48 Hour Film Project

I’m currently planning to participate in the 48 Hour Film Project in Chicago with a couple friends.

Seems like this section of the website would be a good place to document any interesting plans or events that lead up to the 48HFP. Find out what happens when two teachers and a brewer-turned-photographer get together to do something they have no real experience doing.

Chick Corea Trio Transcription

There’s a new transcription added to the free jazz section of the website: a transcription of Chick Corea, John Patitucci, and Dave Weckl from the album Akoustic Band. It’s a couple choruses of “My One and Only Love” and there’s a recording of the transcription as played by...uh...a computer - which I guess is the exact opposite of the whole point of transcriptions. But, hey, you might already have the Akoustic Band album anyway, and if you don’t you can apparently get it for $50.98 on Amazon.com. Seems steep, no?

Apple.com: Producing Lilly Allen

I always enjoy an article on using software from start to finish on a project. Always a bit of an advertisement for the software but an interesting read for Logic users nonetheless. From the article:

“For synth stuff, I almost always used Logic’s ES2,” he says. I’m just so much quicker at getting what I want on ES2 than on anything else, and I always get the sound that I want. Using the random button, I found a really amazing screaming synth sound that I used both on “Everyone’s At It” and “Go Back to the Start.”

I’m on my way to check out the random button that I didn’t know existed. Nice.

Play-a-long Track Available

There’s a new play-a-long track available for the combo chart, Just a Minor Mix-up. Download it today, or send your students here download it and start practicing their improvisation over a few minor chords.

Combo Chart

There are a lot of great tunes to play in a combo format, but sometimes educators want to have a tune that’s easier to improvise on and allows the students to focus on one or two improvisational skills.

In the free jazz section of the website, a new combo chart has been added to serve just this purpose. Students will be able to focus on five minor scales and the melody is easy and follows the changes in an easy-to-understand way.

Free Big Band Chart

Band directors: take a moment to send me your name and email on the school contact page and I’ll send you a link to a free chart for your jazz band. Visit the jazz page to listen to the mp3 of Between Us, and then, hey, send me a message and you’ll get the score and parts. Nothing beats free.*

*Incidentally, I’ll protect your information and promise not to sell it to an off-shore spam company no matter how much money they throw at me. There’s a big market in the spam industry for jazz director email addresses.

Thanks for visiting!

Jazz Downloads

Visit the new free music page in the jazz section for a new solo transcription to download. It’s a fairly simple piano solo as performed by Bob Florence from the album Earth: The Bob Florence Limited Edition. Dial up the title track on the album and this is the first 12 bars of the piece. Bob Florence was a great arranger and sublime pianist. I hope you enjoy this short transcription!