Pianist/composer, and arranger Andy Jaffe has been active in jazz education on both sides of the Atlantic for over twenty years. He is the author of over one hundred original compositions, ranging from 32-bar songs to works for piano duo and various other jazz ensembles, large and small. As an award-winning jazz composer, his compositions for sextet, such as those recorded on his CD “Manhattan Projects,” are his best known.

The 20 exercises and 25 etudes in this book are intended to help in the development of the basic concepts of jazz style, phrasing, rhythms and progressions. It is excellent as a supplement to lesson material of for daily warm-up and practice.

Although it will be of primary interest to those who are engaged in composition themselves, this book is also recommended for readers who may wish to gain further insight into just what makes jazz composition so different from traditional approaches.

Methods of Composition, Improvisation and Practice.
This was definitely worth my time as Mr. Corea casually but effectively lays out and demonstrates his attitude and actual process that he uses to compose, improvise and practice his original jazz, taking it from a riff all the way through to getting it down on paper, playing it solo and then working it out with a trio. He makes it look so easy!

Create arrangements with texture and style with this complete guide to arranging for large horn sections! Now, for the first time, learn the same jazz ensemble arranging techniques taught by renowned Berklee College of Music faculty, and studied by the best and brightest arrangers working today. While the book focuses on classic big band and jazz styles, the core information about horn harmony and arranging can be used for any style, from hip-hop to ska. Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble includes all the information you need when creating horn charts, fueling and inspiring you with the charts of esteemed Berklee professors Jeff Friedman, Ted Pease, Scott Free, Greg Hopkins and Bill Scism. The play-along CD includes more than 60 demo tracks and arrangements written in the style of masters such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Gil Evans, and performed by Berklee faculty. Covers: writing and voicing techniques; soli, background and shout choruses; special effects; creating your own style; and more.

This book should be seen as a method to help the artist to develop his or her own way when trying to improvise chromatically. Through the concepts and examples offered, the improvisor should be able to use this material alongside already familiar tonal ideas. Specifically, the book serves as a guide for organizing chromaticism into a coherent musical statement meant to satisfy both the intellectual and emotional needs of artistic creation. The reader will be introduced to more than one way of conceiving chromatic lines and harmonies. There is nothing theoretically complex or new in the text, it is the organization of the material as well as many musical examples and transcriptions (Bach, Scriabin, Coltrane, Shorter, Hancock, Beirach, Liebman a.o.) which should serve to inspire musicians to expand their usual diatonic vocabulary. This book also provides insight into the style of playing that David Liebman is known for. In addition the book contains 100 assorted solo lines and 100 chord voicings.

Die Serie >>Clarinet Plus!<< bietet dem Spieler das Klarinetten-Repertoire in professioneller Form. Playbacks von erfahrenen Profis eingespielt in Verbindung mit einem ubersichtlichen Notenbild machen diese Serie unvergleichlich. Viel Spa?!

If you enjoyed Vol 1, you'll like Vol 2 as well. Oskar Staniloi is a great jazz clarinetist and the recording is very well done. The page breaks (or the lack thereof) are annoying but otherwise this is a solid compilation and fine edition. I hope the series will continue to evolve - it really helps building a repertory!

The sound quality of the play-along accompaniment is excellent. The actual arrangements vary in quality in that sometimes there is a little German cheesiness a la James Last. It depends on the song. At the same time, these extended arrangements have been written out in full so that a learning player like myself with, at present, very limited improvisational skills, can start to gradually get into the whole thing. Definitely not beginner material. I strongly suggest going to the super Dux Edition website where you can hear sound samples from all of their play along products, including their ten volume popular song collections.(All available from Sheet Music Plus in the States)Do not attempt to purchase directly from Germany, however, because these editions are extremely expensive when ordered from there.

They dont call it "hot guitar" for nothing! The driving style pioneered by Django Reinhardt and other Gypsy players became one of the dominant sounds in jazz during the thirties and forties, and its influence is still strongly felt today. Paul Mehling knows the style as well as anyone, and he takes it apart in detail for the learning player.

A great collection of 39 contemporary instrumental pieces arranged for piano solo. Includes: Angel's Flight * Anne's Song * Barcelona * Cast Your Fate to the Wind * Chariots of Fire * Cristofori's Dream * A Day Without Rain * First Kiss * Flowers on the Water * Gone * Lullaby * Madrona * The Memory of Trees * Return to the Heart * The Steamroller * Sunshine Canyon * The Velocity of Love * Watermark * and more.

Piano solo selections from the haunting score by Oscar-nominated composer Alexandre Desplat. Desplat is highly regarded and the winner of numerous awards including 2008's "Film Score of the Year" and "Best Original Score for a Drama Film" by the International Film Critics Association for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, winner of the 2007 Golden Globe for "Best Original Score" for The Painted Veil, and two-time Academy Award Nominee (The Queen and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). With even more anticipation, a growing fan base, and an award-winning/critically-acclaimed composer, Twilight: New Moon Score is a must-have companion to the movie experience.