Good jazz books

So, I've been through this years jazz-study auditions, and it went horribly and excruciatingly bad. It was so bad that I contemplated selling my drums and take up something else.
Anyhow, after some downtime, I've decided to not give up and study/practice even more.

So, therefore I need some books I can delve deep into, to learn the jazz language better. I need some more "headroom" as John Riley calls it, and more independence.
Any good books out there?

I failed my first audition at a prestigious university jazz program. It happens. I stuck to it and I make my living playing and teaching while guys I know who were in the program have given up and gone onto other things. Stay focussed on what you want and you'll get there.

Lots of books have been recommended, so I won't go there. Find a good mentor/teacher. Pay whatever it costs.

Listen a tonne.

Play with whoever will let you.

And remind yourself daily why you do it. Get a tattoo.
 
I failed my first audition at a prestigious university jazz program. It happens. I stuck to it and I make my living playing and teaching while guys I know who were in the program have given up and gone onto other things. Stay focussed on what you want and you'll get there.

Lots of books have been recommended, so I won't go there. Find a good mentor/teacher. Pay whatever it costs.

Listen a tonne.

Play with whoever will let you.

And remind yourself daily why you do it. Get a tattoo.

That is just swinging, man :) Love that post.....favorite quotes: "play with whoever will let you", and "get a tattoo".
Hahaha, you made my day!!
Casper
 
So I went to my drum teacher today, and played some jazz for him. He said it was good and if I practiced hard this year, I would easily get in. My biggest problems are:
1. I'm not very good at following the form aka I will miss or play too many bars if I have a solo over so and so many bars.

2. I need to start with the basics and practice a lot of ride technique, since I have a "hi-hat" hand as my teacher called. Need to be looser and have a better foundation for my chops and ideas.

3. He said I should buy The Art of Bop drumming(which I'm going to order right away).

4. Play more to playalongs and record myself more often

5. He was going to check if I could join some jazz-jams later, if I practice hard and get better.
 
A good way of starting with form based soloing is to practice smaller forms first -- fours and eights. Once you can make your way through these forms and make music while you're at it, all you need to do is to string these mini forms together to create longer solos. Each "mini form" will act as a milestone, and they will create an inner logic and organisation into your solos.
 
A good way of starting with form based soloing is to practice smaller forms first -- fours and eights. Once you can make your way through these forms and make music while you're at it, all you need to do is to string these mini forms together to create longer solos. Each "mini form" will act as a milestone, and they will create an inner logic and organisation into your solos.

great advice

I still think in 4 and 8 bar phrases

for example for a 32 bar form I'll establish an idea for the first 8 ...build on it for the middle two 8s.....(but each 8 being a new phrase in my mind).....then the last 8 I'll either bring it to crescendo or decrescendo or start quoting the melody of the tune to bring the band back in ....depending on what type of tune it is and usually somewhat singing the melody in my head the whole time

great advice Wave.....always easier on the brain to feel 8s and 4s.....plus anyone who is soloing over a form obviously has been playing long enough that they feel 4s and 8s very naturally and never have to guess where they are
 
A good way of starting with form based soloing is to practice smaller forms first -- fours and eights. Once you can make your way through these forms and make music while you're at it, all you need to do is to string these mini forms together to create longer solos. Each "mini form" will act as a milestone, and they will create an inner logic and organisation into your solos.

This is fabulous advice!
 
It's extremely important to build as big of a sound library (things heard) as possible...IOW listen, listen, listen to as much jazz music as possible. Don't underestimate how important this is. A visual artist must build a large visual library (things seen) in order to be functional as a creative artist. Same thing with a musician, just with sound instead.

The best (and cheapest, i.e. Free) source is Pandora, IMHO. The audio quality is great. Just type in a jazz drummer's name and off you go...

You can also use sites like Youtube to build a visual library of how different drummers sit and move behind the instrument. I remember the first time I saw Elvin Jones (in a youtube video) and I was shocked at how little he moved when considering the music he produced behind the kit. I always envisioned him moving quite a bit more. It effected my playing when I finally saw him play. I realized all of the leaning to one side and the silly gyrations that I imagined him doing were totally unnecessary, lol. My playing improved from that one observation.

Books are great...but they're just books. The best jazz drummers that ever lived spent most of their time watching and listening to lots of other players. You can leverage the internet to simulate that approach (lots cheaper with greater variety), in addition to the books.

Good luck, and shame on you for even thinking of giving up! :))
 
Its great to see comments about listening. My teacher asked me: Are you listening to the bass line? I told him no, I wasn't, I was just in my own world trying to keep time. He said nobody ever answered no before and I got a gold start for honesty. It was a pretty funny moment.

My favorite listening tool lately is the Blue Note Record App for the iPAd. Its all the blue note label and you can set it on random. That's how I discovered The Little Rasti by Donald Byrd.

Great stuff. I am learning how to listen and I am back in school, Jazz Studies too.

I keep asking myself, what did I get myself into? Than I practice triplets.
 
Had a bit of an epiphany. My drum teacher said that instead of thinking about playing the spang-a-lang all the time, that I should think in quarter notes instead, and everything in between is just filler. So I've just sat down and played swung quarter notes on the ride and 2 and 4 on the hi-hat while comping on the snare. It sounds so much better! I can't believe I didn't do this before.
 
Had a bit of an epiphany. My drum teacher said that instead of thinking about playing the spang-a-lang all the time, that I should think in quarter notes instead, and everything in between is just filler. So I've just sat down and played swung quarter notes on the ride and 2 and 4 on the hi-hat while comping on the snare. It sounds so much better! I can't believe I didn't do this before.

for sure ....the quarter note is what drives the band ....as I mentioned in my original post you must internalize it ......but that "filler" is indeed quite necessary not to mention a pretty integral part of the coordination involved in jazz vocabulary .

in no way am I going against what your teacher is telling you....by all means do what he says....but those skip beats will soon become important

and don't feel like you have to stick to "55" or "lang spang a lang" ...whatever you want to call it.....the ride cymbal should be a melody within itself

a lot of the post bop and more modern guys would take some of the comping patterns that you may here some of the bebop guys of the 40s and 50s play on the snare drum....and play them on the ride cymbal.....give a much less cluttered modern sound

try turning the pattern around ...try a 3 3 2 type pattern.... tie some notes.....variations are nice and add greatly to the music

check out this Ian Froman series ...there are 5 parts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svco860T110
 
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for sure ....the quarter note is what drives the band ....as I mentioned in my original post you must internalize it ......but that "filler" is indeed quite necessary not to mention a pretty integral part of the coordination involved in jazz vocabulary .

and don't feel like you have to stick to "55" or "lang spang a lang" ...whatever you want to call it.....the ride cymbal should be a melody within itself

a lot of the post bop and more modern guys would take some of the comping patterns that you may here some of the bebop guys of the 40s and 50s play on the snare drum....and play them on the ride cymbal.....give a much less cluttered modern sound

try turning the pattern around ...try a 3 3 2 type pattern.... tie some notes.....variations are nice and add greatly to the music

check out this Ian Froman series ...there are 5 parts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svco860T110

This is interesting to read. My drum teacher has worked me solely on the pad for 6 months. A few weeks ago he said: Lets sit down and play some drums. With that, he had me play the ride in a swing on 2 and 4 only. I am extremely focused on the 2 and 4, keeping it even. He doenst let me leave anything to chance. its like Paint the Fence.....
 
This is interesting to read. My drum teacher has worked me solely on the pad for 6 months. A few weeks ago he said: Lets sit down and play some drums. With that, he had me play the ride in a swing on 2 and 4 only. I am extremely focused on the 2 and 4, keeping it even. He doenst let me leave anything to chance. its like Paint the Fence.....

for someone just starting you absolutely want to take the Mr. Miyagi approach

Thaard is a pretty experienced player so I don't believe going completely to the drawing board is necessary .....quarter notes are a great place to start with the understanding that skip notes will be added shortly
 
Time Functioning Patterns by Gary Chaffee (for the triplet based jazz independence exercises, AND you can practice the previous 16th note rhythms as if they were swung 8th notes)--this stuff is very mechanical, but it can clean up coordination issues so it's easier to make music).
This, and technique patterns. I also like how he explained straight, broken time etc. Definitely would recommend an instructor, though, will save lots of precious time.
 
a little update. I'm now working through the art of bop book. It's annoyingly hard at times, but I'll make it.
 
...

Hey Thaardy, howubin? long time! Hope you are still playing your ass off.


...

playing and practising jazz, while me and my buddy finish our prog/fusion duo thingy. We're gonna record drums in July. Hired a studio and everything.
 
a little update. I'm now working through the art of bop book. It's annoyingly hard at times, but I'll make it.

stick with it my man ...you are a sick player ....you will come out on top no doubt

doing much listening ?
 
A new jazz record a day, and watching a lot of jazzdrummers on youtube

While it's good and entertaining to refresh your ears with new music, you should also consider listening to a single album for an extended time period, say, a week. Getting really intimate with a few tunes will, in my opinion, benefit you more than listening to a whole bunch of different material. As you get familiar with the performances, you start picking up new details and nuances you previously didnt'n know existed, thus giving you more enjoyment and appreciation for the music.

It's the same as with practicing: you can't work on something just for a day and expect lasting results.
 
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