An Approach to Comping: The Essentials

A step-by-step guide to basic comping rhythms, voicings, and progressions ? as played by the masters ? that focuses on how to play (or ?comp?) behind a jazz soloist. Topics covered include: Basic rhythms and voicings for comping; 11 note-for-note transcriptions of Bud Powell, Horace Silver, Tadd Dameron, and Barry Harris comping behind the soloist; 3 modified transcriptions in the style of Red Garland, Sonny Clark, and Bobby Timmons comping behind the soloist; comping guides, rhythms, and progressions derived from the transcriptions; over 80 comping exercises aimed at getting the concepts under your fingers; plus interviews about the art of comping by Harold Mabern and Renee Rosnes. 272 pages, plus 2 CDs containing demonstrations and play-along tracks. / Methods

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

Make advanced Guitar harmonies more intuitive and effective. This inventive approach to imagining and organizing notes will expand your concept of Guitar harmony.You will be able to organize and use tensions more easilyand with greater expression whether you are soloing playing in a rhythm section or in a solo Guitar context. Practical etudes over popular chord changes will help you to understand and apply these new theoreticalconcepts.The accompanying recording includes examples and play-along tracks featuring innovative guitarists Mick Goodrick and Tim Miller along with an all-star rhythm section featuring Terri Lyne Carrington on Drums andJohn Lockwood on Bass.You will learn to: develop and apply new chord voicings using a rich palette of notes; isolate and organize the most essential notes of any chord-scale (Generic Modality Compression); view chordscales as five families of 3-note chords: triads sus4 clusters 7th no 3 and 7th no 5) to be used systematically and simultaneously; leverage this chord-scale organization to lead you to inventive harmonies; incorporatetensions more intuitively into your comping and lead lines; and use new arpeggio patterns in linear improvisation.

Method and Solos for Jump Blues Guitar 2-DVD Set-Cult figure rock & roll legend and music writer Cub Koda defined jump blues as 'an up-tempo jazz-tinged style of blues that first came to prominence in the mid- to late '40s. Usually featuring a vocalist in front of a large horn-driven orchestra or medium sized combo with multiple horns the style is earmarked by a driving rhythm intensely shouted vocals and honking tenor saxophone solos - all of those very elements a precursor to rock & roll. The lyrics are almost always celebratory in nature full of braggadocio and swagger.'Dutch recording artist and top European Guitar educator Matthieu Brandt spent a decade interviewing and studying with many of the originatorsof Jump Blues to document the style and create this essential Jump Blues course for Guitar.This 2-DVD set is presented as a methodology covering theory comping accompanist riffs horn lines arranged for Guitar and several approaches for soloing drilling down on many approaches for opening up the neck for the scales arps and riffs that are employed in swing and Jump Blues Guitar.It also ices the cake with 12 tasty solos followed by in-depth analysis of several jump blues giants such as Brian Setzer T-Bone Walker Charlie Christian Gatemouth Brown and Freddie King all of whom have their own signature sound. Accompanying vocalists and soloists is a big part of the style and is as challenging and rewarding as soloing. A sizable chunk of these DVDs is dedicated to voicings pulling off various rhythms and locking up with the rhythm section.