For Gordon Goodwin, it was probably just another solo. But for me, I couldn’t fully grasp it — I was sitting on the same bench as him, watching him improvise on the keys of the old upright Yamaha that I play every morning. I was balancing myself on the edge of the bench so I [...]
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If you haven’t got the slightest idea what I’m talking about, check out yesterday’s post to see what’s been happening with the West Ranch High School jazz band. Today we opened the Real Book to Erroll Garner’s Misty: It’s one of those romantic sitting-in-a-bar-contemplating-life tunes. This recording’s got a bit of a classical touch with [...]
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Back in the jazz room at West Ranch High School I’m lucky enough to have these three things: a trendy Yamaha keyboard (a similar one to the Motif model), a jazz band-exclusive standup Yamaha piano (unfortunately, the choir has already claimed the baby grand), and the fifth-edition Real Book 1 & 2. But the keyboard’s [...]
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So now that we’ve talked about Miles Davis and Red Garland, let’s move on to the next member of the Miles Davis Quintet: John Coltrane. Like Miles Davis, one of Coltrane’s biggest influences was Charlie Parker (he says the first time he heard him play “hit [him] right between the eyes”). Coltrane’s career pretty much [...]
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