Imitating Fats Navarro

Imitating the Jazz Master Fats Navarro playing Lady Bird. Slowed down to 70% or so, I play and sing along to the great solo.
This is not something you'd want to do for a performance, but this is an excellent exercise. Probably the best way to learn how to swing.
When people say that in order to learn jazz, one needs to listen, this is how I understand it.



Also check out 7notemode's tutorial on how to swing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqAZgKR2HQc

Just Friends

This has to be one of the most amazing arrangements of Just Friends ever played. Bird is blowing incredibly melodic lines at blazing speed. It's hardly believable someone can reach this level of musicality.

So for fun, I played over the head of Just Friends, at 50% of original speed. Then I added the same piece, with Bird alone this time (I wish), at original speed.

Just Friends

Listen to Charlie Parker.

Bits of New York

I took a short break while moving since most of my stuff was packed away.

Here's Bits of New York:


And a quick recording:
Bits of New York

Ear Training Ringtones

Here's a present for the new year. Ringtones for your iPhones. Download this file , unzip it, open with iTunes, sync your iPhone.

Next, assuming you have about a dozen contacts that call you, assign one ringtone per contact.
Each ringtone is an interval. After a while, you will associate John to a minor 6th interval, and Sophie to a b9.
This is passive ear training, intended to slowly help you recognize about a dozen intervals.

What else? It is far less annoying than having Fur Elise or Jay-Z interrupt your meeting!

April in Paris

A quick Parker transcription. It gets me everytime. Even at slower tempos, staying so close to the melody, the lines are absolutely gorgeous.

April in Paris

And it all adds up to Nothing

Composition of the week:

Sea of Green

Composition of the week.

The exercise here is to use more 16th notes, and "shift gears", going from 16th, to triplets, to 8ths.

I have a little fun with Tynerisms on the bridge. I thought it just screamed for it.

Here it goes:


and a quick recording:
Sea of Green