Jazz Standards

PrietoBass · #1 12-27-2009, 12:05 PM

Hello there Todd,

I continue working through your tech builders and walking bass lines DVDs. Now that I have a better understanding of what a walking bass line is, and as my proficiency increases I have recently started going through some lines on the Latin Bass Book.

I also plan to start working through the Jazz Standards (Real Books). I have the 5th edition (bass version) and plan to order version 6, Vols I & II from Amazon. I'm wondering if anybody (Leonard? who?) has the recorded versions of the standards in one or two set CDs. If I can turn off the bass line so that I can follow along myself that would be even better.

Any leads?

Thx!

Jim Campbell · #2 12-27-2009, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrietoBass

Hello there Todd,

I continue working through your tech builders and walking bass lines DVDs. Now that I have a better understanding of what a walking bass line is, and as my proficiency increases I have recently started going through some lines on the Latin Bass Book.

I also plan to start working through the Jazz Standards (Real Books). I have the 5th edition (bass version) and plan to order version 6, Vols I & II from Amazon. I'm wondering if anybody (Leonard? who?) has the recorded versions of the standards in one or two set CDs. If I can turn off the bass line so that I can follow along myself that would be even better.

Any leads?

Thx!

aebersold books/.cd's are able to be played with the bass panned off on or in between

Ed Fuqua · #3 12-27-2009, 03:35 PM

You can also use Band in a Box to program the changes. No one has really done a "play along" to the Real Book, there's a guy who has some serious copyright infringement on both the written compositions and original recordings (he's taking money for them, but not passing any of that money along to the owners of the IP. And if you think that's some faceless record company, Horace Silver owns the publishing rights to all of his music).

Are there any actual live musicians that you can play with? aebersold and BinaB are acceptable substitutes, but nothing beats live musicians. JazzTimes, Downbeat, JazzImprov all publish a yearly issue that lists jazz camps around the country (and some international ones), that's a good start.

Todd Johnson · #4 12-27-2009, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrietoBass

Hello there Todd,

I continue working through your tech builders and walking bass lines DVDs. Now that I have a better understanding of what a walking bass line is, and as my proficiency increases I have recently started going through some lines on the Latin Bass Book.

I also plan to start working through the Jazz Standards (Real Books). I have the 5th edition (bass version) and plan to order version 6, Vols I & II from Amazon. I'm wondering if anybody (Leonard? who?) has the recorded versions of the standards in one or two set CDs. If I can turn off the bass line so that I can follow along myself that would be even better.

Any leads?

Thx!

A few suggestions:

Play alongs.....Great, absolutley.....

My good friend Jim Stinnett has a BUNCH of great play alongs at http://www.jimstinnett.com/cds.html Scroll around and find what you need. Tell Jim I sent you!!

Jamey Aebersold has a ton of stuff too....

Band in a Box works....that's a good resource also.

But I would TOTALLY recommend getting recordings of the actual songs....the "original" or the most popular version whenever possible. Play along with those....transcribe them....LEARN THE BASS LINES OFF THE RECORDS....this is the REAL stuff.

Then go back and practice with the play alongs.....

It's really a "balance" of "all of the above". Try not to neglect any part.

I hope this makes sense!!

Cool?? Cool....

PrietoBass · #5 01-04-2010, 06:52 PM

Thx fellas! I've been spending some time with Transcribe!, so it'll be that from the original (or most popular) recordings and the play-alongs.

I'll take a look at BBox.

While we're at it, does anyone know where I can get the songlist for the New York Ninety? I've Googled it but came up empty (or I don't know how to search).

Jazzerbone · #6 03-16-2010, 12:55 PM

A friend of mine just bought at T(exas)MEA a CD play along set that goes with Real Book 1 7th edition. 10 or 12 CDs and kind of expensive. Must be brand new cause I've never heard of it before.

Ed Fuqua · #7 03-16-2010, 01:11 PM

What the hell is the New York Ninety?

PrietoBass · #8 03-17-2010, 06:33 AM

http://www.amazon.com/review/R25IFPV8PAO1YY

Ed Fuqua · #9 03-17-2010, 09:29 AM

Sorry, sounds jive. I've been living and playing here for 23 years and I've never heard of anything like this.

PrietoBass · #10 03-17-2010, 10:27 AM

If you've been playing in NYC 23 years and haven't heard of it then it must not be true.

Thanks for clarifying that up.

Now, as a jazz player in NYC, what would you be expected to know, all of the standards or just a selection of them? Which are the most likely to be called on stage?

Thx!

Ed Fuqua · #11 03-17-2010, 10:50 AM

If only it were that easy. It kind of goes through cycles, as I'm sure it does anywhere else. 3 years ago I never heard DREAM DANCING, now I hear a bunch of different people playing it (after playing it myself with two different groups). The thing to work on is not memorizing a bunch of tunes from a list (when was the last time somebody called The Gentleman's a Dope or He says, She Says on you?) but working on your ear enough to hear your way through standard compositions.

If you need a list to start somewhere, I guess whoever's list that is (although it would be interesting to know if it's Cameron Brown's or some guy from Iowa in his freshman year at 5 Towns College), but if you can't get that I'd suggest starting with three different Aebersold's
Jam Sessions
Classic Blue Note
Burnin"!
And then take a look at the Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Herbie, Trane etc.

You can use these for my suggestion as well. Put the playalong on and DON'T use the sheet, play along by ear and see what you can hear easily and what you need to stop and figure out. If you have a Mac, AUDACITY is a free download and you can slow the speed without affecting the pitch of the playback, you can also loop sections. Try to get root movement, then quality.

I can play a bunch of tunes, I can hear my way through a bunch more, but there is ALWAYS at least one tune called on a session that I need to ask about what's going on or read a chart through.

PrietoBass · #12 03-18-2010, 06:30 AM

Thanks Ed. This will surely keep me busy for quite some time. I also stumbled upon your "REALLY learning a tune" thread. Wow. Appreciate all the good info.

jweiss · #13 03-18-2010, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Put the playalong on and DON'T use the sheet, play along by ear and see what you can hear easily and what you need to stop and figure out. If you have a Mac, AUDACITY is a free download and you can slow the speed without affecting the pitch of the playback, you can also loop sections. Try to get root movement, then quality.

This is a great exercise.

If you are working with the Aebersold playalongs or others that have the instruments separated between stereo channels: try turning off the bass channel and see if you can figure out the harmony from the voicings that the pianist is playing... much harder but a really good exercise as well. If you are the bassist in a group and you are trying to figure out the harmony in real time, there probably won't be another bassist there playing a bass line

Cheers,

Jeff

Todd Johnson · #14 03-18-2010, 10:09 AM

We need to get Ed his own forum!!

Ed Fuqua · #15 03-18-2010, 10:52 AM

Sorry!

Todd Johnson · #16 03-18-2010, 11:07 AM

No problem Ed.....

But we should get you your own forum!! You do a great job of answering questions and you play your butt off....you would be a great addition to the TB line up.

Peter_00 · #17 03-18-2010, 04:07 PM

+1 on an Ed forum!

I have been doing some practice with the Aebersold sans bass as suggested in this thread.

Great ear practice as you have to not only get the chords but also the form. I tried bluesette last night and realised it is a 24
bar, whereas if I was reading it I might have just taken that for granted and gone on autopilot.

Thanks everyone.

Jazzerbone · #18 03-18-2010, 09:02 PM

Aebersolds without the bass track is a great practice tool. Also I have found it useful to listen to just the bass track and pick up the lines those guys are playing.

Ed Fuqua · #19 03-19-2010, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd Johnson

No problem Ed.....

But we should get you your own forum!! You do a great job of answering questions and you play your butt off....you would be a great addition to the TB line up.

Aw shucks now, I'm just trying not to step on anything dear and tender when I play and maybe make a little sense...

Ed Fuqua · #20 03-19-2010, 11:46 AM

PRIETOBASS - sorry this didn't occur to me earlier, I know I would have killed to have had a similar resource when I was coming up. If you can swing it, check out the streaming video from Small's Jazz Club (click on the LIVE VIDEO link); they have an after hours open jam session every night of the week starting at 12:30am (approximately). That way you can get a good sense of the range of tunes that get called at sessions up here.