Materials

Published materials are plentiful!  Here are the ones that I use the most often with beginning improvisers:

• "The Real Easy Book" Vol. 1, "The Real Easy Book" Vol. 3, 

• Jamey Aebersold*, Vol. 1, "How to Play Jazz & Improvise"; Vol. 2, "Nothin' But the Blues"; Vol. 54, "Maiden Voyage"; Vol. 70, "Killer Joe"

• John Riley, "The Art of Bop Drumming"

• Real Books and the iReal Pro app

*Sometimes I use lead sheets from the Jamey Aebersold books, but I most often use the play-along material.  For example, I'll use an F Blues play-along track that matches "Blues in the Closet."  Play-along tracks come on CDs with the books, but are also available on iTunes if you search by volume number.   

I make my own supplemental materials and scaffolds.  Below are some you may find useful with beginning improvisers:

• Chord tone sheets for "Sonnymoon for Two" by Sonny Rollins

• Chord tone sheets for "Blues in the Closet" by Oscar Pettiford

• Chord tone sheets for "Impressions" by John Coltrane

• Chord tone sheets for "Cantaloupe Island" by Herbie Hancock

• All of the above in bass tab (my chord tone sheets, plus tab for "The Real Easy Book" suggested bass lines)

• Chord tone sheets (type B) for "Perdido" by Juan Tizol

• "Blank" Form Templates (a space for students to create their own rhythmic or tonal exercises/patterns, write down riffs they want to remember, or really anything)

• Google slides introducing harmonic form using a 12- Bar Blues harmonic form (with "Sonnymoon for Two" as an example) View the slides on any device; use the Google Slides app to also see the presenter notes on a phone or tablet (or view on a laptop or desktop)

• Google slides introducing harmonic form using a 32- Bar modal harmonic form (with "Impressions" as an example) View the slides on any device; use the Google Slides app to also see the presenter notes on a phone or tablet (or view on a laptop or desktop)

• Google slides about rhythmic variations