very first class I taught. I said, “This is a chance for you to give something back.� Let me tell you something, man: I believe that music is

07< +4=* 7. ,-<:71< night town

Avenue Night Town, the follow-up to Hot Club Of Detroitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acclaimed Mack growth. musical and , virtuosity maturity, bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the s showcase self-titled debut, to tip their While HCOD remains true to their â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gypsy Jazzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roots â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and continues and deeper a into delves collective hat to Django Reinhardt â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Night Town the to Orleans New of clubs the from on wider milieu, drawing inspirati ions, composit tive collabora Featuring Davis.

Miles of re free wheeling architectu wider net. these ďŹ ve-time Detroit Music Award winners are poised to cast an even

â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śthe Hot Club of Detroit proves their mastery of Rei nhardtâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s music, since they can not onl y play his songs so well; the y know how to translate it to other styles.â&#x20AC;? - All Music Guide â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Śas good as the best.â&#x20AC;? Jazziz Magazine â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;ŚHot Club of Detroit has impressively mastered a difďŹ cult and distinctive repertoire.â&#x20AC;? - Dow nbe at Magazine

hotclubo

fdetroit C

www.mackavenue.com

28 JAZZed July 2008

OM s MY

SPACE CO

M hotclu

bofdetro

it

one of God’s wills and God’s will will be done.

I’ll tell you something else, Christian: I don’t play music for people; I play music for the music’s sake.

JAZZed: That’s definitely my take on it – not that anyone’s asking for my philosophy on how to approach being a musician.

CH: [laughs] No, you’re right, though. I don’t try to please anyone, because you get your feelings hurt, you know what I mean? I learned that from Louis Armstrong. “Fans are fickle,” he said.

That’s why Pops converted all his fans into friends, because even after his chops were gone they still would go see Pops, right?

CH: I’m proud of everything I do, man.

I just consider myself blessed. Hey man, I’m 86 years old and I’m still able to play.

That’s my reward.

JAZZed: No argument here. So you’ve told me what you like most about teaching – what do you find most annoying?

What’s most frustrating?

CH: Listen man, I don’t let nothing frustrate me. That’s number one.

Number two is: you’re always going to get an asshole in the class, you know? Not only just a village-idiot type, there’s always going to be at least one asshole, so you just take it with a grain of salt. I had something that happened to me just recently.

The one black kid in my ensemble class always came in late, always had something to do, so yesterday he played one tune with us and then he said he had to leave and I just said, “Young man, let me tell you something: don’t come back.” I put him out of my class, man. I went to the front office and told them why, because this kid’s got to be spanked.

JAZZed: That makes sense in a lot of ways though, because being a musician isn’t just about reading charts and

having technique. If you’re unreliable or impossible to work with, that’s just as big a downside as not being able to keep time or hit your notes.

CH: Exactly, man. I try to teach these students how to become professional musicians, as well as showing them how to play. Ensemble playing is nothing to be sneezed at, man. Ensemble playing will determine what kind of living you can make as a musician, you know?

JAZZed: With everything you’ve accomplished it’s probably difficult to pinpoint a single “best moment,” but what do consider some of your professional highlights?

JAZZed: How about highlights as an educator? Anything stand out as something you’re particularly proud of, or maybe something that you’ve learned, yourself, as an educator?

CH: I’ll give you a phrase: Those who dare to teach should never stop learning. Aside from that, the things that I have definitely learned are what not to do as a teacher.

JAZZed: Thanks again for sitting down with me. Any final thoughts you’d like to pass along to your fellow musicians and educators?

CH: We’re only dealing in human emotions. That’s what I’d like to impart. If you realize that, you’ll understand it all.

JAZZed July 2008 29

roundtable

SUBSTITUTE GIGGING

Sub City WHEN YOU GET THE CALL WILL YOU MAKE THE GIG?

BY CHET WILLIAMSON

So, here you are: 18 years old, in your last year of high school, you are an All-State tenor saxophonist and have just been accepted to the Berklee College of Music. Your best friend, a trumpet player who works in a jazz orchestra in Boston, just recommended you to substitute this Saturday night.

30 JAZZed July 2008

JAZZed July 2008 31

Are you ready?

We talked with a handful of bandleaders, professional players, educators, and students who have all been in this type of situation. We asked them what they thought every young player should know to prepare him or herself for such a fateful call.

• Saxophonist David Pietro, a veteran of the Toshiko Akiyoshi band, says that obvious things such as reading skills come before turning to the more obscure details of the trade such as changing a mouthpiece to make your sound fit better into a section.

• Pietro’s former high school band director, Dennis Wrenn, stresses the importance of gaining experience.

• Freelance trumpeter Bill Fanning focuses on the finer points of blending within a section, soloing, and the difference between playing third trumpet and taking the lead.

• Drummer Mark Holovnia recalls about how he had his “head handed to him” in the Woody Herman band and how he became a better drum-

mer for it.

“There won’t be any • Trumpeter Greg Hoprehearsals.” kins, Berklee educaPietro is quite fator and jazz orchestra miliar with such a leader, remembers the scenario. “I always lessons he learned in tell students: ‘You his early days growing never get a second up in Detroit. chance to make a first • Drummer and former impression,’” he says. bandleader Kenny “So be prepared. The Hadley riffs on style most important skill and playing what’s apto have when getting propriate in any given that first call is sightband. reading. The second • Young saxophonist David Pietro thing is intonation.

Mark Zaleski, a senior You really have to at the New Conservatory of Music, have the pitch down. The other thing is explains what he does to get the the ability to blend your sound. gig.

“What happens today is people focus on their solo sound. Then when they Make a Good First Impression are put into a section they stick out and Your friend calls you. It’s a week don’t blend in with the other players. before the gig, and the only details he Sometimes it requires using a different gives are where and when. Although mouthpiece or at least working your you are nervous, your friend reassures sound in a different way so that you you by saying he recommended you don’t stand out in the section.”

Pietro says teamwork and knowing because he knows you can cut it. “Oh, one’ s role within the framework of a and one more thing,” he offers wryly, large ensemble are crucial. “I recently

Mark Holovnia

32 JAZZed July 2008

finished conducting the Massachusetts All-State Jazz Band in Boston,” he says.

“One thing that we talked about was: Say you are the lead alto player, and your part says ‘forte,’ and it is a background part. You are not going to play it as loud as you would if it was a solo.

“It’s not enough to be able to read and see what is on the page; you also have to be aware of where your part fits in the overall picture of the orchestration.”

He also makes note of the importance of doubling. “The advantage of doubling is you are more employable.

If there’s a clarinet solo and you say you can’t do it, people aren’t going to hire you. It’s as simple as that.”

Know Your Role Fanning has freelanced with such notables as the Artie Shaw, Nelson Riddle, and the Big and Phat Orchestras,

among others. Picking up on Pietro and Zaleski’s comments, he adds, “You have to know what your job is. You can’t go in saying, ‘I’m the new gunslinger in town.’

“Like if you are going in to play second, your job is to blend with the lead trumpet player. You have to really listen to what he is doing and follow. When I say listen to the lead player, you have to know how he phrases things, how they

Be a Quick Study Saxophone student, Zaleski, who works with a variety of big bands around Boston, as well as in the NEC orchestra under the direction of Ken Schaphorst, says, “Besides the obvious, like being a good sight-reader, you have to learn how to work quickly. Taking notes can be helpful if someone makes a change in a part. People like to work with musicians who work efficiently.”

In talking about the overall picture, Zaleski says, “Rhythmic ability is important in a big band setting. It’s not just putting the eighth notes in the right place, but how you are going to phrase it.

People will call me even if I’m playing lots of wrong notes because if you put them all in exactly the right place, it’s going to feel really good. Obviously getting the right notes is best.”

According to Zaleski, when it comes time to solo, it’s different in a big band setting than, say, in a jazz quartet.

“If you are prepared for that, it has more to do with theory knowledge.

When you are in a big band, you are looking at changes that could be standard or totally modern. You need to be able to interpret and hear that. Sightreading changes are different than sight-reading parts.”

Zaleski points out that more often than not you are a team player and not a soloist when playing in a section.

“Being in a saxophone section, jazz isn’t necessarily an individual voice.

You are listening to the lead player and you want it to sound together. You have to listen down the section. When I play second, I feel it is my responsibility to get inside [the alto’s] style and play like him,” Zaleski says.

JAZZed July 2008 33

articulate, how they cut notes off and just follow.”

Fanning says it’s a different thing entirely when you are the lead player.

“You have to take charge. You can’t be intimidated. You have to go in there and say, ‘This is the way it is going to be.’”

Another obvious item on the “howto” checklist is listening to the music.

“You should really be a student of the big band music to understand how the masters did it,” Fanning says. “Listen to the music as much as you can. I know it is not popular in this day and

Bill Fanning

age, but listen. It will teach you a lot.

You will become familiar with the repertoire.”

Fanning elaborates by saying, “There is a lot of music that is played between bands in Boston, Providence, and Worcester – all over. They all play some of the same charts: the Basie things, the Ellington things.

“In some cases you will even be afforded the opportunity to play from the actual charts that many of the greats read.

“Some of the original charts on the

“EVEN IN AN AMATEUR BAND, THAT’S HOW YOU BUILD YOUR REPUTATION, BY BEING CONSISTENT.” Artie Shaw band are still there,” Fanning says. “They were written decades ago. It’s yellowed paper. There’s tape 34 JAZZed July 2008

on it. Is that a ‘C’ or ‘D’? But, it’s thrilling. It’s like reading the original gospels or something.”

Know the Material Drummer Hadley led his own big band for more than 23 years. The group recorded, worked regularly, and appeared at jazz festivals on bills with guest soloists such as Clark Terry. Last November, Hadley put the band back together to per- Kenny Hadley form the Duke Ellington Sacred or conception of what the band was all Concerts for two nights in Boston. It was the first time the band had about. The tempos were ridiculous. I been together in five years. These days hadn’t been in a band of that level. I had Hadley is a regular member of singer to go back and do some more studying.”

Now in his 50s, Holovnia has Amanda Carr’s group. been playing jazz drums since he was Like Fanning, Hadley also talks a child.

His dad, Joe, is a bassist who about the importance of being a stuperformed with Boot Mussulli and dent of the music.

Serge Chaloff.

Since 1999, Mark has “If students are going to play in that occupied the drum chair in the Artie idiom they have to listen,” he says. “I Shaw Orchestra. have students. I just try to pass on the “It’s about experience,” he says. do’s and don’ts. I get them to listen to “But, it’s a kind of catch 22. In order Mel Lewis, Harold Jones, Buddy Rich, to be a player you have to have played or somebody like Sonny Payne from with good players. At the same time, the Basie band. When you sit down with a band like that and don’t have a background or familiarity, it can be overwhelming.”

Fellow drummer Holovnia can relate. In 1990, he received a call to work in the Woody Herman band. It was his dream job and long before the phone rang, Holovnia was prepared for the gig.

“Every time they came around I’d go and sit right in front of the band,” he says. “I’d try and catch everything. I got all the recordings. I even sat down and wrote out all the drum parts. So I knew the tunes.”

Although he was proficient and took care of business, Holovnia claims he really wasn’t equipped for the role.

“I kind of had my head handed to me,” he admits.

“I just didn’t have the power Greg Hopkins

you don’t get called unless someone knows who you are.

“It’s not like you go to school for four years and you know it all. It’s a long arduous process. I figure if I get it by 60, I’ll be doing well.” Holovnia adds joking.

Build a Reputation Trumpeter Hopkins says, “The people who get the calls for gigs are people with the reputation of being good readers, good listeners, and good ensemble players. It’s important to always do a good job, even in an amateur band. That’s how you build your reputation, by being consistent.”

Growing up in Detroit, Hopkins received plenty of opportunities to perform. “When I was in high school, in the early ‘60s, I was playing a couple of nights a week in dance bands. It was a great experience because there were so many different kinds of bands. I was lucky.”

Hopkins recalls that it was a time when many of those who experienced the big band era first hand were still around and mentoring was still an important part of the learning process.

“They’d encourage you,” he says.

“I played with a lot of people that played with Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, and Claude Thornhill. I listened to a lot of the records and tried to emulate the phrasing and that kind of sound. That’s all part of knowing what is required of the gig.”

Pietro’s former teacher at Algonquin Regional High School, Wrenn says one of the best things he can do for his students’ development is to put them in ‘real life’ playing situations.

“In other words going out and doing performances,” he says. “When I was 16 years old, bandleader Bob Nelson used to use me on gigs at the White Cliffs in Northboro. He played there every Saturday night.

Mark Zaleski

My dad would drive me over. He would say, ‘Our Love is Here to Stay,’ in Eb.’ “I had never even heard the tune before. I’d say, ‘I don’t know it.’ He’d

say, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ It’s I-VI-ii-V. Here we go.’ He’d count it off and throw changes at me. I learned so much by just doing that. That’s how you learn.

Get out and do it.”

JAZZed July 2008 35

basic training

GUIDE TONES

Applying Guide Tones to Improvisation

BY MILES DONAHUE

M

any times a student has come to me and said, “I need to learn all my scales, so I can become a jazz musician!”

Most scales consist of seven notes and I might say to that student, “Let’s just play one of

the notes from the scale, say the 3rd or the 7th.” ■ It would seem that should be a lot easier than playing seven notes for each chord. ■ Of course it is not easier at all, because you must

see the scale and determine which note in the scale is the 3rd or the 7th and then play it in time. ■ The 3rd and the 7th are the guide tones of chords because they define the quality of the chord (i.e.: major, minor, dominorant7th, major7th, et cetera). ■ The 5th of C major and C minor is the note G, which has no effect on the quality of the chord, but the 3rd of C major is E and the 3rd of C minor is Eb and these notes do determine the quality of the

C major and C minor chords. ■ So playing any note in the scale does not necessarily create the sound of the chord.

Understanding Chord Characteristics Sometimes we deliberately avoid the 3rd and 7th to create a certain type of melody, but when learning to play chord changes it is a good idea to understand how to create the characteristic sounds of the chords first.

You could say we are being chord specific when we include the 3 and 7 in our solos. If you listen to John Coltrane’s first chorus on “Giant Steps,” for example, either the 3 or 7 is included in the improvised melody Coltrane

plays against each chord on this difficult harmonic progression.

I have had new students play thru the chords of the song “Confirmation” just playing the guide tones and then I have them improvise, telling them to focus on the guide tones and not to worry about the other notes they play in between those guide tones. I find this has a positive and immediate effect on their playing. You cannot improve at improvis-

“YOU CANNOT IMPROVE AT IMPROVISING IF, WHEN YOU PLAY A SONG, YOU HAVE NO ROAD MAP TO FOLLOW.”

36 JAZZed July 2008

basic training

ing if, when you play a song, you have no road map to follow. It would be like driving at night with no lights. The chord progression and the form of the song are key to operating the “vehicle” (chord progression). When you solo, you need target notes to aim for and guide tones make good target notes.

Eventually your attention can focus on tension notes which are not guide tones, but rather rich harmonic notes which are difficult to hear if you cannot fathom the architecture of the basic chord first (1,3,5,7).

Sometimes I have seen the altered scale written out in books to help stu-

dents. In the case of a D7 scale, it looks like this: D, Eb, F, F#, Ab, Bb, C, D. If you play that scale it does not sound like something a young student would recognize and relate to either aurally or intellectually. What I have done in the Jazz Workbook is rearrange those notes in the shape of a piano voicing which would include the root, guide tones, and two notes from that scale (flat 13 and sharp nine). The shape would then be D, F#, Bb, C and F, ascending.

This shape makes the sound of the altered scale come alive because a student can hear the color of that chord, even though they may not yet under-

stand it intellectually. If a student were to play this aforementioned shape on the 9th bar of “All Blues” by Miles Davis, for example, he or she would be playing and hearing the sound of the harmony of this song at this point of the chord progression. When I teach a piano student, I show them the voicing and when they get to that part of the song I tell them to look at their left hand which is playing F#, Bb, C and F (a bass player would be playing the root, D) and tell them to play any of the notes they see in their left hand and then try to make a melody starting on one of those four notes. Horn playJAZZed July 2008 37

basic training ers, on the other hand, do not have the benefit of looking at a voicing represented by their left hand and therefore they must visualize the shape.

Relating Melody to Chord Structure This is what I tried to do in the Jazz Workbook: The exercise I have written for the altered sound starts with the scale and the third and fourth bar of the eight-measure exercise has the shape of a piano voicing and its inversion. The other four measures are other shapes within the altered scale.

In some books I have seen the altered scale described as a scale starting on the 7th degree of the melodic minor scale, which is true, but what is important with this very sophisticated scale is for the student to know what each note in this scale is in relationship to the root. In order for this to happen, I feel you need to play a voicing shape as I described earlier and then make a melody from this scale, using chord tones and the altered tension notes available.

If you were to play the song, “Good Bait” on the third and fourth beat of the second measure, the melody in relationship to the chord is flat 13, 7, flat 9, and sharp 9. Therefore you could think of this melody as germinating from the voicing shape: 3, flat 13, 7, sharp 9. This melody has one of the guide tones ( 7 ) and three altered tension notes. If we look at the great be bop song, “Donna Lee,” on the 16th bar the melody is: 3, 5, 7, 5, flat 9 , sharp 9, flat 9, 8, 7. This melody is over the V7 chord and when it resolves to the I chord, the note it resolves to is the guide tone, 3. This is the better way to learn the altered sound – through melodic shapes that bring alive the sound of the chord and its tension notes and not through playing the melodic minor scale starting on the 7th degree, even if that is theoretically accurate.

Another thing I would like to point out with regard to playing guide tones is the symmetry involved when played in a cycle of 5th, as on the chord progression of the song, “Confirmation.”

The second bar of this song starts on Eminor7b5, A7 followed by Dmi7, G7

to Cmi7, F7 and then Bb7 on the fifth bar. Because this chord progression is a cycle of 5ths, the 7 of each chord resolves down a half step to the 3rd of each successive chord, creating a harmonic map that has a shape that can be remembered. Often with my students I play the roots and they play the guide tones. Then we reverse roles and they play the roots and I play the guide tones. After doing this for a while, students start to hear the harmony of the song without needing to hear a chord instrument.

Final Thoughts This is why the Jazz Workbook CD has no piano on it. When a person improvises, the idea is not to listen to the piano player to keep place and play by ear, but rather to know aurally and intellectually the sound and the form of the chords and be an independent musical entity. This is some of the knowledge one needs to know in order to be in a position to be creative. Some people may think these concepts are too involved for high school students, but I have found that teenage performer are able to grasp this type of material with a teacher’s help.

Tenor sax and trumpet player Miles Donahue remains a fixture in the Boston jazz scene, known for his hard-bop and post-bop music. He’s recorded a dozen albums, performed with his own group as well as with John Patitucci, Curtis Fuller, Billy Pierce, Fred Hersch, Jerry Bergonzi, and Kenny Werner. Mel Bay will publish the second volume of his Jazz Workbook series this year. Donahue teaches both adult and teenaged students at his studio in Lowell, Mass.

Miles Donahue Selected Discography Good Listener, Simple Pleasures (Ram); Double Dribble (Timeless); Standards Vols. 1-4, Bounce, In the Pocket (Amerigo) 38 JAZZed July 2007

roundup

G U I TA R S

Axe(s) to

Grind

With the summer NAMM and MIAC shows comes a number of exciting instrument and music product introductions from suppliers and manufacturers, both large and small. JAZZed takes a brief look at some new guitars, amps, and other “fretted-related” product releases.

AXL Headliner Guitars AXL has introduced a new affordable electric guitar series with a classic SRO body design and hot pickups.

Available in full, 3/4 or 1/2 size, the AXL Headliner SRO (AS-750) electric guitar is a budding guitarist’s perfect

axe, featuring a solid alder body, three single coil pickups, maple neck and tremolo bridge.

Dealers have regularly inquired about fractional size guitars from the popular AXL electric guitar line and the Headliner SRO has met the demand.

Full-size SRO models are available in black, white, sunburst and red finishes. Fractional sizes are available in black, metallic blue and metallic red. www.axlguitars.com

40 JAZZed July 2008

roundup Ampeg’s New BassAmp Combos Ampeg has now officially beefed up the bottom end of its BassAmp Series with four new combo models--the BA300/115, BA300/210, BA600/115 and BA600/210-each combining professional-grade power with extreme portability, durability, and tonal versatility.

The BA300/115 (single 15-inch driver) and BA300/210 (dual 10-inch drivers) bass combos both crank out 300 watts of pure Ampeg tone from an enclosure barely larger than four cubic feet.

Solid low-end is delivered by Eminence ceramic magnet speakers, while top-end is supplied by a HF horn with level control for customizing the sound.

The BA300’s 12AX7 tube preamp, fiveposition mid-tone “style” control, threeband EQ, and ultra-high/low switches provide supreme sonic flexibility in a rugged, lightweight enclosure. A variable compressor with peak LED, pre/post XLR tube DI with level control, and Class D power section and universal switching power supply--to keep the weight factor low without sacrificing power output or sound quality--are also offered. Mute and master controls, separate 0dB and -12dB inputs, an effects loop, and removable casters further round out the compactyet-powerful package.

The BA600/115 and BA600/210 offer nearly all of the same features as their BA300 siblings with the added benefit of twice the power-a massive 600 watts crammed into super-portable, sub-55-pound packages. Custom-designed, proprietary neodymium speakers maximize power handling and performance while minimizing weight. The BA600 also features dual 12AX7 tube preamps and individual equalization controls for two separate channels: modern and vintage (for classic B15 tone). Channel switching and mute can both be conveniently activated via a footswitch as well as on the amplifier’s control panel. www.ampeg.com

gig-fx’s New Chopper gig-fx inc. has released the second generation of the innovative Chopper pedal. Aimed at the writing and gigging musician, the Chopper allows live panning and chopping and can generate both classic and innovative tremolo and rhythmic patterns.

The new Chopper features improved bypass circuitry that is superior to a true bypass in terms of preserving the instrument signal in cables (gig-fx will soon be releasing test data to support that claim). The new Chopper also has improved tremolo / pan depth control, flush-mounted power jack for easier and more reliable connections, and access through the base of the pedal to the optical switch adjustment if needed. www.gig-fx.com

New Releases from Hal Leonard Journey through the career of musical giant, milestone guitarist, and recording innovator Les Paul, and marvel at the world of cutting-edge guitar design. The Early Years of The Les Paul Legacy, 1915-1963, along with its companion book The Modern Era of the Les Paul Legacy 1968-2007 (due out in the fall of 2008) emerged out of author Robb Lawrence’s years of research, interviews, extensive vintage archives (including original Les Paul/ Mary Ford articles, press photos, music and recordings), and gorgeous original photography. It’s all here: the factory pictures, the designers, the electronics; the first experimental Log and Clunker guitars, stories of the various Goldtops, the humbucking pickup evolution, and over 80 pages dedicated to the heralded ‘50s Sunburst Standard. Including exclusive interviews with Les Paul, as well as Michael Bloomfield and Jeff Beck, this is a beautiful and insightful book on a legendary inventor and musician.

Designed for both the seasoned rocker seeking a new challenge and the jazz newcomer looking for a good start, Introduction to Jazz Guitar Soloing by Joe Elliott will provide the vital concepts needed to begin a journey into jazz improvisation. Includes loads of step-by-step information, scales, licks, and techniques. In addition the accompanying audio CD features 65 full-band demo and play-along tracks. www.halleonard.com

JAZZed July 2008 41

roundup Hart Productions Guitar Rack Hart Productions’ Guitar Rack is handmade from oak with a choice of fabrics and holds five acoustic or electric guitars and basses, including special shapes such as Flying V® and Explorer®.

The Guitar Rack’s attention to detail includes two special pockets lined with soft fabric to hold guitar accessories such as picks, slides, and tuners. It also features five padded neck slots and a two-inch foam pad to protect the guitars covered in a choice of fabrics to match any décor.

Overall design styles for the Guitar Rack are Vintage and Gothic available in Oak, Red Oak, Oak w/ Walnut/ Mahogany and Cherry finishes. The Guitar Rack ships in five pieces and is easily assembled with a Phillips head screwdriver. Dimensions once set up are 32” H x 19 1/2” D x 37” W. Also planned are limited custom shop versions of The Guitar Rack such as hand-painted “tattoo” and “relic” versions with special fabric options.

Featuring the finest workmanship and materials The Guitar Rack and The Guitar Armoire are hand made in the U.S.A. www.guitararmoire.com

42 JAZZed July 2008

PRS Guitars Mira Maple Top Paul Reed Smith Guitars has introduced the Mira Maple Top model, an instrument that combines the retro vibe of the PRS Mira with figured maple tops, with new colors and optional gold hardware. The new finishes are all wrap-around and include Tri-Color Sunburst, Dark Cherry Sunburst, Whale Blue/Black Burst, Violin Amber Burst and Vintage Natural.

The Mira Maple Top is comprised of the finest woods and materials available. In addition to the mahogany and maple top body, the mahogany neck and East Indian rosewood fingerboard neck come with either moon inlays or optional bird inlays. This instrument is a 24-fret, 10” radius, 25” scale length guitar with either regular or wide-thin neck carve.

Locking tuning pegs, Mira treble and bass pickups, volume, tone, 3-way blade and a mini toggle coil tap round out the features. www.prsguitars.com

Randall Amplifiers’ RB Series Randall Amplifiers has introduced the new RB Series of heads and speaker cabinets. The new series includes 3 heads and 4 cabinets with revolutionary technology available at varying power levels.

The three RB amps include the RB750, RB500 and RB300. Designed for the serious working professional, our revolutionary Tube/MOSFET power circuit pushes authentic power tube tone without the costs & headaches associated with real power tubes.

With enhanced power & performance, bass players will instantly notice a life-like reactionary feel unlike any other hybrid or solid-state bass amplifier. Each model also includes a footswitchable Overdrive circuit for light to heavy distortion and a studio quality Compression circuit that softly squeezes the signal without dropping the volume or revoicing the tone.

Built for portability and the abuse of the road, the XLT Bass Cabinets are tailor made to pair with the RB Series Heads. Each XLT cabinet is handcrafted using 3/4” void free birch plywood for tight solid tone and years of wear and tear. Choose from 8x10”, 4x10”, 4x12” and 1x15” options. www.randallamplifiers.com

A NEW ONLINE COMMUNITY BRINGING TOGETHER JAZZ EDUCATORS, PERFORMERS, STUDENTS, AND FANS!

JazzPlayer.com is now live – visit www.JazzPlayer.com to sign up and create your individualized profile and start connecting with fellow jazz aficionados and scholars.

Brought to you by the publishers of

guest clinician

I M P R O V I S AT I O N C O N C E P T S

Breaking The Improvisational Barrier Without Your Axe! A SUREFIRE WAY TO LEARN IMPROVISATION CONCEPTS

BY JOHN KUZMICH, JR.

I

recently presented a “how to” jazz improvisation workshop at a private non-Eng-

lish speaking music school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ■ I had no advance knowledge of who would be attending or what instrumentation I would have to work with. ■ As it turned out, the ages of the participants ranged from 18 to over 65 and nobody brought their instruments. ■ Though it was a challenge preparing for this workshop, the results were gratifying. ■ Everyone ended up participating through their voices – no one could “fake” it by just wiggling, which too often takes place when students are improvising. Bossa nova was our style of choice because there is often less stress with that than in other jazz styles. ■ I thought I could have run for public office in Brazil when I suggested the bossa nova style over standard jazz tunes for entry-level improv instruction, but the bossa nova style is my choice for this type of introductory lesson, regardless of where the workshop takes place.

Within the bossa nova style, I reference a number of jazz tunes to improvise on: model tunes with very few chord changes, blues changes with a few more chord changes, and more complicated, standard tunes with frequent chord changes that are usually 32 measures long. Each style has certain advantages for teaching improvisation, but at the entry level, the blues in a bossa nova style serves the purpose of getting students started with basic improvisational concepts of melody, harmony, rhythm, and form without excessive notes.

My aim here is to present an entry level improv workshop as a model for teaching students who either don’t understand the fundamen-

tals of improvising or who need to be brought up to speed with a minimum of rehearsal time.

Head Tunes Based on Repeating Riffs

Sometimes the best lessons are the simplest. Too much theory and too many technical terms can kill the best of intentions and enthusiasm for improvisation. So I begin with simple riffs. Students are quickly engaged in playing chord changes by rote using the basic 12-bar blues progression: I, I, I, I, IV, IV, I, I, V, IV, I, I. With simple repeating rhythms and melodic intervals, students flow through the basics of blues improvisation.

“TOO MUCH THEORY AND TOO MANY TECHNICAL TERMS CAN KILL THE BEST OF INTENTIONS AND ENTHUSIASM FOR IMPROVISATION.”

44 JAZZed July 2008

Example 1 with Simple Blues Riffs

guest clinician

Roots

1, flat 7, 1

1, flat 7 1, b3

Example 2: Blues Riff Transposed By getting the students to sing the riffs, they can overcome their instrumental shyness and start to hear the changes. They become better oriented and don’t get lost while they’re mentally and aurally manipulating the root, flat 3rd and flat 7th of three chords with a series of simple rhythms. Voila!

They’re improvising. Once that can be done smoothly, we expand the riffs to include: Example 3 with More Complex Blues Riffs 1, flat 7, 5, 1, 3, 5, 3 flat 7, I First Time Comping

1, 3,5 8, flat 7

Considerations

Teaching improvisation concepts and using a rhythm section are really two distinctively different tasks that need to be done simultaneously.

Rhythm section players need some V.I.P. attention in order to instill stability for successful improvisation teaching. The rhythm section is the foundation for good improv experiences.

Here are some shortcuts for dealing with the rhythm section. Use some play-along recordings in which the rhythm parts are fully notated, providing a structured way to teach and learn basic comping techniques and styles.

As an example, consider using Jamey Aebersold’s Volume 54, tracks 3 and 10, which are excellent entry level blues tracks. There are also three Volume 54 publications written for bass, drum, and piano with fully transcribed parts

for each track students can listen to and practice with for a more authentic experience. And each CD is enhanced with its bass, drum, or piano part mixed louder than the surrounding rhythm section.

Don’t have Jamey Aebersold’s Volume 54? Pick any medium bossa nova or jazz shuffle and have the pianist, bassist, and drummer incorporate some of the following ideas: bossa nova bass parts are usually in fifths.

The piano avoids the roots in the right hand and emphasizes upper chord extensions. The drummer avoids using the bass pedal on every beat, concentrating more on the hi-hat on beats two and four on the ride cymbal on every beat, and avoid back beats on beats two and four on the snare drum.

By listening to Jamey Aebersold’s “Maiden Voyage,” #54, will give your rhythm section some basic comping techniques that work well on medium jazz tracks like #3 (“Bb Blues”) and #10 (“F Blues”) or bossa nova track #4 (“Solar Flair”) and #7 (“Song For My Father”). This takes pressure off of the teacher so he/she can concentrate more on the horn players without neglecting the rhythm section. Again, there are separate publications by Jamey Aebersold Jazz for Volume 54 with fully notated parts for piano (Jazz Piano Voicings by Jamey Aebersold, Volume 54), bass (Tyrone Wheeler Bass Lines transcribed by Evan Barker from Volume 54) and drums (Jazz Drums Play-Along by Steve Davis from Volume 54) along with CDs with great stereo separation and mixing for enhanced listening for each instrument.

Jamming With Riffs and Background Riffs

Now you are ready to get your students improvising. Have the group (ensemble) begin singing a rhythmic riff such as, “doo-bah doo-wah” on the previously mentioned I, IV, V roots for one or two choruses. Then have each JAZZed March 2008 45

guest clinician

student sing that riff or their favorite riff alone for one chorus as a solo making sure that they transpose the riff through the three chord changes. On the second chorus, have the student repeat the riffs with the group singing a catchy four-beat background riff only on the root of each chord. Involving all students all the time backing up every soloist, helps everyone master the chord changes and strengths their confidence.

Opening Up Improvisation Jam Session

At this point, the jam session can be opened up quickly in several ways.

Try introducing more sophisticated riffs with catchy rhythms and/or dif46 JAZZed July 2008

ferent notes. Students will respond to catchy head tunes that can lead to more sophisticated riffs. I like to let students learn how to imitate each other using the simple riffs already taught by trading fours with a partner. The ear training concepts employed here are invaluable as the

“THE RHYTHM SECTION IS THE FOUNDATION FOR GOOD IMPROV EXPERIENCES.”

participants imitate each other’s riffs, alternating four-measure sequences in a call-and-response manner. The trick is to help students not get lost in the changes when they are not soloing. Each pair of students will need to trade two or three choruses. Remember to start and end the trading fours section with the head tune to make it a complete composition.

Stop-Time: Spice Up the Jam Session!

“Stop-Time” is a great stimulus for featuring students who are learning to incorporate slick melodic and rhythm patterns into their soloing.

When one student lights that fire, it motivates others to come up with

guest clinician slicker riffs. The process is simple.

Play the head tune and then have each student solo for one chorus. On the second chorus, have the rhythm section play only on the first beat of each measure or the first measure of each new chord. Soloing against stop time, without any comping except for the beginning of each chord change helps the student make the changes correctly. Horn players can also play the roots with the same isolated stop time rhythm for each chord. On the third chorus, the rhythm section comes back and the soloist keeps soloing. Stop-time is a good way to provide extended solos for entry level students as they work on melodic/rhythmic riffs in a positive, supportive experience.

A Good Beginning

This workshop can be use in several installments or as presented in 60 minutes. Even with a translator, everybody understood how to improvise on the changes, melody, riffs, and trading fours. Once students experience the building blocks of improvisation by singing rather than searching for notes on their instruments, they grasp the basics of what is needed and ear training clearly supported through imitation. What I like about this experience is that nothing comes between the students and the music. No music is passed out. Their ears and their own voices let them feel the very essence of the jazz improvisation experience. Students learn to participate in a unique step-by-step process beginning with the roots, to simple riffs, to more sophisticated riffs through stop-time and trading fours with call-and-response imitation concepts. But you, the educator, are the secret ingredient for success, so I strongly advise you to participate, as well. You break the ice, infuse energetic confidence, and seamlessly weave theory

and technique with just your voice.

The ultimate goal is transferring this learning to the instrument. Success is immenent with this positive, stepby-step experience. Fingers will find what the mind has imagined.

Coda

Once this approach has been initiated, your jazz ensemble is ready to apply the improv instruction with a daily five-to-10-minute warm-up based on a riff or head tune. Bingo!

You will have everybody in your band instantly improvising, albeit rudimentarily, at first. Eventually change keys in future rehearsals, first using the more common keys of concert Ab, Eb, F. Riffs will become very apparent as they pop up in studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; solos and you hear them expand their improv ideas at music festivals and in live concerts. I regularly use the head tune approach as sound check right in front of the audience.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great crowd pleaser and a good warm-up.

Dr. Kuzmich is a nationally-known music educator with more than 30 years of teaching experience. He has certification from TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators) to serve as a training instructor throughout the country. His academic background also includes a Ph.D. in comprehensive musicianship.

As a freelance author, he has more than 250 articles and five textbooks published.

As a clinician, Dr. Kuzmich frequently participates in workshops throughout the U.S. and several foreign countries. For more information, visit his Web site: www. kuzmich.com.

Â&#x2020;

If you are interested in participating in upcoming JAZZed music education surveys, please contact Editor Christian Wissmuller at cwissmuller@ symphonypublishing.com

Surve

y

JAZZed July 2008 47

cross noteworthy word 1

2

3

4

12

5

Crossword by Myles Mellor 6

7

13

8

10

18

19

11

14

15

16 17 20

21

23

24

22

25

26

27 30

34

35

29

32

33

36

37 39

45

40

41

42

43

46

47

48 52

55

28

31

38 44

9

49

50

51

53

54

56

60

Across

1. Musical genre and jazz ancestor 5. ___ Calloway, bandleader and master of energetic scatting 7. ___ Shaw, clarinetist and composer considered to be one of best jazz musicians of his time 12. What you might say to a mouse?

13. Miles Davis was one of the main originators of this type of jazz 14. Playing along to the click-track (2 words) 15. Have to have 16. ___ Wilson, famous pianist known as the “Marxist Mozart” 17. Bob Crosby’s group, Bob ___ 18. Eastbound, for short 20. Code of life 21. Musical scale note 22. Guitar neck section 23. Ray Charles and Diana Krall song, “Deed I ___” 24. ___ City Jazz, marked the transition from big band style to Bebop 26. New Orleans jazz style, with land 27. Great Britain, abbr.

28. Type of jazzy blues that was influenced by the big band sound 30. Jazz piece

48 JAZZed July 2008

57 61

58

59

62

32. Pa’s mate 33. Spurs city initials 34. Mingus Ah ___, 1959 Charles Mingus album 36. Photo ___ 38. Web address 39. Moldy ___, bebopper’s term to describe someone whose tastes are not up to date 42. In bass, to play one note per beat 44. ___-up, the members of the band 46. It happened on 34th Street?

47. Great Lake 48. Dream Keeper artist, Charlie 51. Dexter Gordon album title 52. Type of Blues for Louis Armstrong and W.C. Handy, ___ Louis?

53. Aka outro 56. Verbose 57. It’s Strange, for Billie Holiday?

60. Jazz style developed by Wayne Shorter 61. “___ For My Father,” Horace Silver ditty 62. ___ Berne, Five Year Plan artist

Down

1. ___ Goodman, “The King of Swing” 2. “Donna ___,” bebop jazz standard composed by Miles Davis 3. Banjo kin

4. Greensboro locale 5. Famous New York Club that launched the career of Duke Ellington 6. Pub purchases 7. Whichever 8. Type of highway, abbr.

9. “___ Rag,” Dixieland standard 10. Leonard Cohen song “___ Your Man” 11. Seafood delicacy 14. Song preceders, usually 17. You usually can’t have it and eat it too?

19. “Polka Dots and Moon___,” Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole tune 20. Bebop standard and the name of Sonny Rollins’ record label 21. ___ Book, collection of illegal jazz charts 23. English princess 25. Atlantis artist, first name 26. ___ time, tempo twice as fast 28. German for yes 29. Jazz’s sax man, Charlie 30. “Born __ be Blue,” Ella lyric 31. In a fast tempo 32. ___ Favorite Things, popular Coltrane album 35. ___ Jazz, Ornette Coleman’s 1960 album 37. ___ Pastorious, famous jazz bass player 38. ___ Structures, Cecil Taylor’s 1966 album 40. T or L follower 41. Martini ingredient 42. Tail movement 43. Bean or Cool J 45. Tax collector 48. Wind instrument 49. Sum up 50. “The ___ of Wine and Roses,” Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett tune 53. Fawn over 54. Dot com follower 55. “___ I Should Lose You,” song by Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald 56. Madison locale 57. Footnote, abbr.

58. “Say ___ Isn’t So,” Dinah and Billie lyric 59. La follower, in music?

For the solution to this issue's crossword, visit:

www.jazzedmagazine.com

Gearcheck

P. Mauriat Saxes

MonteVerde Music, the North American Distributor for P. Mauriat Saxophones, announces the debut of two new models.

The PMXA-67R UL alto saxophone and the PMXT-66R UL tenor saxophone are the same design as the current PMXA67R and PMXT-66R, except they are un-

1000 Songwriting Ideas & West Coast Jazz Piano from Hal Leonard From melodies to lyrics, great songs need great ideas to spark the creative energy that will help you write your next big hit. 1000 Songwriting Ideas, by Lisa Aschmann, is a handy book of creative exercises that stop writer’s block and turn the imagination into a powerful songwriting machine. The book offers a thousand concepts to ponder as starting points for lyric and melody writing, along with provocative and inspirational examples. These proven exercises move the lyrical self, stir the melodic soul, and give you the power to be the creative songwriter you’ve always wanted to be.

West Coast Jazz Piano is a book and CD package by Gene Rizzo that is devoted to providing a complete overview of the techniques and styles popularized by the greatest West Coast jazz piano players of all time.

All the best are here: from the cool classical jazz of Dave Brubeck to the smooth and tuneful Vince Guaraldi, to the post-modern stylings of Billy Childs. The CD includes 15 fullband tracks. www.halleonard.com

lacquered and they go through a special process to make them look “weathered,” like an older vintage horn, while maintaining the huge, fat sound and intonation. Another version of the PMXA-67R and PMXT-66R, the “Influence,” has a totally redesigned keywork. www.monteverdemusic.com

JAZZed July 2008 49

Gearcheck Zildjian Brilliant K Crash Ride Cymbals

The Avedis Zildjian Company has introduced two new Crash Ride cymbals in the K Zildjian Series. The 21 and 22-inch K Crash Rides feature a Brilliant Finish and a medium-thin weight. These new models now become Zildjian’s largest Crash cymbals available and offer an explosive Crash sound.

The 21 and 22-inch K Zildjian Crash Rides were developed with Zak Starkey, who has been using them in his set-ups with The Who and Oasis since 2000. These cymbals help Zak create the “wall of sound” he needs when playing with both bands.

While adding a dynamic visual impact, Zildjian’s Brilliant Finish also helps to smooth out the sound and add extra high-end sparkle. The K Zildjian Crash Rides open up quickly and are excellent for “shouldering” with the stick. www.zildjian.com/kbrilliant

ChopSaver Gold with SPF 15

The Serious Jazz Book II

ChopSaver®, the all-natural lip balm created with the special needs of musicians in mind, is now available with sunscreen (SPF 15). The new product, ChopSaver Gold features bright orange packaging with the familiar green hues of ChopSaver Original.

ChopSaver was created in 2004 by Dan Gosling, a professional trumpet player who was not satisfied with the selection of lip care products then on the market. His company, Good for the Goose Products, LLC, was established to market and sell the ChopSaver line. The company spent more than a year developing ChopSaver Gold, including the time required for FDA testing and approval.

ChopSaver Gold will not replace ChopSaver Original. Both items have a suggested retail price of $4.95. www.chopsaver.com

Sher Music Co. has announced the publication of The Serious Jazz Book II: The Harmonic Approach, by Barry Finnerty. Starting where his Serious Jazz Practice Book left off, guitar legend Finnerty has created another woodshed classic for all jazz soloists. Known for his work as a recording artist alongside Miles Davis, the Brecker Bros., the Crusaders, and more, Barry shows how to become a better improviser by melodically mastering the individual chords used in jazz, how they connect with each other, and how they are used in various song forms. www.shermusic.com

50 JAZZed July 2008

HotWax July 15

Roy Ayers - Everybody Loves the

Sunshine (Universal International)

John Braden - Gentle Storm (High-

note)

Geof Bradfield - Urban Nomad (Origin Records)

Ron Carter - Jazz and Bossa (EMD

New & Notable Music Releases All dates are subject to change

Glenn White - Sacred Machines

fus)

July 22

(Porter)

Cannonball Adderley - The Quintet The David Berger Octet - I Had the

Bobbi Humphrey - Fancy Dancer

Craziest Dream: The Music of Harry Warren (Sweet Thunder)

Japan)

Byard Lancaster - Personal Testi-

mony (Porter)

Bill Evans - Living in the Crest of a Wave (Wounded Bird)

The Latin Jazz Quintet - Latin Soul (Universal Japan)

Gil Scott Heron - Live at the Town &

Joe Magnarelli - Persistence (Res-

Country 1988 (Acadia)

Yusef Lateef - The Gentle Giant

Isham Jones - 1929-1934 (Jazz JFK Quintet - New Jazz Frontiers From Washington (Universal

Jamie Davis - Vibe Over Perfection (Dig)

Columbus (Sunnyside)

(Blue Note) Oracle)

Jeff Coffin - Mutopia (Compass)

Adrian Iaies - Vals de la 81st &

Eddie Henderson - Heritage (Blue

Note)

Frank Catalano - Bang (Savoy Jazz)

(Mack Avenue)

Henry Grimes - Going to the Ritual

Plus (Universal Japan)

International)

Hot Club of Detroit - Night Town

Johnny Griffin - Smokin’ Sax (Drey-

(OA2 Records)

Trevor Dunn - Four Films (Tzadik) Henry Franklin - O, What a Beauti-

ful Morning (Skipper)

Michael Garrick - Black Marigolds (Universal Japan)

(Wounded Bird)

ervoir)

Ronnie Mathews - Doin the Thang (Universal Japan)

Jackie Mclean - Capuchin Swing (EMI Japan)

Chip McNeill - Four Steps (Capri)

Livin Out Loud - What About Us (Livin Out Loud)

Mad Tea Party - Found a Reason (Nine Mile)

Richard Maegraith - Free Running (Jazzgroove)

Jakob Magnusson - Special Treatment (Wounded Bird)

Phil Markowitz - Catalysis (Sun-

nyside)

Gerard Masters - Pendulum (Jazzgroove)

Jeremy Pelt - November (Maxjazz) Danilo Perez - Across the Crystal

Sea (Concord)

Play-Rite Boys - So Far So Good

(Frederick Production)

Zoot Sims - Complete Live Recordings (Gambit Spain) Cedar Walton - Seasoned Wood (Highnote)

SHORT & SWEET. Introducing ANDY™ — The Travel Guitar for the Jazz Community t &OUJSFMZ NBEF JO PVS 4BWBOOBI (FPSHJB XPSLTIPQ t 4PMJE $BSWFE 5PQ #BDL t MPXFS CPVU EFFQ t TDBMF t .JOJ IVNCVDLFS t 4BUJO 'JOJTI

X XX.CFOFEFUUPHVJUBST.com

JAZZed July 2008 51

HotWax New Cool Collective - Out of Office (Dox)

Keith Oxman - Caught Between the

Pony Poindexter - Gumbo! (Univer-

Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil (EMI

Dizzy Reece - Asia Minor (Universal

Kay Starr - Swingin’ With Kay Starr

sal Japan)

Lion and the Twins (Capri)

Japan)

Duke Pearson - Sweet Honey Bee

Edgar Sampson - Savoy Stomp

(EMI Japan)

(Montpellier)

Japan)

(DRG)

Jeremy Steig - Howlin’ for Judy

(Blue Note)

Streetwize - Mary J (Shanachie) The Three Sounds - Elegant Soul

(Blue Note)

Glenn White - Sacred Machines (Oa2)

Paul “Shilts” Weimar - Jigsaw Life (Nu Groove)

Mike Westbrook - Celebration (Uni-

versal Japan)

Reuben Wilson - Set Us Free (Blue Note)

July 29 Audio Lotion - Adelante! (Mole Listening)

Eric Bode - The Little Garden (Native Language Music)

John Chicai - Afrodisiaca (MPS) Duduka Da Fonseca - Samba Jazz

Fantasia (Anzic)

Alyssa Graham - Echo (Sunnyside) Glen Gray - Casa Loma in Hi- Fi! (Collectables) Hugh Hopper - Dune (Moonjune) Just Friends - Doo Wop Greetings from Florida (Collectables) Fridrik Karlsson - The Feel Good Collection: Magical Spa (Gemini Sun) Pork Pie - Transitory (MPS) Ron Westray - Medical Cures For The Chromatic Commands Of The Inner City (Blue Canoe)

Barney Wilen - Dear Prof. Leary (MPS)

If you have information on an upcoming album or music DVD release which you’d like to have included in the next issue of JAZZed, please e-mail editor Christian Wissmuller at: cwissmuller@ symphonypublishing.com

52 JAZZed July 2008

Photo credit: Mattias Edwall

Backbeat

Esbjörn Svensson 1964-2008

Swedish-born pianist Esbjörn Svensson was the leader of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, better known as E.S.T., one of Europe’s most popular progressive ensembles. Reaching beyond the jazz world for musical inspiration, E.S.T. appealed to both jazz afficianados, as well as younger fans by deftly blending elements of melodic post-bop, electronica, rock, and classical.

Svensson attended Stockholm University for musical studies and, in 1990, formed E.S.T. with bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Öström. He was voted Swedish Jazz Musician of the Year in both 1995 and 1996 and Songwriter of the Year in 1998. E.S.T. recorded 11 albums in total, their first being When Everyone Has Gone (Dragon), released in America in 1996. The trio won the Guinness Jazz in Europe Award for the album Strange Place for Snow (Act) in 2002, which was also the disc that received the most exposure stateside, reaching #22 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart. Then, in 2003 E.S.T. was awarded the International Artist Award at the BBC Jazz Awards. 2006’s acclaimed album, Tuesday Wonderland (Act) was followed up in 2008 by Somewhere Else Before (Sbme Special MKTS).

Esbjörn Svensson passed away on June 14 at the age of 44.

JAZZed July 2008 53

Classifieds Books

Instruction

Merchandise

JAZZ SAXOPHONE ETUDES & DUETS BOOK & CD PLAY-ALONG SETS BY GREG FISHMAN Endorsed by Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Jerry Coker, James Moody, Mark Colby & Bob Sheppard.

Visit: WWW.GREGFISHMANJAZZSTUDIOS.COM for free sample etudes and duets.

Instruments

CDs Guy Lee

"The Hurricane Waltz" All-Instrumental Guitar Oriented CD

www.guytar.com

Help Wanted

Jazz Videos

JAZZ DVD’S Concerts, films.

TV, documentaries, instructionals.

(Armstrong to Zorn).

Free JAZZ DVD CATALOGUE JAZZWEST, PO Box 3515(ED).

Ashland, OR 97520 (541) 482-5529 www.jazzwestdvd.com

Advertise in the Classifieds!

Call Maureen 1-800-964-5150 ext. 34 • mjohan@symphonypublishing.com

54 JAZZed July 2008

Classifieds Merchandise

Travel

EARN FREE AIR MILES! When your Group Travels with

American Tours & Travel Travel anywhere throughout the world

800-243-4365 21 Highland Circle â&#x20AC;˘ Suite One Needham MA 02494 (781) 453-9310 Fax: (781) 4539389

1. What is your primary educational institution/business: (check one)

3. What type of ensembles are you responsible for: (check as many as apply)

T 01 Senior High

T BB Big band

T 02 Independent teacher

T SE Small ensemble

T 03 College/University

T JO Jazz orchestra

I would like to receive/continue to receive JAZZed.

T 04 Manufacturer of musical instruments

T ZZ Other_____________

Yes T

T 05 Retailer/dealer of musical instruments

4. What is the total enrollment of your school:

T 06 Music Publisher

T A 0-500

Signature___________________________________________Date __________________

T 07 Other_________________________ 2. What is your position: (check one)

T B 501-1000

Name _____________________________________Title ___________________________

T 11 Jazz director

No T

School/Company Name ____________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________________________ City _______________________________ State ___________Zip Code ______________ Tel. (_______)______________________ Fax (_______) ___________________________

T C 1001-2000 T D Over 2000

T 12 Band director

5. Are you a:

T 13 Orchestra director

T E Public school

T 14 Choir director

T F Private school

T 15 Assistant director

T G Private teacher

T 16 Music teacher/instructor

6. Total number of music students:__________

T 17 Owner/executive T 20 Other______________________

Email_____________________________________________________________________ Web site __________________________________________________________________

www.jazzedmagazine.com

JAZZed July 2008 55

AdIndex Company J.J. Babbitt Co. Inc. Benedetto Chord/Scale Mastery Claude Lakey Mouthpieces Cuyahoga Community College DANSR, Inc. EM-BEE Ideas Five Towns College John Fedchock Jupiter Band Instruments Jupiter Band Instruments Mack Avenue Records Inc Superscope Technologies New Horizons Tour & Travel New Horizons Tour & Travel Pacific Coast Jazz Pearl Corp.

PM Woodwind, Inccts Pro Winds Sher Music Co. Stromberg Guitars The New School for Jazz Vic Firth, Inc. Vic Firth, Inc.

Email/Web

Page #

www.jjbabbitt.com

23 51 18 47 33 cov 2

www.keithfelch.com www.claudelakey.com www.tri-c.edu www.dansr.com www.embeeideas.com www.ftc.edu www.johnfedchock.com www.jupitermusic.com www.jupitermusic.com www.mackavenue.com www.superscopetechnologies.com www.nhtt.com www.nhtt.com www.pacificcoastjazz.com www.pearldrum.com www.pjlamusc.com www.prowinds.com www.shermusic.com www.strombergguitars.com www.jazz.newschool.edu www.VicFirth.com www.VicFirth.com

35 38 11 5 28 13 1 cov 3 18 cov 4 52 39 50 13 18 17

Reserve your copy of the new Third Edition

Student’s Guide to College Music Programs Listing more than 1,300 Music Colleges and Universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Plus “What’s Expected of Incoming Freshmen,” “Tips for the College Audition,” and “How to Obtain Financial Aid.” The Guide is a valuable resource for high school music and guidance departments.

This limited edition Guide is offered to SBO readers at a special $5 discount.

Regular price is $19.95

This Offer Only

$14.95 Including shipping and handling.

Order today: Email mprescott@symphonypublishing.com or Call Melanie Prescott at 800-964-5150 ext. 24 to reserve your copy 56 JAZZed July 2008

8ViX] i]Z K^WZ d[ FjVa^in LdgaY XaVhh bjh^X ZYjXVidgh `cdl i]Vi cdi]^c\ V[[ZXih i]Z VYkVcXZbZci d[ V ?Voo hijYZci Vh i]Z VXXZhh id V fjVa^in ^chigjbZci# 6YVbh d[[Zgh V hZaZXi^dc d[ * K^WgVe]dcZh [ZVijg^c\ [jaa ]Z^\]i VY_jhibZci VcY V X]d^XZ d[ ( iVh` heZX^ÒX [gVbZh ^cXajY^c\ i]Z gj\\ZY Vaa"iZggV^c :cYjgVcXZ ;^ZaY ;gVbZ# :kZgn hijYZci YZhZgkZh I]Z HdjcY d[ FjVa^in! dcan [gdb 6YVbh#

HiZkZ =dj\]idc ^h Vc ^ciZgcVi^dcVaan gZcdlcZY ?Voo YgjbbZg VcY eZgXjhh^dc^hi l^i] dkZg &%% gZXdgY^c\h id ]^h XgZY^i# =Z ^h Vahd Vc 6hhdX^ViZ Egd[Zhhdg d[ EZgXjhh^dc VcY ?Voo Vi >cY^VcV Jc^kZgh^in VcY dc [VXjain Vi i]Z =Zcgn BVcX^c^ >chi^ijiZ# =Z ^h Vc Vji]dg d[ bdgZ i]Vc (% ZYjXVi^dcVa Wdd`h! k^YZdh VcY YkYh#

6K"& 6gi^hi 8aVhh^X ( DXiVkZ ;(";+

IdcZ L^i]dji 8dbegdb^hZ EZVga d[[Zgh i]Z bdhi Y^kZghZ hZaZXi^dc d[ YgjbhZih [dg i]Z XdciZbedgVgn ?Voo hijYZci# ;gdb i]Z kVajZ"eVX`ZY ;dgjb HZg^Zh! id djg aZ\ZcYVgn BVhiZgh HZg^Zh! Vaa [ZVijgZ djg HHI HjeZg^dg H]Zaa IZX]cdad\n i]Vi egdk^YZh ZmigZbZ higZc\i]! dei^bVa gZhdcVcXZ VcY hjeZg^dg idcZ# HZZ Vaa d[ i]Z ZmX^i^c\ ZYjXVi^dcVa egdYjXih [gdb EZVga VcY 6YVbh Vi lll#eZVgaYgjb#Xdb#

l l l # e Z V g a Y g j b # X d b 6YVbh ^chigjbZcih VgZ egdjYan Y^hig^WjiZY ^c i]Z J#H# Wn EZVga 8dgedgVi^dc

BVhiZgh HZg^Zh H]dlc ^c &'- K^ciV\Z HjcWjghi