A poet of the music, Paul Desmond was both self-deprecating and deeply insightful. This medley of quotes might tickle and provoke us… “I tried practicing for a few weeks and ended up playing too fast… I have won several prizes as the world’s slowest alto player, as well as a special award in 1961 forContinue reading “Paul Desmond, a master mind and wit: some thoughts for a New Year”
Category Archives: improvisation
The Improvisational Brain – new article
Musicians and students are prone to a bit ranting as to whether or not the analogy with language acquisition is appropriate.
Serious about practice? Do we really want to improve?
It seems that my work is mainly about helping students practice effectively. There’s not much to say except that if we are really serious, why not find out more about it! Check out these indispensible web links for effective practice. 1) intentionalpractice.wordpress.com: Jonathan Harnum is a practicing musician (30+ years on trumpet, and others), and hasContinue reading “Serious about practice? Do we really want to improve?”
British Jazz – Pause for Thought
The sad passing of Jeff Clyne, Peter King, John Dankworth and recently, Ken Baldock represents a distancing of the eras of jazz in Britain. It is worth considering the achievements of the pioneering jazz musicians in the post-war years, establishing bebop first-hand, producing several generations of formidable artists who, petty international jealousies aside, could hold theirContinue reading “British Jazz – Pause for Thought”
Swinging in 7 is hard – Ronan’s point.
There’s a lot of hot air and conflicting opinion amongst jazz musicians and within the music colleges regarding playing and improvising in odd metres. At last there are some wise and measured thoughts in Ronan Guilfoyle’s excellent blog. Check out his recent post “Whatever Happened to Odd Metre Swing?“
Simon Purcell 