The leading textbook in jazz improvisation, Creative Jazz Improvisation, Fifth Edition represents a compendium of knowledge and practice resources for the university classroom, suitable for all musicians looking to develop and sharpen their soloing skills. Logically organized and guided by a philosophy that encourages creativity, this book presents practical advice beyond the theoretical, featuring exercises in twelve keys, ear training and keyboard drills, a comprehensive catalog of relevant songs to learn, and a wide range of solo transcriptions, each transposed for C, Bb, Eb, and bass clef instruments. Chapters highlight discussions of jazz theory - covering topics such as major scale modes, forms, chord substitutions, melodic minor modes, diminished and whole-tone modes, pentatonic scales, intervallic improvisation, free improvisation, and more - while featuring updated content throughout on the nuts and bolts of learning to improvise. New to the Fifth Edition: Co-author Tom Walsh Additional solo transcriptions featuring the work of female and Latino jazz artists A new chapter, “Odd Meters” A robust companion website featuring additional exercises, ear training, play-along tracks, tunes, call and response tracks, keyboard voicings, and transcriptions, alongside Spotify and YouTube links to many of the featured solos Rooted in an understanding that there is no one right way to learn jazz, Creative Jazz Improvisation, Fifth Edition explores the means and methods for developing one’s jazz vocabulary and improvisational techniques.

Jazz, America's original art form, can be a catalyst for creative and spiritual development. With its unique emphasis on improvisation, jazz offers new paradigms for educational and societal change. In this provocative book, musician and educator Edward W. Sarath illuminates how jazz offers a continuum for transformation. Inspired by the long legacy of jazz innovators who have used meditation and related practices to bring the transcendent into their lives and work, Sarath sees a coming shift in consciousness, one essential to positive change. Both theoretical and practical, the book uses the emergent worldview known as Integral Theory to discuss the consciousness at the heart of jazz and the new models and perspectives it offers. On a more personal level, the author provides examples of his own involvement in educational reform. His design of the first curriculum at a mainstream educational institution to incorporate a significant meditation and consciousness studies component grounds a radical new vision.

This well-organized book combines all of the techniques that jazz musicians practice into a comprehensive whole. It covers practice patterns and scales in all keys and tempos, transcribing solos of master improvisers, learning the jazz repertoire, and playing with other musicians. Chapter topics include how to practice, creatively improvise, and teach improvisation; major innovators; important contributors; women in jazz; chord substitutions; scales; and form. Each chapter also contains theory and ear exercises. Applicable to any instrument-or a classroom of varied instruments-this book is for jazz students and professionals at all levels of proficiency.

The accompaniments to the warm-up exercises and compositions are contained on a companion CD play-along recording, making practice a fun and inspirational experience. Additional chapters include "Whom to Listen To," "How to Practice and Improvise," "Jazz Rhythms," "Basic Music Theory," and "Jazz Theory."

Designed for professionals and students alike, the material contained in this comprehensive volume can be applied to any instrument as well as classes or ensembles of varied instrumentation. In "Creative Jazz Improvisation," readers will find: Detailed information on how to practice, how to improvise in a creative way, and how to teach jazz improvisation A complete explanation of all aspects of jazz theory and forms Practice materials designed to help the reader gain facility with the jazz vocabulary and develop his or her ear Keyboard, ear-training, and theory exercises Lists of important jazz compositions, indexed to the popular Aebersold play-along recordings Eighteen transcriptions of solos by master jazz artists-- analyzed, transposed, and edited for all instruments The third edition expands on previous editions by adding: A new chapter, "Whom to Listen To," which lists major innovators, important contributors, and women in jazz Considerable expansion of the chapter on "Rhythm" and the section on "Creative Jazz Improvisation" New transcriptions of solos by Max Roach, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans Inspirational quotations by jazz masters, designed to motivate the student and give insight into the workings of the creative mind Author/trombonist/composer Scott Reeves draws on over twenty-one years of experience teaching at institutions such as the City College of New York, the University of Southern Maine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Memphis State University, and Western Washington University to create a book that covers all aspects of jazzimprovisation without superfluous information. Students and teachers alike will appreciate its accessible, well-organized approach to a complex subject.

National Keyboard Workshop book, approved curriculum.