Chasin' the Sound

What sets jazz apart from other music is its rhythm and feel. This book does such a masterful job at showcasing the elements that are essential to this music. The detail and explanations make it accessible to all who want to improvise. The relationship between soloist and rhythm section is highlighted in the transcriptions that are in the book. This book is a knockout!!! * Jerry Bergonzi, World-renowned jazz saxophonist and educator *
Brian Levy and Keith Waters have accomplished something remarkable in Chasin' the Sound, creating a thorough and practical guide for students interested in learning the language of jazz, the melodic and rhythmic vocabulary at the heart of the music that often gets overlooked by teachers of jazz improvisation who never get beyond setting up the palette of scales and chords that jazz players can draw from. * Ken Schaphorst, Co-Chair of Jazz Studies, New England Conservatory *
In Chasin' the Sound, Brian Levy and Keith Waters have managed to synthesize the seemingly intangible qualities of jazz feel, rhythmic phrasing, and group interaction into a comprehensive text that can prove valuable to musicians of all skill levels. The emphasis placed on the historical model is so often left out of pedagogical texts on jazz, but is arguably the most important way for improvisers to build upon the shared language of the music. As someone who felt held back by overly intellectual approaches to jazz education, Levy's teaching materials gave me the tools necessary to shape my voice within the idiom. * Cecil Alexander, Assistant Professor of Guitar, Berklee College of Music *
Frankly, the book already has me reimagining my approach to teaching and practicing jazz improvisation. It focuses on identifying, deconstructing, and then reconstructing jazz language, especially from bebop and hard bop traditions. The fact that most exercises are derived directly from performances of jazz masters is a clear strength (and a must!). The text also includes written, aural, and performing exercises, a beneficial mix which provides different vantage points from which to understand jazz music. * Matthew James, Professor of Saxophone & Jazz Studies, Ohio University School of Music *
This book is an excellent resource for any music student looking to improve and deepen their improvisational skill set. Featuring examples of iconic solos by legends such as Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker, this book emphasizes the importance of understanding the playing styles and techniques of these icons as a foundation for expanding your musical vocabulary. I highly recommend this book as an essential step in improvisation education. * Willie Jones III, Lecturer in Jazz Percussion, Northwestern University *
In Chasin' the Sound, Keith Waters and Brian Levy bring their extensive backgrounds as jazz players, analysts, historians, and teachers to a new approach to teaching and learning improvisation, based on the rhythmic and melodic content of carefully selected historic solos by Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and others, explored through transcription, listening, and structured practice exercises. This is, in a sense, a new application of a traditional approach: learning from the language of past masters and innovators. It proposes a complement and corrective to the frequent overemphasis on simply identifying the 'right' notes and scales at each moment in jazz improvisation pedagogy. * Allan Chase, Professor of Ear Training, Berklee College of Music *