Noted jazz pianist,
composer, recording
artist and educator Andy
LaVerne has dra
(+)
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