# Learning jazz?



## NotLukasz (Oct 16, 2014)

So I wanna play jazz. I hear some jazz guitar from time to time and my music theory teacher plays it on piano in class from time to time and I think it sounds really cool and I wanna get into it. The one problem I'm facing is finding jazz artists. I don't know much about the jazz community so can anyone recommend any jazz artists for me to checkout and learn their songs? I'm not advanced but I'm no where near beginner, so any songs considered intermediate would be great. Thanks to anyone who submits something.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Oct 17, 2014)

Get a handle on the theory and learn a handful of standards. This is a good, straightforward, and inexpensive theory book:

Hal Leonard Pocket Music Theory: A Comprehensive and Convenient Source for All Musicians: Carl Schroeder, Keith Wyatt: 0073999309683: Amazon.com: Books

Jamey Aebersold has a play along series that you would be wise to check out.

Jamey Aebersold Jazz: VOLUME 3 - THE ii/V7/I PROGRESSION - Now with 2 CDs!
Jamey Aebersold Jazz: VOLUME 22 - FAVORITE STANDARDS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRGHAzO8g3o

As for players, I'm not really a fan of jazz guitar. I have yet to find a player who speaks to me. However, jazz is about listening or somesuch, so I recommend you find players you like, regardless of instrument. It's pretty much required that you know Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. All of those guys come from the Bebop period that spanned the 1940's through to the 1960's. Miles Davis went on to innovate a variety of different styles, including jazz fusion.


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## AugmentedFourth (Oct 17, 2014)

Just to throw out another couple names,







Guitarists:
Grant Green
Joe Pass
Charlie Hunter
Charlie Christian


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## steinny (Oct 17, 2014)

If you're interested in checking out guitarists, a good place to start for someone coming from a metalish background (perhaps an invalid assumption on ss.org, perhaps not...) would be fusion-oriented players, i.e., Allan Holdsworth, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, and possibly Pat Metheny (Pat tends to straddle the straight ahead/fusion divide). Holdsworth in particular is one of the original progenitors of "shred" guitar and has influenced lots of rock and metal players--I would check him out first.

These guys tend to play outside the "straight ahead" genre though, and might not be a good place to start if you want to learn the basics of the jazz language (and in any event a lot of Holdsworth's stuff is unplayable by anyone other than him). If you want to learn some solos I would start with Wes Montgomery and Grant Green--they tend to play lines that someone with decent technique can emulate, and they will give you a very good introduction to classic jazz phrasing/feel/time, etc. The Wolf Marshall books on those guys are particularly good. Joe Pass is great as well but his technique is deceptively difficult (i.e. his solos sound like they shouldn't be hard to play but when you really dig into them you realize why he put out four albums with the title "Virtuoso").


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## Pooluke41 (Oct 17, 2014)

You've also got the whole realm of gypsy jazz/swing, obviously with Django Reinhardt being the first to name.

Django

You've got so many other players though:

Stochelo, Angelo Debarre, Bireli, and one of my favourites: Jimmy Rosenberg

Jimmy

But bebop is still fvcking great: even Django incorporated it in his later years

bop


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## NotLukasz (Oct 17, 2014)

steinny said:


> If you're interested in checking out guitarists, a good place to start for someone coming from a metalish background (perhaps an invalid assumption on ss.org, perhaps not...) would be fusion-oriented players, i.e., Allan Holdsworth, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, and possibly Pat Metheny (Pat tends to straddle the straight ahead/fusion divide). Holdsworth in particular is one of the original progenitors of "shred" guitar and has influenced lots of rock and metal players--I would check him out first.
> 
> These guys tend to play outside the "straight ahead" genre though, and might not be a good place to start if you want to learn the basics of the jazz language (and in any event a lot of Holdsworth's stuff is unplayable by anyone other than him). If you want to learn some solos I would start with Wes Montgomery and Grant Green--they tend to play lines that someone with decent technique can emulate, and they will give you a very good introduction to classic jazz phrasing/feel/time, etc. The Wolf Marshall books on those guys are particularly good. Joe Pass is great as well but his technique is deceptively difficult (i.e. his solos sound like they shouldn't be hard to play but when you really dig into them you realize why he put out four albums with the title "Virtuoso").


Lol yes I am a mostly metal player. Someone suggested Wes Montgomery on ultimate guitar and I liked him a lot. I ordered creative guitar 1 by guthrie govan and it came in today and I hear good things about it so I'm excited to start reading. I'll also check out the other things you suggested, thanks lots.


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## ArtDecade (Oct 21, 2014)

Miles Davis. Start at the beginning and keep going and going and going until you reach his last album. You've just completed a course in jazz!


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## Nil0201 (Oct 22, 2014)

A good approach to jazz music, is listen, transcribe, and playing over the records. Take the chords of the song from the Real Book, try to transcribe the solos and feel the swing.
A good jazz album is Time Out, by The Dave Brubeck Quartet. 
Paul Desmond playing is so inspiring, because is not a ' classical ' saxophonist. For me, is the David Gilmour of the jazz


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## lhoffl (Oct 27, 2014)

Nil0201 said:


> A good approach to jazz music, is listen, transcribe, and playing over the records. Take the chords of the song from the Real Book, try to transcribe the solos and feel the swing.
> A good jazz album is Time Out, by The Dave Brubeck Quartet.
> Paul Desmond playing is so inspiring, because is not a ' classical ' saxophonist. For me, is the David Gilmour of the jazz



Sometimes, I like to think that David Gilmore is the David Gilmour of Jazz.


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## Nil0201 (Oct 28, 2014)

Lol, that's right! 

For example, try to learn this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEC8nqT6Rrk

Hear the solos, and transcribe the most beautiful for you.


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## Vince Marrone (Nov 11, 2014)

Just listen to as much jazz as you can and find the sounds and styles you dig. There are so many jazz sub genres that your head will spin. Once you find the grooves and styles you like, find some seminal artists in those styles and start small and be steady. Take lessons! Find an experienced jazzer and have them teach you the basics. It will shave years off of the learning curve. It is a lifelong journey to play this stuff well!


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## FrankDeets (Nov 14, 2014)

check out ray charles, gregory porter, and get yourself a realbook


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