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Jazz - it's time....


Dave Bryce

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I'm not much of a jazz player. Never have been. Don't get me wrong - I quite like listening to jazz...but just never got around to playing it much. I've been making a joke for many years that I'm saving jazz (and wine) for my old age...

 

Apparently, that time is here.

 

I've recently landed a gig which requires that I be able to play some nice jazzy piano. Rather than just memorize, I figure I may as well try to get a better handle on this stuff. Luckily, I'm friends with Jeff Lorber, and he's agreed to give me a few lessons to get me started. That should help some.... :cool:

 

Guess I have to start frequenting the reharm thread now... :eek:

 

dB

 

 

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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Your OP is is both :laugh: and :cool: dB.

 

Good luck and have fun. I'm sure you don't need it, and I'm sure you will. Also, keep us posted on your progress and the gig in general.

 

:thu:

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I think I have every one of his records/cds. I've always loved him and his producing chops. no one like him. Those bass parts he comes up with...damn...and he prolly just wings 'em.

I'm actually working on exactly one of those right now - little blues thing in Bb. Killer bass line.

 

db, is the gig solo or in a combo setting?

Combo.

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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Yeah, please let him know his KB interview a while back was great, and he was very cool in the Rhodes documentary.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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DB,

 

Jeff is a gifted teacher, so you are a lucky guy. I studied with him many years ago and got a lot out of it. He started me on "Now's the time" by Charlie Parker and it really got excited about Bop.

 

Jeff provides practical instruction that you can apply at the gig that night, which is awesome IMHO.

Peace

 

 

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Dave,

 

I started over 20 years ago. Studying Jazz was the best thing I ever did. I can play solo piano gigs now or casuals and can probably attempt duo and trio work if I put my mind to it. It really enhances your musicality for all modern forms because it really is the mother (or father) of a lot modern music IMO.

LB

 CP-50, YC 73,  FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122

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Jazz seems to be the music equivalent of golf where musos "decide to pick it up" later in life. :laugh:

 

Nonetheless, I wish dB all the best in getting up to speed. Of course, having access to a great teacher reduces the learning curve. :cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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Do yourself a favor and pickup Mark Levine's "Jazz Piano". A great Austin player named Red Young recommended it to me a couple years ago and it's since caught me up to speed in the language of Jazz. Very methodical and understandable. Of course, the best way to get better at "Jazz" is to listen to it. All the time. There is no substitute.
atomicfunkproject.com
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Congrats on the gig, and good luck. Jeff Lorber is a talented guy, that's excellent that you have him as a teacher & friend. He has his own sound/style.

 

You've got your work cut out for you, I think! I've been working on playing jazz for the last 40 years, and still have much to learn. But then again, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, as they say.

 

 

 

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Do yourself a favor and pickup Mark Levine's "Jazz Piano". A great Austin player named Red Young recommended it to me a couple years ago and it's since caught me up to speed in the language of Jazz. Very methodical and understandable. Of course, the best way to get better at "Jazz" is to listen to it. All the time. There is no substitute.

+1 :thu: I was about to recommend the same thing! If that book doesn't bring you up to speed nothing will.

Instrumentation is meaningless - a song either stands on its own merit, or it requires bells and whistles to cover its lack of adequacy, much less quality. - kanker
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What do you guys think of Levine's "Jazz Theory Book" in comparison to his "Jazz Piano Book"? There appears to be a bit of overlap, but so far, I think "Theory" is a bit better written.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Do yourself a favor and pickup Mark Levine's "Jazz Piano". A great Austin player named Red Young recommended it to me a couple years ago and it's since caught me up to speed in the language of Jazz. Very methodical and understandable. Of course, the best way to get better at "Jazz" is to listen to it. All the time. There is no substitute.

+1 :thu: I was about to recommend the same thing! If that book doesn't bring you up to speed nothing will.

 

Great great book. Certainly my gateway into jazz playing. BUT, the book lacks in one area:

 

He doesn't teach you how to stitch a jazz line together. Nor does he dive into the idiosyncracies of bebop playing and explore that kind of vocabulary. So it's not an end all and be all.

 

That said, I repeat: damn good book.

 

Another great one: Metaphors for the Musician

 

But it depends how far down this rabbit hole dB wants to go.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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I started my Jazz journey relatively late in life, at the ripe old age of 25. :) Found two excellent teachers that changed my life-Terry Trotter and Charlie Shoemake. Here I am, still chipping away at it, 33 years later. The old adage holds true here-the more I think I know, the more I know there's way more stuff to work on. It never ends. Miss a day or two and it's like-"What is this thing called jazz"... ;)

 

Best of luck with it all Dave.

 

Hey there Mr. Whitehouse, hope all's well. :wave:

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Dave, it's an admirable thing when someone challenges himself to grow. And progress is so much easier when you already like what you're pursuing.

 

Re: 'playing for years' vs. 'just starting out', I felt like I was playing at it for the first few years.

 

The old saying "it's the journey, not the destination" applies. So have fun with it and best of luck on the journey! :thu:

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