A tourist in Central Park stops a man in a tuxedo with a violin case and asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The man responds, “Hard work and hours of practice.” We’ve probably all heard a version of this joke, but it holds a lot of truth.
The evolution of the art of jazz improvisation has undergone a curious metamorphosis, closely mirroring developments in classical music. As the Western art music tradition evolved from pure melody (Gregorian chant) to dodecaphony (12-tone music) and beyond, jazz improvisation has witnessed developments ranging from simple ornamentation (New Orleans tradition) to complex abstraction (“sheets of sound,” etc.).
The conversational character of some improvised jazz solos invites the comparison of jazz to storytelling. This particular analogy is made vivid in Lester Young’s remarks regarding his impressions of Frankie Trumbauer’s playing style: “He always told a little story.”
Exercises of 20 of the most common big band ‘hits’ used in big band jazz ensemble music. Once you have these brass section/big band ‘hits’ down, it will open up a new world of drumming!
