Teacher, don’t teach me no nonsense A one-day Jazz Education Conference at Brighton’s Verdict club confronted a world where music is a commodity and education a business investment. At this Brighton Jazz School event, Tony Durham discovered how South Coast educators are trying to keep the jazz flame alive. Let’s not […]
Lou Beckerman reviews Tina May’s vocal workshop hosted by Brighton Jazz School Tina May is an obvious enthusiast when it comes to sharing her knowledge. The workshop was well-attended with twenty-three vocalists of varying levels of experience attracted by an advertised afternoon programme covering: Scat syllables Interpretation and phrasing Importance of knowing the form […]
Pianist Terry Seabrook’s Jazz Tip of the Month No. 21: Phrasing in Improvisation A simple tip this week is this: Play less not more. It’s a common shortcoming of improvisers at all levels but particularly beginners that there are not enough spaces in the music. Simply put this means that while […]
Asaf Sirkis Rhythm Workshop at The Verdict, Brighton, in association with Brighton Jazz School. Charlie Anderson reviews a workshop given by drummer and percussionist Asaf Sirkis is best known for his work with saxophonists Gilad Atzmon and Tim Garland but he is also an accomplished teacher and clinician who enjoys sharing what […]
Terry Seabrook’s Jazz tip of the month No. 20 Make sure you listen (and interact) Most aspiring jazz musicians learn to play by using play-along records (or more frequently now by using an app such as iReal Pro) and thus spend most of their musical activity playing alone. To be sure, the […]
SJM columnist and bassist Eddie Myer recently caught up with trumpeter Gabriel Garrick between sets at the Bristol Bar where he was sitting in at Jack Kendon's regular Thursday night gig. Hi Gabriel. Your father Michael was an important and influential jazz musician. What was it like growing up in such a musical family? […]
Jazz Tip of the Month No. 13 by pianist Terry Seabrook. Transcribe, Transcribe, Transcribe One of the best tools in learning to improve your ability as a jazz improviser is to transcribe other players’ improvised solos. This is a very effective way to learn the language of jazz and of your favourite players. […]
Terry Seabrook’s Jazz tip of the month No 12 Swinging the quavers part 2: When quavers stop “swinging” Generally when playing ballads (slower tempos) it is normal (most of the time) to play the quavers (or eighth notes) evenly or straight. Playing swing quavers when the tempo is below about 72 bpm (beats per […]
Ear Training: The Jazz Kitchen If one was to compare ear-training to say, cooking, ear training would represent the preliminary stages of putting together a meal. It would be before choosing the ingredients, it would be before choosing what utensils to use and it would even be before designing your menu. Ear training is […]