The Harmony of Bill Evans

Par CHRISTIANSEN COREY. Bill Evans (1929-1980) is one of the highest regarded jazz pianists in the history of jazz. His harmonic and rhythmic language in combination with superb taste and technical perfection places him in a category by himself. His style of harmonization and improvisation has been an inspiration to countless pianists as well as other instrumentalists in the field of jazz. This book of original musical studies and analyses by Corey Christiansen and Per Danielsson is designed to help you develop your own personal improvising style. It presents numerous musical lines with chord symbols in the style of Bill Evans, grouped by the harmony they can be used against. The accompanying play-along CD provides a rhythm section backup for each of the exercises. To help the player master all keys, each section also has a play-along on the CD that modulates around the circle of fourths. Some of the techniques used in the style of Bill Evans are discussed and examples shown, helping musicians analyze each of the ideas presented, further insuring mastery of these ideas. When assimilated into the student's musical vocabulary, these ideas will help students create their own original jazz solos. Also available in Japanese from ATN, Inc. / Niveau : Intermédiaire / Jazz - Improvisation / Recueil / Piano

Bill Evans the pianist is a towering figure acknowledged by the Jazz world fans musicians and critics.However Bill Evans the composer has yet to take his place alongside the great Masters of composition. Therein liesthe sole purpose of writing this treatise.Evans's compositions must be studied and played. They are rich and full of wondrous invention and genius. I get much pleasure from playing Chopin Brahms et. al. From Evans I geta great deal more. His music is a synthesis of all western classical music plus the many years of Jazz.He is America's Chopin.Jack Reilly.

Harmony Singing Made Easy teaches you to sing harmony by ear. Murphy and friends Bill Evans Janet Beazley and Chris Stuart join together to sing some beautiful trios and quartets. First you hear thethree (or four) voices blending together then you hear each harmony part sung separately. You learn your part by singing along with us. We sing several songs in three different keys so no matter what your vocal range you can tryyour hand at singing the lead part. Sometimes the men (Bill Chris) take the lead; sometimes the women (Murphy Janet) take the lead. With three keys to choose from you can also find a harmony part to suit yourvoice.Along the way we offer some helpful hints such as 'What key do I sing in?' 'How do I find my harmony part?' and 'How can I get a good blend?' At the very end Murphy and Bill break out their banjos for a rousing quartetversion of 'Over in the Gloryland.' Very entertaining!If you've been wondering how to sing harmony we've made it as easy as possible. Or as we say in Virginia 'It's as easy as pie.' Read even more details on our blog.Will the Circle Be Unbroken Bury Me Beneath the Willow All the Good Times Are Past and Gone Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky Amazing Grace Over in the Gloryland

As Jack Reilly did with Volumes 1 and 2 of The Harmony of Bill Evans he now explores the harmony of Dave Brubeck through extensive writings music examples and audio examples as well. Fans of Brubeck and students of all jazz styles will find this in-depth exploration fascinating and informative. The Harmony Of Dave Brubeck includes the songs: Blues for All Brandenburg Gate The Duke Her Name Is Nancy Marble Arch Thank You (Dziekuje) The Waltz When I Was Young and more.

Noted jazz pianist, composer, recording artist and educator Andy LaVerne has drawn from his decades of experience playing with master musicians from Getz to Lovano to create this comprehensive compendium of contemporary moving voicings. Quartal, quintal, drop 2, dominant 7b9/diminished, triadic, whole tone and chromatic performance proven voicings pioneered by McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Andy himself are presented and fleshed out in all twelve keys. This book picks up where others leave off, enabling you to replace static chords with voicings that move melodically, dramatically, and gracefully over the entire range of the keyboard. Firmly rooted in contemporary jazz theory, the emphasis is on practical performance applications. Andy ties it all together with illustrations of comping choruses for five standard jazz tunes. Chords in Motion satisfies a long awaited need in actual comping situations, and shows you how to move chords through varying harmonic rhythms. FINALLY ' a book that gives you moving voicings, and sets them in motion in all twelve keys. Chords in Motion is a valuable resource for all keyboardists, arrangers, and instrumentalists. Activate, animate, and energize your comping with this encyclopedic volume. 156 pages, spiral bound for easy opening. Andy carries the flame of jazz piano tradition and just great music. He always inspires me. Chick Corea This is a great book! I am going to sit down and play through this!! I am always telling my non-piano playing students how important it is to work with (and internalize) the sounds that we live with all our lives as Jazz musicians. Coltrane spent years sitting at the piano and so should all of us!!! John Patitucci Berklee College of Music One thing about Andy'he is complete as can be and has been consistently so for years in both his teaching materials and playing. He is completely knowledgeable in such a way that when I play with him, I know he KNOWS!! Plus he is one of the smoothest and polished of players around. Great book'encyclopedic in content. Dave Liebman Founder, Artistic Director, International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ) I've played and recorded with Andy LaVerne many times over the years and in many different settings and he's always come up with the hippest, most interesting chords in the most musical way! His way of playing and looking at chords inspires me as a drummer and his rhythm section partner to play things that are in turn inspiring to the rest of the band. This book, helps musicians, understand, in a clear thoughtful presentation, how to go about getting this together. Billy Drummond Jazz Drummer, Educator, Juilliard, NYU Chords in Motion is an outstanding and comprehensive guide by Andy LaVerne, whose encyclopedic knowledge, decades of experience and brilliance as a performer and educator make this an invaluable handbook of modern jazz piano harmony. Its user-friendly, intelligent design enables musicians to expand their harmonic palette and potentially transform their playing, writing and arranging. Chords in Motion is an invaluable contribution to jazz musicians! Lynne Arriale Jazz Pianist, Composer, Educator, Associate Professor of Jazz Piano, Director of Small Ensembles, University of North Florida Chords in Motion is exactly the book I'd expect from Andy LaVerne. It's clear, openhearted and inspiring, as has been every conversation I've had with Andy over the years. Long a fan of his playing, I have enjoyed this look behind the curtain at how Andy LaVerne formulated his signature style. One other thing -- any pianist, no matter his/her approach, will gain insight into what will surely be new and exciting musical directions. Pete Malinverni Jazz Pianist, Educator, Director of Jazz Studies, SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Music What a great resource for expanding the harmonic palette! Chords in Motion is a must have for the aspiring young jazz pianist as well as the seasoned veteran. Another winner from Andy! Paul Schmeling Jazz Pianist, Educator, Chair Emeritus, Piano Department, Berklee College of Music In Chords in Motion, I recognize chords and sounds that have inspired me to compose and play: harmony from the music of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner. This book is well organized, and from the beginning gets you playing. Each chord structure is explained and developed. There is plenty to practice. I especially like the exercises using contrary motion, arpeggiation and pivot, and the application to tunes. The reader will be tempted to stop on every page and compose. I found the Lost Chord, but won't tell you the page number. Bert Ligon Jazz Pianist/Guitarist, Composer, Arranger, Educator, Director of Jazz Studies, University of South Carolina Ever wonder how to move harmony around instead of repeating the same chord voicing over and over' Then Chords in Motion is a must have book for you! Andy has included a ton of information that will open up your comping and should keep you busy with new ideas for a long time! I highly recommend it! Dan Haerle Jazz Pianist, Composer, Author, Educator, Professor Emeritus, University of North Texas Chords in Motion is an essential guide to expanding one's conception of modern Jazz Piano Harmony. Andy LaVerne has managed to outline in a very practical and concise way, modern principles of piano chord voicings, as they pertain to the Jazz Pianist's primary group function of comping. David Hazeltine Jazz Pianist, Composer, Educator, SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Music Chords in Motion should be fun to take into the practice room to explore new ways of sustaining harmonies over the entire register of the piano. It is encyclopedic and thorough in its content. No stone is left unturned! Stephany Tiernan Pianist, Composer, Educator, Chair, Piano Department, Berklee College Of Music Chords In Motion is an excellent practicing resource that provides a garden of harmonic sonorities for a musician to choose and explore at the piano. I like the way that Andy has made the information accessible to any level of student. I look forward to discovering some different sounds with this book. Phil DeGreg Jazz Pianist, Author, Educator, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music I am delighted to recommend Andy LaVerne's Chords In Motion to aspiring jazz pianists! Andy is a superb pianist, very capable of addressing this topic. Prior to pianists like McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, and others, most pianists were content to have acquired a small handful of chord voicings, generally with the chord roots on the bottom of the voicings. Though 'rootless voicings' were adopted in later years, they were primarily for the left hand and generally only used the 3rd or 7th on the bottom. But now the serious jazz pianist needs to be able to move his or her voicings in a more diatonic manner, as shown in Andy's book. Jerry Coker Jazz Saxophonist, Author, Educator Andy LaVerne's Chords in Motion is a study of encyclopedic scope on the use of harmonies based on fourth intervals in the context of jazz harmony. There is a wealth of information in terms of voicings, voice leading and chord/scale relationships and their application to common harmonic formulae (ii-V, etc.) and the chord progressions used in blues and common standard tunes. Jazz musicians interested in this vocabulary should find this book to be a useful launching pad for exploring this important corner of the world of jazz harmony. Bill Dobbins Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger, Author, Educator, Professor of Jazz Studies, Conductor, Coordinator Jazz Composition and Arranging, Eastman School of Music Chords in Motion is a highly detailed, informative and filling-in-the-gap text. It's an important and welcome addition to the jazz piano literature, which can be applied to any level of proficiency. Stefan Karlsson Jazz Pianist, Educator, Professor/Jazz Studies Division, University of North Texas Fantastic pianist Andy LaVerne has put together an amazing, detailed, and incredibly comprehensive guide for effectively implementing quartal and related voicings. He has honed in on the 'secret' to using these structures musically and creatively: moving the voicings through changes in logical and interesting ways. Clearly presented, extremely thorough, and loaded with information, Chords in Motion is a must-have for any pianist! Martin Bejerano Jazz Pianist, Composer, Educator, Assistant Professor, Jazz Piano, Frost School of Music University of Miami Chords in Motion is an in-depth look at fourth and related voicings that give an atmosphere that you want to improvise on. We play over the voicing, not the chord symbol. Chords in Motion targets that modal atmosphere that horn players love playing over. Love this book - can't wait to start practicing it! Jerry Bergonzi Jazz Saxophonist, Composer, Author, Educator, New England Conservatory I was thrilled when Jazz Piano Great Mulgrew Miller agreed to write a quote for this book. I was deeply saddened to hear of Mulgrew's passing just days before publication. All who loved Mulgrew and his music will sorely miss him, and are grateful for the rich musical legacy he left us. Rest easy, Mulgrew. Andy LaVerne