In this episode, we feature another listener contribution. One of our faithful listeners and jazz super star, Kris, posted an awesome version of the bridge to Have You Met Miss Jones in our 10 Minute Jazz Lesson Community Facebook group a couple of weeks ago. I asked Kris if he minded me revising this composition on the show, and he obliged. We are only changing some minor things here, but I do believe that the new version is a bit more coherent and contains better voice leading (a subject we … [Read more...]

So excited to have Gary Alesbrook join us this week on the show to answer a few questions. In case you missed it, we featured Gary on episode 158 of the podcast. He was nice enough to take the time out to answer some burning questions I had for him this week and I think you're going to get a ton out of this show. Please enjoy and support Gary by visiting the following links! Visit Gary's Website! Follow Gary on Instagram! Would you like to support the creators of this podcast? If so, … [Read more...]

This month we take a look at the great jazz standard, Solar. We are trying something different this time. We are placing a pretty serious restriction on ourselves over this tune, playing in only one octave! This may be one of the most frustrating things you have ever done but it really makes you think about the material you are playing at all times. It's so easy to fall back on what we know, and that's exactly what we confront in this episode. When confining yourself to a single octave you … [Read more...]

Let's try to build a bridge between the practice room and the bandstand.... Would you like to support the creators of this podcast? If so, please head over to our Patreon page and show your love by donating $3 or more each month. You get incredible benefits and this keeps the podcast coming at you regularly. Thanks so much! … [Read more...]

Melissa Aldana is a game changing saxophonist. Her ability to have complete freedom on the horn is inspiring. This week, we bring you one chorus of the blues from Melissa that defies logic and common sense. The thing about this transcription, though, is that it might be the hippest thing I have heard in a long time. Melissa's use of intervals and rhythm is going to make you rethink the way you approach improvisation and inspire you to take the next step. Enjoy the episode and make sure you get … [Read more...]

This week continues our discussion on deep work and how to make the most out of the time you have. Enjoy! Get Deep Work by Cal Newport! Would you like to support the creators of this podcast? If so, please head over to our Patreon page and show your love by donating $3 or more each month. You get incredible benefits and this keeps the podcast coming at you regularly. Thanks so much! … [Read more...]

This week is a continuation of the important information from last week's episode. In this edition, we look at both simplifying the note choice on chords and simplifying the actual chord progression when things get difficult. The combination of these two tactics allows us to play over the most complicated and fast moving progressions with relative ease. I have seen first hand the benefits that come from this type of thinking with dozens of students over the years so make sure you get to work on … [Read more...]

The next couple of Monday episodes will focus on one of the best books I have read on the subject of completing deep, meaningful work. A requirement for every musician! Get Deep Work by Cal Newport! Would you like to support the creators of this podcast? If so, please head over to our Patreon page and show your love by donating $3 or more each month. You get incredible benefits and this keeps the podcast coming at you regularly. Thanks so much! … [Read more...]

This week is about limiting our note choice to provide more meaningful melodies and harmonic impact. Most of the time, if we try to fit the maximum amount of information into a given space, we will end up sounding contrived and like we are trying to fit information into a kind of improvisational clown car. This episode is all about creating statements that limit the notes we can use over a given chord. This frees up our minds to think about more than just the notes and clarifies our thinking. … [Read more...]

This is one of my favorite jazz standards of all time. This tune can be very intimidating due to the bridge. The topic of today's show is how to approach a tune that has a tricky section causing you to avoid it. By using a simple trick that allows you to think through difficult changes slowly, we can start to sort some of these things out in our playing. Thinking fast is essential when playing this music, but thinking slowly is also an essential part of practicing. Learning to balance the two … [Read more...]