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Hey Norm
Thank you for your kind words and your feedback. I'm glad the cheekiness came through, as I far prefer these versions of Melancholy Baby to the sad ones.
I'm two thirds of the way through Andy LaVerne's harmonization book. By spending 10 min a day studying his theory and 15 min a day studying his reharmed songs, I'm gaining my own harmonization vocabulary.

I'm on for listening to your latest How High the Blues. It's great you're developing your own voice. Stick with Just Friends for as long as you like, even spending half a year fully exploring a song is fine.

Are compositions in your goals ? I think they would be a good way for your voice to come out.

I did have a feeling that you would stick with your jazz teacher.

Thanks Cus,

Here's a couple of versions of How High the Blues:

One through MIDI, with a few measures of Just Friends added:

How High the Blues #1

One through the Mic, with a swing rhythm track pulsing in the background:

How High the Blues #2

Compositions lie ahead in the future, I've more to do...

Very nice Norm.
I can tell that you've been practising your voicings. How are you choosing them ?
You're playing the blues version fast, if you slow it down a touch, it might help to get your triplets more even.
You are improving in Giant Steps each time.

My new favorite lesson is #22.

Nearly finished Book 1, hey Ron ?
Glad you're enjoying it.
Book 2 tunes get even nicer.

This thread seems to have ended way back on 3 Dec 2012. What happened?

hehe 2Shlow, you are right. After 1,237,434 reads, this thread ran out of posts. Thanks for finding it again on page whatever.
I'm interested in how you are doing with the JOI course.

Hi Cus, and welcome 2Shlow!

Wow, I just got the email notice that this thread is back up. Sorry about being AWOL. My piano teacher has swamped me with enough homework (Compings and voicings and heads, Oh My!) to leave little time for JOI.

Anyway, Cus, in answer to your question, the voicings are primarily:

(b)3 (b or #)5 (b)7 (b)9

or

(b)7 (b)9 (b)3 (b or #)5

with an (#)11 or a 13 occasionally added in the right hand for extra spice.

Well, back to the grind.

Hey Norm
Nice to hear from you. Yeah I'm attracted to the #11 sound and have started to work on it as part of spicing up my ionian chord-scales. As with all things, it's easier in practice than in actual improv application.
I agree that it is not practical to work on 2 jazz methods. Glad you're still loving your jazz.

still here!
good to hear from everyone!

Absolutely! In the words of General MacArthur, "I shall return!"

Actually, I already have - kind of....

Well... Actually... I shall return... with Birds Bounce recorded and submitted!!! Eventually!!

...after I finish with Angel Eyes, Funny Valentine, Another You, Take the A Train, How High the Moon and other various and sundry assignments.

Gotta Run.

Hey Knots
Where have you been and what are you up to ?

Hey Cus,

I've been good. Still teaching DF a few tricks ;-)

How about you, how's Dr Laverne? I will see him in July btw. Me, Chris and my sax buddy are all going this year.

hehe Knots, you're funny.

I'm glad you, Chris, and Andy LaVerne can all make it again this year to Aebersold. So Chris' socks couldn't have been too bad last year

Unfortunately I'm not ready for Aebersold yet. I'm only doing solo piano. It's very difficult to find a good jazz rhythm section here which is primarily fusion and Latin.
I've looked at the Mark Levine ATTYA backing track he did for Aebersold in 12 keys but there were a couple of problems for me:
(i) I prefer different chord extensions e.g. in the bridge, I feel a strong pull towards B7 b9 not the B7 #9 used by Mark.
(ii) I've been practising delaying the resolution of my dominants e.g. when I'm playing extensions over G7, the backing track would already have moved onto C maj 7.

I've been practising the Gary Burton you-tube masterclass concept of thematic improv, also I've begun working on the Gary Burton/Andy LaVerne modes.

At the end of last year, I finished Andy's Chord Substitutions book which has given me the confidence to do arrangements quite quickly.
But I'm taking a long time with reharms, although I now have acquired the vocabulary for it, so I'm parking my reharm of the last section of ATTYA.

I've decided I won't take lessons with Andy until after the Gary Burton course which is April-May.

Keep in touch even though I know you must be very busy with work and gigs.

Hey everyone

I hope your doing fine.

Its been a while I guess I've been practicing and revisiting the "old" tunes again for a month now. And hopefully next friday I'll be back on track again with a new teacher. Since last week I can humm random melodies in my head again. I really enjoy practicing.

Welcome back Simou.
Glad you found a new teacher.
Which lesson do you plan to do with your new teacher ?

Hey Apple, i'm doing lesson 5 right now having just finished with the blues. Hopefully by the end of the week I can play the jazz tune. The teacher is a professional jazz pianist, I haven't seen him yet. But there shouldn't be a problem if I continue with lesson 6... I hope

That's really cool Simou that you got through the difficult Lessons 3 and 4, and that you finally found a jazz teacher.
If I remember correctly, the second tune in Lesson 5 was a blues tune too. So the learning curve in Lesson 5 for your second tune shouldn't be huge.

Well, I ordered book one too
Untill it's here I think I'll just read this topic a lot . Can't go wrong with Dave Frank seeing his master classes on yt.

Welcome lost wood. A lot of stuff to sort through. This thread is very helpful for getting info on how to use the book.