jamie aebersold play-along CDs: good or bad?

Some of them are great. I have one called "Bird goes Latin", and it's good fun.

 

I think they're great for practising - much more fun to actually study tunes and if you're just jamming with people - you can give them all the parts. I mean like if I had several days I could possibly (yeah right!) transcribe the sax/trumpet parts and write them out in concert as well as Bb and Eb!

I think they're wonderful for rhythm section players as well, as the CDs have such great players and you can hear their approach to playing Jazz tunes. So like Volume 18 has some great Horace Silver tunes and the players are Kenny Baron - piano, Ron Carter - bass and Al Foster on drums!!

Mostly though I use them for practising solos - I like to try to play solos on electric bass just like any horn player; but usually in live or workshop situations - everybody stops when it comes to the bass solo. It's nice to be able to blow over a "cookin" rhythm section!!

 

Well yes, they've done about 90 or so now; so I'm sure there must be some that aren't so good. I suppose a lot of people buy them mail order, but I like to browse through and look to see who's playing - if it's somebody like Rufus Reid or Ron Carter and it's some material that looks interesting, then I'm usually prepared to take the risk.

It's great for me to build up repertoire as I'm coming to Jazz after many years of just playing rock/pop and don't have the same background as most of the people I play with. Of course if you have the chance to build up this repertoire with a "real band" then theres' no comparison - but it's just a question of knowing what you wnat to get out of this. My view is that the Aebersold sets I have "carefully chosen" and purchased, have been incredibly good value in terms of the use I have got out of them.

 

One thing that sort of sucks for bass players is that the Aebersold CDs don't have anyone playing the heads or solos, just the rhythm section, so you lose the sense of backing up a soloist. You do get to interact with the drummer and the pianist, hopefully THEY could hear the solos

As long as you're willing to transcribe the lines (you said you were) they could be of use since only a few volumes have bass line transcription books available (and those are extra, not included with the original package).

 

ED - Whew, hard to get my breath I'm laughing so hard at the coincidence. Yeah, I know what Gary's doing, he's leading/writing for a quintet doing original music with Afro/Cuban rhythms. I'll see him tonight when we rehearse.
http://www.mindspring.com/~jfleming/ficciones.html

As far as Atlanta goes, the number of guys trying to gig who can play jazz has increased at least tenfold, but the number of gigs has only doubled.

Phat - You can usually find some good players at Churchill Grounds (next to the Fox) and I think they still do a jam night.

 

Ok, EDIE, taking this private.

phat - Back to JA. Along with the other tips, here's something else to try .
A practice technique that brought me a lot of surprises was something I learned many years ago at an Aebersold clinic.

Todd Coolman made us sight sing along with a transcribed Ron Carter bass line and a play along record. Using this at home, I would sight sing a particular tune with either a Carter or Reid bass line, then make a tape for the car with the same tune repeated. On my way to work I would sing along with the tape.

After doing this for a while, you can sing the line and the harmonic and rhythmic variations get internalized. I would then learn the line on the bass to get it under my fingers. I was amazed how quickly this stuff started showing up in the other tunes I was walking, no thought or analysis needed.

If you are good at transcribing, you can do this for yourself from whatever bassist you like. And of course when you transcribe it yourself you get the additional benefits from that exercise.

 

I'm glad someone mentioned this. I wish they made a series for rhythm players. This is my biggest gripe, although I do use them regularly, and find them very helpful.

Some of the arrangements are weird. Also, I prefer the font and "four-bars-per-line" (usually) standard that a "Real Book" uses over Aebersold's.

Overall, excellent books. Excellent developmental tools. The fact that they're affordable is added bonus.

 

Well, I Think the point is that in Jazz everybody solos and especially bass players. I tend to use them mostly for practising solos as I mentioned. My Jazz tutor expects an interesting/melodic solo every week on the tunes we do - no excuses. Besides I usually get a lot of practice supporting through the changes when everybody else is soloing.

I think Jaco was right also when he was asked for one piece of advice on his instructional video - he mentions playing tunes and bemoans the fact that most bass players don't learn the head, just their own part and that this one thing would improve their playing.

We have discussed this at Jazz classes quite a lot - the fact that most great Jazz players put their soloing and playing ideas in to the heads they wrote, so if you want to play solos in the Jazz idiom, then you need to study and play the heads of tunes written by the "greats" - to see how they did things like soloing across barlines, howthey resolved lines etc. etc. My view is the more you can get through the better and this series helps a lot.

 

For you guys saying the Aebersol stuff isn't geared for bass re: it doesn't have melodies etc.. Check this out. I know its small in comparison to their catalog, but might be worth a look.

http://www.jazzbooks.com/scripts/search.asp?detail=1&item=37

 

Excellent point.

 

I have "Rhythm Changes in All Keys" and it's great. It also has varied tempos and feels. I need to spend more time with it, but I can see rewarding changes in my playing as a result of working with this CD.
Now if I only knew my fretboard better, why I'd be.........better!!!