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Fun to see that this topic is alive and well. I'll be joining in shortly, just have get myself - and time - sorted out. A new baby will do that to you.
On the topic of speed; here's a clip with Bill Evans that has inspired me this last month - not just this clip, but them all from this recording, Bill's playing is impeccable and the rest of trio: Chuck Israels and Larry Bunker - just wow!

And don't miss those fast 16th notes here

Congratulations Chris! Many sleepless nights to you!

Chris, good to see you back! Yeah I hope you keep posting the things that interest you and are working on so we all get practice ideas.

We time the life of these jazz threads to your children you know One thread for each kid. Just for that reason alone we've got to keep going.

Speaking of Giant Steps, nice version from that kid who played Corea's Spain exceptionally well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps_wAFu087c

I should ask him how he picked up jazz so fast.

Yeah, it made me wonder how did Gadi master his command of rhythm at such a young age, especially sustaining the swing and syncopation for a long solo ?
Btw I thought he was Zac Hanson.

That kid is fcking amazing. This clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvA4ztA7nzs&feature=related
It's one thing to have the facility and speed at a young age but his ears and time are just perverse.

Giant Steps - look at this video of Barry Harris masterclass. It was neat watching him build bebop melodies for GS. It's played at medium swing so it's pretty easy to understand. He says he's playing it like I Got Rhythm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-AaXO-pnp0

I think it is the rhythmic feel that is amazing. We normal people take a long time to absorb that. I can't tell if they're good overall at everything or it's just a few tunes (most likely since he keeps playing Spain), but there is no doubt that learning to develop that kind of sense of time in a short time is utterly amazing.

FYI - my computer is down so I can't upload any music (as I was planning). So if this thread sinks down for a bit, not to worry. It might take over a week to get back up as my computer has to be sent back for repair.

lol my wrist is down from tennis so I might shut up for once

What's everyone working on now? Now don't tell me you're all not working on anything.

My computer problems really put a downer on my free time so it's really difficult to record. But I might as well record something which will do double duty for recital.

Aside from GS practice, which I have to play for my teacher, I've started practicing Falling Grace. Good two-handed comping practice but the latin feel isn't coming so easily in solo piano. I guess I just have to just subtley imply the latin feel but I'm just not that good at it.

I'm working on learning standards. Reckoned I should learn all the ones I like...since that's what I'll be playing on anyway.

Working on a Dan Coates arrangement of Someone to Watch Over Me. Hopefully if I can learn this arrangement to the point of "owning the changes" I might be able to play around with it a bit some time in the future. Great tune. Jarrett's version is absolutely beautiful. (But I'm just a beginner and don't really belong on this advanced thread, so back into lurk mode )

Klink, which ones?

I've really been poor at learning new tunes. It's because I'm often focused on building a skill and my teacher actually snapped at me for moving too quickly away when I hit a wall.

One of my quitting moments was on 'Matrix'. I couldn't get the rhythm right because I was so poor at reading rhythm in written music

So this time, I'm not quitting on Giant Steps until I'm happy with my solo lines. Speed isn't my target though at the moment.

Sure you can post here JimF. Don't go into lurk mode.

This reminds me of a Brad Mehldau version of this tune in solo piano. If you listen to it, it sounds like there's a third hand playing...

That'll be quite a challenge even if someone notated the arrangement. What was complex was the inner voices that were even rhythmically independent.

In any case, great tune and agreed on Jarrett's version.

Oh, I didn't mean to imply I was playing a transcription/arrangement of Jarrett's version! Lordy, I will have died and gone to heaven when I can do that. But the Coates arrangement is nice and jazzy and uses those nice two handed voicing and upper right hand melody note you wrote about. Thats about all I can handle at this point.

"But not for me", "I didn't know what time it was", "I thought about you" "Night and Day" I've always envied the old farts that know billions of standards in 13 keys, and thought I'd be one of them.
I'm listening to Kate Ryan "Ella elle" and it's so incredible catchy and I'm wondering why I bother with this dead art no one cares about, learning these tunes that's absolutely impossible to remember. Next up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUEkKl0EAvo now thats a good song...

I'm back! And here to ask what it is you mean by rhythmic independence? I'm not sure there technically is such a thing unless someone is playing independently of the meter, tempo and suggested divisions around them. Somewhat akin to a beginner trying to jam with studio musicians. Since I don't have the version that you're speaking of at hand, I can only assume that you mean it sounds as if the 'third hand' is doing something that doesn't seem to rely on the surrounding rhythm that is being implied by the bass and surrounding voicings?

In any case, I've finally been able to get back to the piano myself and am also working on standards again. Currently reviewing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I Hear a Rhapsody, Beautiful Love, and Skylark to name a few.

WB, I hear a rhapsody, great tune.

Ya, I really like it. I might even post something on here. BTW, what is 'WB?'