The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide [Paperback] Review

The prolific Yanow has outdone even himself with this book, which in many respects lives up to its title.But I would distrust any quick review claiming that it's the kind of book that can't be put down.It's above all a reference book, encyclopedic in its scope, jam packed with concise verbal portraits (the towering Bing Crosby gets almost a single page, or about as much as the somewhat less famous Ben Sidran).Often Yanow's judgments strike the reader as on the mark, and when they don't, he compensates with information that is nonetheless fascinating and useful.The book is also an invaluable source of quotations, since the author has included numerous interviews of the artists themselves.

Opinions about singers are perhaps held more strongly by more people than opinions about other musicians.Who hasn't taken a shower with Frank Sinatra or Peggy Lee?Many of us who don't know better think of ourselves as singers.So an author of a book about jazz singers is bound to hit discordant notes with more than a few readers--why isn't a "pure" jazz mainstreamer like Etta Jones represented more fully (no, not Etta James)? Her recorded career extends from 1945 to October 2001, when she died on the day of the release of her Billie Holiday tribute. Why aren't Johnny Mandell and Shirley Horn, arguably the most memorable team since Sinatra and Riddle, afforded more space?Additionally, anyone who writes about singers is burdened with the task of sorting through not merely all of the candidates but, given the sometimes radical changes, over time, in vocal timbre and breath support, the numerous "personae" of any one of them (besides the controversy that a Billie Holiday can arouse, there's the other one about her Benny Goodman days vs. her Lady in Satin period).Then there's the question of the criteria that might disqualify an undeniably indelible voice such as Nancy LaMott's--for some of us there's enough jazz sensibility balancing the cabaret approach to justify if not require her inclusion.

Yanow ultimately invites readers to make their own calls, and hopefully his book will provoke them to do so.As often as I've challenged one of those CD anthologies--the Ultimate Art Tatum, etc.--it's led me to deeper and more concentrated explorations of an artist's work.And Yanow's book is practically guaranteed to confront the reader with the names of numerous heretofore unknown, unfamiliar performers while omitting a few along the way (I could easily list a dozen impressive female jazz vocalists whose CDs have arrived at my doorstep in the last several years--but apparently not at the author's).All the same, the author clearly has heard considerably more than most of us, and the book is guaranteed to motivate the reader to start listening more comprehensively and seriously.

Listeners looking for more of an "essay" on the subject may wish to check out Will Friedwald's "Jazz Singing," as noteworthy for the author's felicitous prose style as his occasionally acrimonious judgments (heaven help the singer who, above all, doesn't swing).Readers looking for a book similar to Yanow's but considerably less ultimate, or comprehensive, could get their feet wet (with no attendant damage) by picking up Max Morath's "NPR Listener's Guide to Pop Standards," in which the author includes emphasis on the messengers as well as the medium.One warning: if you're not a Sinatra fan, probably best to steer clear of all books on jazz singing, and the same holds true if, like some, you've become impatient with the ballad ever since Old Blue redefined it, leaving enough space between beats to allow the listener enough time to reflect upon the meaning of his entire existence.

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Product Description:
The Jazz Singers is an overview of the great vocalists who have sung jazz. By drawing on original interviews conducted exclusively for this book, along with Scott Yanow's extensive knowledge, The Jazz Singers offers fresh and insightful information in its 521 main entries. Other features include a historical overview, a section on jazz vocal groups, and a comprehensive survey of jazz in film.

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Easy Jazz Standards: Lee Evans Arranges (Evans Piano Education) [Paperback] Review

The important thing here is the "Lee Evans arranges" bit.

The arrangements *are* easy, there are no tenths in the left hand or lightning fast runs in the right and they fit the hand nicely.

The harmonies are not extreme, they are simple but not "simplistic". In other words everything is standard but carefully harmonized for maximum effect with minimum notes.

Here's an example from Nightingale sang in Berkerly Square: the cadence of the title phrase: bars 9 and 10:

1Maj7 V1 11 1V-V7 1

(followed by a single bar of sort of AMaj-BMaj-Ab-Bb magic that links back to the start of the theme (in Eb) - all done with single notes in the base and single or double notes in the RH)

Then it takes off with "classic-melodic-standard" Lee Evans development that any professional would be glad to play in a cocktail bar (meant in a good sense - I like this sort of thing) before finally returning to the last cadence in from 5th bar from the end but this time he *varies* the left hand to this:-

RH (same as above)

LH

bar (end - 5) all quater notes in block chords
G,Ab,G,Gb
Bb,B#,C,Gb

next bar first two beats 8th notes, last beat 8th notes (Bb is last note)
C,G#,F#,Eb,D,Eb
F,,,,,,Bb

next (last three) bar(s)
Eb arpeggio etc to end.

Pure Magic.

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Product Description:
14 superb easy solos including: 'Angel Eyes,' 'No Moon At All,' 'Here's That Rainy Day,' and more.

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Jazz Piano Voicings Skill [Paperback] Review

When my teacher recommended I buy this book, I found not too many people know about it. It was hard to find. That's too bad, this is really a great book.

This book is basically a collection of piano voicings for many different types of chords, in all keys. There's not too much explanation, just the guidelines so we can use the exercises properly and learn how to voice open chords. This is not a Chord Dictionary, it's about how to voice chords. You must know how to read music to benefit from this.

If you are a beginner at jazz piano, this is a great tool to learn open chords.

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Product Description:
Jazz Piano Voicing Skills by Dan Haerle. APPLICABLE FOR ALL INSTRUMENTS. A graded course on piano voicing skills, starting with simple block chords over Major and Minor and logically and methodically progressing into more exotic and advanced polychords and substitutions. Includes 123 skills in all twelve keys, designed to initiate a feel and understanding of piano voicings and how they work. Each new chapter includes a page of concise instructions for the teacher or the student. Works well for both classroom or individual study. The 156 spiral bound pages allow the book to open fully and easily on your keyboard music rack

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Hard Bop: Jazz Piano Solos Series [Paperback] Review

Somehow they managed to simplify the arrangements so that they still sound professional, but not so tricky that onlya gifted few can play them. I have many sheet music transcriptions of Bill Evan, Chick Corea, Mehegan jazz studies, etc that I purchased over the years, but most are so technically challenging that you can forget about getting in a relaxed groove, so I ended up just playing some playable classical sheet music from time to time to keep in practice. But this jazz piano series of Hal Leonard has really filled a need, in my opinion.

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Product Description:
16 jazz classics from the '50s and '60s, including: Airegin (Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis) * The Champ (Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith) * Giant Steps (John Coltrane, Tommy Flanagan) * I Remember Clifford (Lee Morgan, Dizzy Gillespie) * Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (Cannonball Adderley, Joe Zawinul) * Song for My Father (Kenny Burrell, Horace Silver) * This Here (Bobby Timmons, Cannonball Adderly) * and more.

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Broadway by Special Arrangement: Piano Accompaniment: Jazz-style Arrangements With a Variation [Paperback] Review

These are excellent arrangements. I own the trumpet books to all 3 entries in this series and enjoy them very much. So whey only 2 stars? Where are the CDs for the piano books?? All the other books in the series come with play along CDs. When I bought these as a gift, I expected them to have the CDs as well. The books refer to the CD tracks. So, where are the discs??

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Product Description:
Each collection contains 11 songs arranged for the instrumentalist wanting to play in a jazz style -- without the need to learn to improvise. All of the books are compatible, with only minimal changes in the "variation" section to accommodate the ranges and unique characteristics of the instruments.

Titles are: Ain't Misbehavin' * My Funny Valentine * Bewitched * It's All Right with Me * Have You Met Miss Jones * My Ship * Thou Swell * All the Things You Are * Just in Time * I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face * Summertime.

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Jazz Piano Best of Bk/Cd (Signature Licks) [Paperback] Review

I don't remember exactly what I was thinking when I purchased this book, but it had something to do with learning licks and styles from accomplished jazz musicians. That is to say, I was looking for a shortcut. I'm finding out what I already suspected, however: there are no shortcuts. What this is then is a road map, with signposts giving a clear concise sampling of solos and riffs in differing styles from eleven great jazz pianists. There are some easy runs and some hard runs, and some slow songs and some fast songs, bits of fifteen different songs in all. There's no fingering marked in the text, so having an instructor to point things out will make this book more practical. The book is staple bound so it works well on the music stand. As near as I can tell, this contains only pieces of songs, so the serious musician will definitely have to have a songbook handy (but what jazz pianist doesn't already have The Real Book: Sixth Edition?). The highlight of this book is the CD that comes with it, which contains samples of the songs, usually both with a backing band and without, as well as examples of the solos at a slower pace and at speed. Fast forwarding through them and back to them is a bit of a chore (there are 94 sample tracks), but having that resource is really great, and the book includes markings for where each track is used, making the pair way more useful. There are also brief biographies of each of the musicians covered, which I think is a nice touch. In short, it is hard not to like this book and CD set. It is well thought out, well executed, interesting, and productive. No, it isn't a shortcut and you will still have to practice. (Sorry.) And though it might not fit every pianist's concept of a learning tool, it fits mine to a `T' and I will get a lot of use out of this book for quite some time.

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Product Description:
Learn the piano styles and techniques of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Errol Garner, Nat "King" Cole, Ahmad Jamal, and more with this great book/CD pack. Rizzo teaches the styles using examples from actual songs, 15 in all. Includes: Caravan * Come Rain or Come Shine * How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky) * I'll Remember April * In a Sentimental Mood * It's Only a Paper Moon * No Moon at All * On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever) * Satin Doll * Speak Low * St. Louis Blues * Stompin' at the Savoy * Take the "A" Train * There Is No Greater Love * Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away). CD includes demonstrations of each.

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The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings [Paperback] Review

The reviews here have been too harsh to this book. This book is not meant by any strech to be a replacement for the Penguin Jazz on CD Guide, but as a list and analysis of 100 very good jazz CDs it isn't bad at all. The reviews are generally insightful and informative, and the book contains a fine balance of big band, be-bop, and post-bop, with all the colours in between. (His defense of Cecil Taylor is particularly refreshing.) I might quibble with the title, but no list of 100 CDs will satisfy every reader as including all the "essentials." The main list, combined with the additional 100 CDs listed in the appendix, would provide enough listening enjoyment for a lifetime.

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