Readers will discover a new perspective on Miles's working methods, as well as in in-depth, chronological understanding and analysis of the music produced from 1967 to 1991 - a period that's been both neglected and misunderstood.

    Now, jazz authority Robert O’Meally has collected the very best of Ellison’s inspired, exuberant jazz writings in this unique anthology.

    Jazz Theory Resources is a jazz theory text in two volumes. Volume I includes: review of basic theory, rhythm in jazz performance, basic tonal materials, triadic generalization, diatonic harmonic progressions and harmonic analysis, substitutions and turnarounds, common melodic outlines, and an overview of voicings. Volume II includes: modes and modal frameworks, quartal harmony, other scales and colors, extended tertian structures and triadic superimposition, pentatonic applications, coloring "outside" the lines and beyond, analysis, and expanding harmonic vocabulary. Appendices on chord/scale relationships, elaborations of static harmony, endings, composing tips and theory applications are also included.

    Jazz Theory Resources is a jazz theory text in two volumes. Volume I includes: review of basic theory, rhythm in jazz performance, basic tonal materials, triadic generalization, diatonic harmonic progressions and harmonic analysis, substitutions and turnarounds, common melodic outlines, and an overview of voicings. Volume II includes: modes and modal frameworks, quartal harmony, other scales and colors, extended tertian structures and triadic superimposition, pentatonic applications, coloring "outside" the lines and beyond, analysis, and expanding harmonic vocabulary. Appendices on chord/scale relationships, elaborations of static harmony, endings, composing tips and theory applications are also included.

    Topics covered include: selecting appropriate harmonic tensions, understanding jazz harmony, overcoming harmonic ambiguity, experimenting with unusual combinations and non-traditional alignments, and many more. The accompanying CD includes performance examples of several different arranging techniques."A no-nonsense, meat and potatoes source of basic and not-so-basic information about everything relating to jazz writing covers several courses worth of information." Kenny WernerPianist, Composer and Author of Effortless Mastery

    David Ake's vibrant and original book considers the diverse musics and related identities that jazz communities have shaped over the course of the twentieth century, exploring the many ways in which jazz musicians and audiences experience and understand themselves, their music, their communities, and the world at large. Writing as a professional pianist and composer, the author looks at evolving meanings, values, and ideals--as well as the sounds--that musicians, audiences, and critics carry to and from the various activities they call jazz. Among the compelling topics he discusses is the "visuality" of music: the relationship between performance demeanor and musical meaning. Focusing on pianists Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, Ake investigates the ways in which musicians' postures and attitudes influence perceptions of them as profound and serious artists. In another essay, Ake examines the musical values and ideals promulgated by college jazz education programs through a consideration of saxophonist John Coltrane. He also discusses the concept of the jazz "standard" in the 1990s and the differing sense of tradition implied in recent recordings by Wynton Marsalis and Bill Frisell. Jazz Cultures shows how jazz history has not consisted simply of a smoothly evolving series of musical styles, but rather an array of individuals and communities engaging with disparate--and oftentimes conflicting--actions, ideals, and attitudes.

    A pianist who ardently believed in the power of music to connect people, Tapscott was a beloved and influential character who touched many yet has remained unknown to the majority of Americans. In addition to being “his” story, Songs of the Unsung is the story of Los Angeles’s cultural and political evolution over the last half of the twentieth century, of the origins of many of the most important avant-garde musicians still on the scene today, and of a rich and varied body of music. Tapscott’s narrative covers his early life in segregated Houston, his move to California in 1943, life as a player in the Air Force band in the early fifties, and his travels with the Lionel Hampton Band. He reflects on how the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (the “Ark”), an organization he founded in 1961 to preserve and spread African and African-American music, eventually became the Union of God’s Musicians and Artists Ascension—a group that not only performed musically but was active in the civil rights movement, youth education, and community programs. Songs of the Unsung also includes Tapscott’s vivid descriptions of the Watts neighborhood insurrection of 1965 and the L.A. upheavals of 1992, interactions with both the Black Panthers and the L.A.P.D., his involvement in Motown’s West Coast scene, the growth of his musical reputation abroad, and stories about many of his musician-activist friends, including Billy Higgins, Don Cherry, Buddy Collette, Arthur Blythe, Lawrence and Wilber Morris, Linda Hill, Elaine Brown, Stanley Crouch, and Sun Ra. With a foreword by Steven Isoardi, a brief introduction by actor William Marshall, a full discography of Tapscott’s recordings, and many fine photographs, Songs of the Unsung is the inspiring story of one of America’s most unassuming twentieth-century heroes.

    This one-on-one lesson with Musicians Institute instructor Peter Deneff features 50 exercises for the beginning to professional jazz pianist, covering: angular lines, large intervals, pentatonic patterns, blues scales, irregular chromatic melodies, double-note patterns, suggested fingerings, suggestions for practice, and more. Also available by Peter Deneff - 695226 Salsa Hanon.

    But little attention has been given to his chief musical collaborator, Billy Strayhorn, who created hundreds of compositions and arrangements for his musical partner, and without whom the sound of Ellington's orchestra would have been very different. Now, in Walter van de Leur's provocative new book, Something To Live For, Billy Strayhorn steps out from Ellington's shadow and into the spotlight. Van de Leur argues that far from being merely a follower of Ellington or his alter ego, Strayhorn brought a radically new and visionary way of writing to the Ellington orchestra. Making extensive use, for the first time, of over 3,000 autograph scores, Van de Leur separates Strayhorn from Ellington, establishes who wrote what, and clearly distinguishes between their distinctive musical styles. Both Strayhorn's and Ellington's oeuvres, writes Van de Leur, though historically intertwined, nevertheless form coherent, separate musical entities, especially in terms of harmonic, melodic, and structural design. Indeed, Something to Live For allows us to see the characteristic features of Strayhorn's compositions and arrangements, his musical fingerprints, and to analyze and evaluate his music on its own terms. The book also makes clear that Strayhorn's contribution to the band was much larger, and more original, than has been previously acknowledged. Based on a decade of research and offering detailed analyses of over 70 musical examples, Something to Live For casts new light--and will surely arouse intense debate--on two of the most important composers in the history of jazz.

    Unique in its up-to-date coverage, JAZZ: THE FIRST 100 YEARS devotes a full third of its length to performers of the 1960s to the present day. The book's flexible organization and clear, interesting presentation appeal to both music majors and general students. Extensive, accessible Listening Guides tie the history of jazz music directly to the CD selections, giving newcomers and aficionados alike a true feel for the vibrant, ever-changing sound of jazz. Free with every book, the Audio Jazz Primer CD allows sudents to hear the key terms, basic music concepts, and jazz instruments discussed in the book.

    But what many people forget is that Detroit has a remarkable jazz history, which became a major influence in what came to be known as the Motown sound.Before Motown is the first book about the history of jazz in Detroit. It shows the significant impact Detroit has had on the development of jazz in America, with its own sound, distinct from that of the other jazz centers of Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, or Kansas City. Starting with the big bands in the 1920s,with groups like the McKinney's Cotton Pickers and Jean Goldkette's Orchestra, and continuing into the 1950s, Detroit experienced a golden age of modern jazz centered around clubs like the Blue Bird Inn. That jazz scene comes alive in interviews with musicians and club owners, combined with unique period photographs and advertisements. In addition, Detroit's vital jazz scene is placed in its social context, particularly within the changing relations between blacks and whites at the time.Long overdue, Before Motown tells the story of Detroit jazz as it really happened, told by the people who lived it. More importantly, it shows how life can mirror art in the most pragmatic of American cities, Detroit.Lars Bjorn is Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan, Dearborn, and the author of numerous articles and publications about jazz. Jim Gallert is Vice President of the Jazz Alliance of Michigan and a veteran jazz broadcaster. He has been involved with the Detroit jazz scene for over twenty-five years.

    Unleash the creative potential of your guitar, and express your imagination through your music! This inspiring, practical and fun approach to composing and improvising will develop your sense of dynamics, articulation, rhythm, melodic direction and musical E.S.P. Think out of the box, and journey inside this truly unique collection of creative resources for the curious guitarist. Your guitar will thank you! A wonderful book by a very special musician. Mike Stern The concepts in the book are brought to life with the accompanying 80 audio tracks for study, observation, and interactive play-along. The accompanying audio is accessed through Hal Leonard's popular MyLibrary system using the provided code. The audio can be streamed or downloaded and includes PLAYBACK+, a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys, and pan left or right.

    Woven through the chronological listing of Monk's work is the story of his rise to acceptance as one of the key pianists and composers of jazz and his decline in health and popularity to his death in 1982.Following a Prologue which attempts to summarize the career and man, the narrative discography covers Monk's entire performance career. This is followed by appendixes listing all microgroove and post-microgroove issues of Monk's performances, all known commercially produced films and videos in which Monk took part, a listing of all of his engagements from 1944 until his career petered out in the mid-1970s, and a bibliography. The work concludes with an index of the people, places, producers, and radio and television programs referred to or quoted in the main taxt, a listing of all musicians, vocalists, and broadcast presenters who took part in the recordings or who played in Monk's bands, an index of all the titles used for Monk's tunes by other musicians and vocalists, and a listing of all tunes played, together with their composers and, where relevant, lyricists. A comprehensive reference work for all scholars and other researchers involved with jazz from the 1940s onward.

    This second edition features a magnificent compilation of over 250 standards of jazz repertoire in new easy-to-read authentic hand-written jazz engravings, including: Ain't Misbehavin' * Angel Eyes * Bein' Green * Blue Skies * Brazil * Crazy He Calls Me * Desafinado (Off Key) * Fever * Good Morning Heartache * Here's That Rainy Day * How High the Moon * I Can't Give You Anything but Love * I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good * I'll Be Around * I'm Beginning to See the Light * I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face * Imagination * It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) * It's Only a Paper Moon * Just in Time * Lazy River * Midnight Sun * My Favorite Things * My Funny Valentine * Mood Indigo * Moonglow * Moon River * Old Devil Moon * People * Route 66 * Satin Doll * Sophisticated Lady * Speak Low * Star Dust * There Is No Greater Love * When Sunny Gets Blue * Witchcraft * and more.