Jamey Aebersold Presents: Notable Product Upgrades!
The Jamey Aebersold play-along recordings have been available since 1967 and have been the standard for jazz education improvisation practice and study ever since with 133 play-along CD volumes available. This library of CD recordings represent a vast repertory of major jazz luminaries (Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, etc.) plus many instructional volumes covering ii-V-I progressions, turnarounds, cycles, and commonly used chord progressions with a variety scale choices and much more. Jamey’s pioneering library of play-alongs has stimulated the entire jazz play-along market. Aebersold recently announced the good news that several albums have been upgraded by including a second CD with slower tempos so students can progress by practicing individual tracks initially at slower tempos with expectations of progressing to the original faster tempos CD. This makes much sense since the slower tempos of selected volumes have been cherry-picked to accommodate performers who need more time to matriculate to the original, faster tempos which results in more productivity and use than originally published. Below are some volumes that are particularly enhanced for extended practice with an additional CD with slower tempos for all tracks.
Volume 1: How To Play Jazz and Improvise
Volume 6: Charlie Parker (All Bird)
Volume 14: Benny Golson
Volume 16: Jazz Turnarounds, Cycles & II-V7s now has four CD’s instead of the original two CD set
Volume 17: Horace Silver
Volume 18: Horace Silver
Volume 36: Bebop & Beyond
Note: the second CD of slower tempos included in these book/2CD sets are also available separately for those wishing to upgrade their old single-CD sets they may have previously purchased.
But the upgrading doesn’t stop there. Volume 2: Nothing But Blues has added five new tracks that comprise Blues tunes. But that’s not all because there are abundant pertinent instructional headings that students can gleam much from:
Playing the Blues by Jamey Aebersold
Observations on the Blues
Soloing considerations by Jamey Aebersold
Nomenclature of chords and scales
Pertinent comments to the volume
Preparatory exercises
Typical Blues licks
Major, minor & dominant 7th scales in treble & bass clef
Simple piano voicings for Blues in F, G, Bb & C
Piano voicings: II-V7-I
Historically significant recordings
Bass line construction
All Jamey Aebersold play-alongs provide the melody for tunes plus all chord and scale spellings for each track in concert key, Bb, Eb, and bass clef.
Another volume that has had a significant upgrade is Volume 3: The II-V7-I Progression.
It now has a second CD with II-V7-I tracks in all 12 keys plus several other tracks. Again, there are some excellent editorial sections dealing with the CD demonstration tracks #9 through #12, including the description for each track, where to use the BeBop scale, an extended scale syllabus, and soloing considerations that makesthis volume streamlined for more productive practicing. Since mastery of the II-V7-I progress is so fundamental for jazz improvisation, this CD is an absolute must for intermediate through advanced-level improvisers. When considering that the companion booklet is 100 pages, this volume is a best buy for taking a play-along volume far beyond its tracks with so much appropriate instructional materials to make the volume even more valuable. Resulting that these instructional materials help to make this volume so easy to understand and inspiring for all musicians wishing to explore the secrets of jazz improv.
Last but not the least is Volume 1: How To Play Jazz and Improvise.
This volume has been translated into seven languages because of its popularity. Its booklet is the largest at 104 pages contains more text supported instructional explanations than any of Jamey’s other Volumes in his extensive library. The topics covered are extensive pedagogically
Articulations
Beats 1 and 3 are important
Beginning to improvise for the first time
Blues scale and is use
Check list for improvising
Developing creativity
Chromaticism
Circle of Fourths
Ear training
Eight-note exercises and swing and much, much more
Patterns and licks
Points to keep in mind when improvising
Right Brain
Left Brain
Tension or relaxation
What does “to hear” really mean?
This first CD includes has the blues in Bb and F, four dorian minor tracks, four-measure cadences, cycle of dominants, 24-measure song, II/V7 in all keys and , Jamey Aebersold playing exercises from the book (hear the master clinician demonstrate exactly how it’s done). This is noteworthy since this play-along volume is the most widely used improvisation method on the market! And now with a second CD featuring slower tempos, this volume is a winner for entry level improvisers.