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Creative Jazz Improvisation
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FOURTH EDITION
Creative Jazz Improvisation
SCOTT D. REEVES The City College, The City University of New York The Juilliard School
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Reeves, Scott D. Creative jazz improvisation / Scott D. Reeves. — 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-13-177639-8 (alk. paper) 1. Jazz—Instruction and study. 2. Improvisation (Music). 3. Musical instruments—Studies and exercises (Jazz). I. Title. MT68.R37 2007 781.65'136—dc22 2006018669
President, Humanities/Social Sciences: Yolanda de Rooy Editor-in-Chief: Sarah Touborg Executive Editor: Richard Carlin Editorial Assistant: Jeanmarie Ensor Director of Marketing: Brandy Dawson Marketing Assistant: Andrea Messineo Director of Production and Manufacturing: Barbara Kittle Senior Managing Editor: Lisa Iarkowski Production Liaison: Joe Scordato Editorial Assistant (Production): Marlene Gassler Manufacturing Manager: Nick Sklitsis Manufacturing Buyer: Ben Smith Cover Design Director: Jayne Conte Cover Designer: Bruce Kenselaar Cover Photos: Markus Amon / Stone / Getty Images, Inc. Manager, Cover Visual Research & Permissions: Karen Sanatar Composition/Full-Service Management: Stratford Publishing Services/Edith Bicknell Printer/Binder: Bind-Rite Graphics Cover Printer: Lehigh Press Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear in the Appendix. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permission(s), write to: Rights and Permissions Department. Pearson Prentice Hall™ is a trademark of Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson ® is a registered trademark of Pearson plc Prentice Hall ® is a registered trademark of Pearson Education, Inc. Pearson Education LTD. Pearson Education Australia PTY, Limited Pearson Education Singapore, Pte. Ltd Pearson Education North Asia Ltd Pearson Education, Canada, Ltd Pearson Educacion de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. Pearson Education—Japan Pearson Education Malaysia, Pte. Ltd
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To David Baker, who first taught me about chords and scales and continues to be an insipration to his thousands of student; Kenny Werner, who showed me a way to go beyond my limitations and embrace risk; Louis Armstrong, Clifford Brown, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Milt Jackson, J. J. Johnson, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Woody Shaw, and Lester Young, for the masterful improvisations transcribed in this text; Art Blakey, Michael Brecker, Will Marion Cook, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Tim Hagans, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Bobby McFerrin, Jim McNeely, Pat Metheny, Bob Mover, Dick Oatts, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Werner, and Randy Weston, for their inspirational epigraphs; and the many musicians and educators whose music and ideas have influenced the development of this book: Jamey Aebersold, Jerry Bergonzi, Dan Carillo, Jerry Coker, Todd Coolman, Joe Dailey, Hal Galper, Steve Grover, Lee Konitz, Gene Rush, Ed Soph, Clark Terry, Emilio Teubal, and James Williams. A special thanks to my colleagues in the jazz program at the City College of New York: John Patitucci, Dan Carillo, Mike Holober and Suzanne Pittson, as well as Victor Goines at the Juilliard School, for their support of my teaching.
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Contents
Preface
xi
PART 1: THE ART OF IMPROVISATION
1
1 Practicing Jazz, Constructing Solos, Playing with Other Musicians, Creative Improvisation, Performance Anxiety, and Teaching Jazz 1 Practicing Jazz 1 Constructing Solos and Playing with Other Musicians 8 Creative Improvisation and Kenny Werner’s “Effortless Mastery” Performance Anxiety 13 How to Teach Jazz Improvisation 14
10
2 Essential Listening: Major Innovators, Important Contributors, and Women in Jazz Major Innovators Who Changed the Direction of Jazz Important Jazz Contributors 18 Women In Jazz 24
17
17
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3 Rhythm
26 Gaining Facility with Rhythm 28 Listening to Rhythms in Jazz Compositions 31 Max Roach’s Improvised Solo on “Blue Seven” 32
PART 2: DIATONIC CHORDS AND THE MODES IN THE MAJOR SCALE 37
4 Major Scales and Major 7th Chords
37
Theory/Ear Exercises 38 Gaining Facility with Major Scales and Major 7th Chords 38 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Major 7th Chords 41 Louis Armstrong’s Improvised Solo on “Hotter Than That” 42
5 Mixolydian and Bebop 7th Scales, and Dominant 7th Chords
52
Theory/Ear Exercises 53 Gaining Facility with Mixolydian and Bebop 7th Scales, and Dominant 7th Chords 53 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Dominant 7th Chords 56 Lester Young’s Improvised Solo on “Lester Leaps In” 57
6 Dorian Scales and Minor 7th Chords
67
Theory/Ear Exercises 68 Gaining Facility with Dorian Scales and Minor 7th Chords 68 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Minor 7th Chords 71 Miles Davis’s Improvised Solo on “So What” 72
7 The ii–V–I Progression
82
Theory/Ear Exercises 85 Gaining Facility with ii–V–I Progressions 85 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on ii–V or ii–V–I Progressions Clifford Brown’s Improvised Solo on “Pent-Up House” 94
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8 Locrian and Aeolian Scales, and Minor iiH7–V7–i Progressions
108
Theory/Ear Exercises 109 Gaining Facility with Minor iiH7–V7–i Progressions 110 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on iiH7–V7b9–i Progressions 114 Milt Jackson’s Improvised Solo on “Django” 115
9 Lydian and Phrygian Scales, Major 7th b5 Chords
124
Theory/Ear Exercises 126 Gaining Facility with Lydian and Phrygian Scales 126 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Major 7b5 Chords and Lydian Scales, or i–bii Progressions and Phrygian Scales 128 Miles Davis’s Improvised Solo on “Solea” 129
PART 3: CHORD SUBSTITUTIONS, HARMONIC STRUCTURES, AND FORMS 139
10 The Blues Scale, the Blues Form, and Chord Substitutions
139
The Blues Form 139 The Blues Scale 143 Chord Substitutions 144 Theory/Ear Exercises 146 Gaining Facility with the Basic Blues Progression 146 Gaining Facility with Blues Substitutions 149 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on the Blues Form Charlie Parker’s Improvised Solo on “Now’s the Time” 155
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11 Sectional Forms and Rhythm Changes
165
Theory/Ear Exercises 169 Gaining Facility with Rhythm Changes 169 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on “Rhythm Changes” and Through-Composed Forms 173 Charlie Parker’s Improvised Solo on “Shaw ’Nuff” 174
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12 Harmonic Structures and Coltrane Substitutions
179
Coltrane Substitutions 181 Theory/Ear Exercises 182 Gaining Facility with Coltrane Substitutions 182 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Coltrane Substitutions John Coltrane’s Improvised Solo on “Giant Steps” 185
13 Free Forms
195 Gaining Facility with Free Improvisation 196 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Free Forms 197 Ornette Coleman’s Improvised Solo on “Congeniality” 198
PART 4: ALTERED CHORDS, DIMINISHED MODES, WHOLE-TONE AND HARMONIC MINOR SCALES, AND MELODIC MINOR MODES 209
14 Diminished Scales, Diminished and Altered Dominant 7th Chords
209
Theory/Ear Exercises 211 Gaining Facility with Diminished Scales 211 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Altered Dominant or Fully-Diminished Chords 216 J. J. Johnson’s Improvised Solo on “Aquarius” 217
15 Whole-Tone Scales and Augmented Chords
225
Theory/Ear Exercises 226 Gaining Facility with Whole-Tone Scales 226 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Dominant 9 s5 Chords or Whole-Tone Scales 229 Thelonious Monk’s Improvised Solo on “Evidence” 230
16 Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales, Minor (Major 7th) Chords
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Theory/Ear Exercises 239 Gaining Facility with Melodic Minor Scales and Minor (Major 7th) Chords 239
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Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Minor (Major 7th) Chords 242 Sonny Rollins’s Improvised Solo on “Airegin” 243
17 Locrian s2 and Altered Scales, and Minor iiH7–V7–i Progressions
254
Theory/Ear Exercises 256 Gaining Facility with Minor iiH7–V7–i Progressions 256 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Half-Diminished 7th and Altered Dominant Chords 260 Bill Evans’s Improvised Solo on “The Autumn Leaves” 262
18 Lydian Augmented and Lydian Dominant Scales, and Major 7th s5 and Dominant 9th s11 Chords 276 Theory/Ear Exercises 277 Gaining Facility with Lydian Augmented and Lydian Dominant Scales and Major 7th s5 and Dominant 9th s11 Chords 278 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Based on Dominant 9th s11 or Major 7th s5 Chords 280 Sonny Rollins’s Improvised Solo on “Blue Seven” 281
PART 5: PENTATONIC SCALES AND INTERVALLIC IMPROVISATION 290
19 Pentatonic Scales
290 Theory/Ear Exercises 293 Gaining Facility with Major Pentatonic Scales 294 Gaining Facility with Minor and Dominant Pentatonic Scales 298 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Using Pentatonic Scales 303 Woody Shaw’s Improvised Solo on “Child’s Dance” 304
20 Four-Note Groupings Derived from Pentatonic Scales
314
Gaining Facility with Four-Note Groupings 315 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Using Four-Note Groupings Chick Corea’s Improvised Solo on “Matrix” 319
319
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21 Intervallic Improvisation
330
Gaining Facility with Intervallic Improvisation 332 Improvising on Jazz Compositions Using Chromatic Intervals Miles Davis’s Improvised Solo on “Petits Machins” 338
Appendix
348 I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII.
Index
357
Intervals 348 Modes in the Major Scale 349 Modes in the Melodic Minor Scale 349 Diatonic 7th Chords in Major Keys 349 Diatonic 7th Chords in Minor Keys 350 Chords and Their Relationship to Scales 350 Upper Structure or “Slash” Chords 351 Resource List 351
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About the Author
Scott Reeves received his Master of Music in jazz studies and Bachelor of Music in trombone performance from Indiana University. He has been teaching jazz at the college level since 1976 and is currently a professor of music at the City College of New York and the Juilliard School. His previous teaching positions include the University of Southern Maine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Memphis State University, and Western Washington University. Reeves has also presented improvisation workshops in the United States, Italy, and Japan. As a freelance New York jazz musician, he regularly performs and records with the Dave Liebman Big Band and Manhattan Bones, and has worked with groups such as the Vanguard Orchestra and the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble. The author may be contacted through his web site at www.creative jazz.com.
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Preface
It is gratifying that, since its initial publication in 1989, many college educators, private instructors, and students of jazz have found Creative Jazz Improvisation to be a valuable aid in their musical growth. This text is a direct outgrowth of over twenty-seven years teaching jazz improvisation at the college level, as well as my own personal quest to develop as a jazz artist. This book is intended primarily for college music majors, advanced high school students and professional or semiprofessional musicians. Students at a beginning or intermediate level of study may find my entry-level text, Creative Beginnings: An Introduction to Jazz Improvisation more satisfactory. These titles represent two separate books and the current edition of Creative Jazz Improvisation is not intended to replace Creative Beginnings in any way. Although the “user-friendly” format is similar between these two texts, the theory and exercises in Creative Beginnings assumes less background on the part of the student. In lieu of transcriptions of solos, which are at the heart of Creative Jazz Improvisation, Creative Beginnings focuses on tunes based on modes and standard chord progressions. Creative Beginnings also comes with a play-along CD, a valuable tool that would have been cost-prohibited to include with Creative Jazz Improvisation. However, the CD from Creative Beginnings, as well as the 100+ volumes from Jamey Aebersold Jazz can be used to supplement this text. I believe there is a direct parallel between life and art. The pursuit of understanding in any art form can teach us much about ourselves and serve as a catalyst for a lifetime of learning. My own musical perspectives have evolved since the third edition of this text was written, and much of this new information has been incorporated into the present volume. Therefore, I believe this edition to be much more than a minor reworking of the previous one. However, all of the same features that made Creative Jazz Improvisation, third edition, a popular choice for classroom use are retained, including: 1. The philosophy that there are several paths to the same goal and that each student learns in his or her own unique way. 2. The division of the majority of chapters into sections devoted to jazz theory, exercises over a specified chord progression, a list of relevant compositions, and a transcribed solo which has been transposed and edited for concert
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3.
4. 5.
6. 7.
8.
pitch treble clef, Bb, Eb and bass clef instruments. The transposition of these solos allows them to be played in unison in a classroom setting or with the original recording. A thorough discussion of all facets of jazz theory, including major scale modes, forms and chord substitutions, melodic minor modes, diminished and whole-tone scales, pentatonic scales, intervallic and “free” improvisation. The keying of the chord progressions to either the widespread Jamey Aebersold series or the compact disc accompanying Creative Beginnings. Exercises that include not only basic scales and arpeggios but also melodic ideas taken directly from cited recordings by master improvisers, arranged in order of relative difficulty. The indexing of the list of compositions to legal fake-books, particularly the New Real Books and the Jamey Aebersold play-along series. The correlation of half of the transcribed solos with The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. Although this anthology is currently out-of-print, many libraries and schools retain copies, so it remains one the most comprehensive sources of stylistic diverse recordings. The convenience of allowing a classroom of mixed instrumentation to work simultaneously from the text.
Differences between the third and fourth editions include: 1. Chapter one has been greatly expanded, including new information on how to practice, constructing solos, playing with other musicians, Kenny Werner’s Creative Mastery concepts, performance anxiety, and information for teachers. 2. A greatly expanded analysis of each transcribed solo, along with a historical overview of each artist and recording. 3. The transposition of each exercise or musical quote, so that each transposing instrument begins in the same concert pitch key. Although the exercise must be played by ear in the remaining eleven keys, this greatly facilitates usage in a classroom of mixed instruments. 4. An expansion of the list of compositions in each chapter to reflect the everincreasing number of play-along recordings by Jamey Aebersold. The fourth edition is now keyed to the first 104 volumes in his series, A New Approach to Jazz Improvisation. 5. The addition of a transcription of Ornette Coleman’s improvised solo on “Congeniality” in the chapter on Free Forms. 6. An expanded Chapter 2 on “Essential Listening.” 7. A reappraisal of all exercises, with selected replacements and additions. 8. The addition of a Resource List in the Appendix, giving information on all books, articles, recordings, websites, fakebooks and transcribed solos mentioned in the text, plus recommendations of other improvisation texts. 9. An index This text reflects the influences of my previous teachers, particularly David Baker, Woody Shaw, Dave Liebman and Kenny Werner, the many jazz artists whose work I have studied and transcribed, and the pedagogical concepts of Jamey Aebersold. I gratefully acknowledge these people, as well as the staff
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at Prentice Hall, particularly my editors, Richard Carlin and Joe Scordato, my copy editor, Edith Bicknell, as well as the educators who reviewed the manuscript for this fourth edition: Chris Merz, University of Northern Iowa, Ross Feller, Georgia College and State University, Bruce Dalby, University of New Mexico, Jose Bowen, Georgetown University, Todd Coolman, Purchase College, and Robert Washut, University of Northern Iowa. I sincerely hope the readers of this text will find it a valuable aid in their growth as musicians.
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