mentorship mid-year product

Twelve Notes : 

Twelve Notes Studying Jazz Improvisation By Graham Jacobson

How does one prepare to improvise? : 

How does one prepare to improvise? My project seeks to uncover the answer to this conundrum in a practical way that benefits myself and other aspiring jazz musicians.

The Process : 

The Process Through my studies with my mentor, Paul Carr, and on my own, I have been gathering knowledge about jazz improvisation and the saxophone, from theory and language to practice techniques. I have been using this knowledge to aid the development of my musicianship. While I do visit Mr. Carr regularly, the majority of the time for my project is spent practicing material that he has given me. I have the opportunity to apply what I practice through the ensembles and performances in which I participate.

Realizations: : 

Realizations: As I develop as a musician, with the help of Mr. Carr and other resources, I realize there are several fundamental elements which are critical to developing as a jazz musician. These include: Commitment of Time Disciplined Practice Listening Abilities Historical/Cultural/Social Perspective Emotional Maturity Technical Proficiency Language Rhythm Sound

1. Commitment of Time : 

1. Commitment of Time Mastery of any skill requires a great amount of time, and jazz requires many skills. No matter how efficiently one can work, becoming a good jazz musician requires an investment of time.

2. Disciplined Practice : 

2. Disciplined Practice The time set aside for development means nothing if it is not used effectively. One of the best ways to use practice time effectively is to have a regiment where certain amounts of time are allotted for practicing certain things. Also, one should work on improving his weaknesses rather than fooling around with his strengths during practice time.

3. Listening Abilities : 

3. Listening Abilities Jazz, or any music (especially improvised music), requires very deep listening. Every musician needs to be capable of hearing and responding to all aspects of the music.

4. Historical/Cultural/Social Perspective : 

4. Historical/Cultural/Social Perspective Understanding the purpose of jazz and, more generally, music empowers the jazz musician to create more deliberate music.

5. Emotional Maturity : 

5. Emotional Maturity Jazz requires the musician to have the emotional maturity to handle its profound situations. The excitement of the moment can make a naïve musician overblow his horn or rush. Many jazz musicians can be overly critical of their playing, hampering their development and self-esteem. Developing as a jazz musician is a life-long process and can seem arduous to the impatient student. An arrogant musician who thinks he needs no longer be a student of the music will cease to grow. Understanding these emotions and managing them prevents the musician from reaching any musical plateaus.

6. Technical Proficiency : 

6. Technical Proficiency The jazz musician must not be limited by any technical inabilities on his instrument. While jazz is not focused on technical accuracy, technique must not get in the way of one’s musical ideas and excecution.

7. Language : 

7. Language Jazz is a language. A musician therefore must treat it as a language, learning it primarily aurally, using it every day, immersing himself in the atmosphere of it. A good jazz musician is very much like a good speaker or writer; both have a strong presence when presenting their language, have a large vocabulary, have studied many of the great speakers/writers/musicians, understand grammar and phrasing, and know how to effectively structure their speech/composition/song.

8. Rhythm : 

8. Rhythm Rhythm has always been central to jazz, since one of its defining features is its swing beat.

9. Sound : 

9. Sound Having a good sound on one’s instrument is very necessary for being a good musician. Having a good sound makes one’s music more enjoyable to listen to and takes the pressure of the musician. If his sound alone sounds good, other aspects of his music add to, rather than compensate for, this aspect.

Performances : 

Performances The following performances were recorded to demonstrate the application of my musical development. Each video will be followed by my and Mr. Carr’s comments on the quality of my playing and improvement.

Jazz Band of America Audition Tape : 

Jazz Band of America Audition Tape Recorded in October of 2010 View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZg-me-gz5c

My Comments : 

My Comments I feel that the performance of Cherokee (the second number) was much stronger than that of Billie’s Bounce. I had trouble structuring my solo on Billie’s Bounce, I think partially because of the slow tempo that I chose. It is very difficult to play well at that tempo, and I did not have developed enough ideas or rhythm to really swing on that song. When the the Bird’s blues changes set in (during the last chorus of improvisation) I did not address them as much as I should have. I think Cherokee should have been played faster too, since I chose that song to demonstrate my ability to handle fast tempi and chord changes. I will need to work on improving my ability to play fast, since I chose the slower tempo because of my inability to play it any faster. I should have played less fast riffs and developed my ideas more. Also, I cannot miss the altissimo notes, especially if they are at the climax of my solo.

Mr. Carr’s Comments : 

Mr. Carr’s Comments On this tune, I think the band should have played the tune faster, because that tempo is hard to play for a young drummer. There was not a strong sense of rhythm or beat (swing), so that  made Graham play like he needed to make something happen. Graham played fast fragments and didn’t finish his lines as I know he can because he was trying to make something happen.  But you can also hear the artistry of Graham’s lines, and that’s the result of talent, listening and practice.

Performance at the Strathmore Mansion : 

Performance at the Strathmore Mansion Recorded in November of 2010 View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAp7-Z57da0

My Comments : 

My Comments I notice improvements in this performance from the JBOA audition tape. This blues, Light and Lovely, was played even slower than Billie’s Bounce. I was, however, playing with a professional rhythm section, which always makes improvising easier. Rhythmically, I locked in pretty well, except for my sixteenth note runs. I rushed all of them, which I think detracted from my solo. This time, I did not miss the altissimo notes, but I would like to improve their intonation, in addition to my overall intonation. Also, I would like to be able to play them in ways besides a means of emphasis at the climax of my solo. I do think that I structured my solo pretty well, though. I built the solo to a climax and developed several musical ideas. Through listening to this, I noticed that I used several of the ideas used in the two solos preceding mine in this song. I like that because it adds coherence to the song, but I do not remember consciously trying to play those ideas. I was, however, listening very closely to the band before my turn to solo.

Mr. Carr’s Comments : 

Mr. Carr’s Comments First, this is very difficult to do, to sit in with a band that has been playing a show for  over an hour. The tempo that the band was playing was a slow blues, which is also hard to play, especially for younger players. I thought Graham did a great job, he played big, (big tone) he didn’t panic and start playing a lot meaningless notes. He took his time a built his solo to a climax, as all good solo’s should build to a climax. Graham was a little ahead of the band when he first started, but he locked in the tempo quickly. Good Job!!

Conclusions : 

Conclusions I have made significant progress in my playing through working with Mr. Carr and practicing. I will continue working in the areas that I have been while putting an extra emphasis on aspects of my playing that I believe to be my weaknesses: articulation, intonation, and rhythm. I will find material to practice to develop these skills and incorporate that material into my practice regiment.