Jazz Waltz

Numberless

Numberless

Platinum Member
I've never seen this style of playing discussed around here. I'm learning to waltz this semester , right now I'm using some John Riley exercises and listening to Max Roach's jazz in 3/4 and Elvin Jones in stuff like AfroBlue and My Favorite Things.

Any recommendations, artists, websites or thoughts? I've literally just started with this, it's a little tricky to get the coordination going but my comping hand is developing nicely, the bass drum still needs a little work as it's still getting used to the new Hihat patterns.
 
Max and Elvin are a great place to start.

From a piano-trio perspective, Bill Evans always seemed to play jazz waltz with a nice feel (see Someday My Prince Will Come).

All Blues from Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue is another great example. Jimmy Cobb just being super-tasteful. Then, if you want to tackle a really burning version at a much faster tempo, check out Miles' quintet with Tony Williams on the Complete 1964 Concert My Funny Valentine + Four And More record. Tony's improvisation and approach to that tune ranks amongst my favorite drum performances.

Stanley Cowell's Effi is one of my favorite compositions and the version on Bobby Hutcherson's Patterns record is sublime. Joe Chambers on drums, just beautiful.
 
I would just pick one cymbal/hihat pattern and make it your home base; usually I just put the hihat on 2.

Also:
- Don't overplay your bass drum on 1.
- Get comfortable with dotted quarters starting on beats 1, 2, and 3. Put them on the snare, bass, or hihat, or move them around; for comping, or to enhance the feel. Hopefully some other things will follow from that.

These tunes won't ever get called, but they're inspiring to listen to:
Contemplation - McCoy Tyner/The Real McCoy/Elvin
Inchworm - John Coltrane/Coltrane/Elvin
Your Lady - Coltrane/Live at Birdland/Elvin

More standard:
Alice In Wonderland - Bill Evans/Sunday at the Village Vanguard/Paul Motian
Someday My Prince Will Come - Miles/Blackhawk/Jimmy Cobb
Up Jumped Spring - Freddie Hubbard/Backlash

Others: Black Narcissus, Bluesette, West Coast Blues

Books you might try:
New Directions in Rhythm by Joe Morello
3, 5, 7, 9, Jazz! by Joel Rothman
 
toddbishop said:
I would just pick one cymbal/hihat pattern and make it your home base; usually I just put the hihat on 2.

Also:
- Don't overplay your bass drum on 1.
- Get comfortable with dotted quarters starting on beats 1, 2, and 3. Put them on the snare, bass, or hihat, or move them around; for comping, or to enhance the feel. Hopefully some other things will follow from that.

These tunes won't ever get called, but they're inspiring to listen to:
Contemplation - McCoy Tyner/The Real McCoy/Elvin
Inchworm - John Coltrane/Coltrane/Elvin
Your Lady - Coltrane/Live at Birdland/Elvin

More standard:
Alice In Wonderland - Bill Evans/Sunday at the Village Vanguard/Paul Motian
Someday My Prince Will Come - Miles/Blackhawk/Jimmy Cobb
Up Jumped Spring - Freddie Hubbard/Backlash

Others: Black Narcissus, Bluesette, West Coast Blues

Books you might try:
New Directions in Rhythm by Joe Morello
3, 5, 7, 9, Jazz! by Joel Rothman
Click to expand...

fantastic post
..........
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the great advice. I checked out Tony in All Blue and it was siiiiick! I'm actually playing Alice in my ensemble class, so it works out great: i can practice the drum class material in the ensemble and that will help for the drum jury in May.

I got today the syncopation exercises in 3/4, they're shifted across bars so that they can fit. I'm thinking of practicing Dawson's coordination stuff with it.
 
Another really good resource for studying 3/4 and other time signatures in Jazz is John Riley's Jazz Drummer's Workshop.

I've been enjoying the book for the last 6 months and have absorbed some really nice ideas from that.
 
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