Jazz Colony #5 - July 21 2015

We were delighted to have the great saxophonist, author, and educator Dan Greenblatt join us this week. Thank you to Dan Chappelle for sharing his notes :

7/21/14  Improvisational thoughts from Dan Greenblatt

- ‘Composing’ what to play is as important as the execution of playing

- Reading music: playing what someone else ‘tells you to play’

- Historically, less than 1% of music was actually ‘read’. Most music around the world done by ear capture.

- Transcribe vs ear capture

- Most blues musicians don’t deal w/charts

- ‘Practice your composition by composing your practice’

- Have to practice being an improviser

- Practice Cycle of 5ths on a daily basis

- Spend more of your time thinking of something to play vs reading what is to be played

- Composition is like a story….it has to go someplace. Tell it.

- Ear capture exercise: Pete picked a tune (head), Dan G. copied, JC members replicate, then move to next place on cycle of 5ths

- Example of using pure ear capture vs using some level of theory to improvise: Hadi accomplished soloist who could read, but chose to use pure ear capture to improvise – didn’t want to look at charts/changes. Dan G more intellectual/tactical used more theory-based approach to figure out.

- Dial tone (does anyone actually know what this is?) vs siren. Anyone can tell the difference in pitch contour. As humans, we can all hear this. Thus, ear capture is innate to every human being. But….we still have to practice.

- In combo session: Take an idea….and tell a story.  Using target tones.

- Melody is a succession of relationships between notes, not just a succession of notes. Think of using a phrase in different settings as a relationship between notes.

Michael Glynn and I led a jam session using the concepts Dan outlined in his presentation. Jackson and Nebee taught the group Sonny Rollins's "St. Thomas" through "ear capture" and Michael and I taught the bass line and chord changes without any sheet music. We worked on thematic development, and starting our solos with the last phrase of the previous soloists. Required listening:

See you all next week!
-ST