(Part 2) Best books about jazz according to redditors

That's a well know Sinatra story that he's been telling since the 70's.

Technically, it could have been you, but Occam says otherwise.

I'll find sources when not on mobile.

Edit: Sources -

Here's a TIL from reddit posted by u/Whispercry telling the stroy, from over a year ago

Here's another refence for the famous story, this time from a lifestyle/ettuquette zine titled ["The Five O'Clock"] (http://fiveoclock.harrys.com/post/104/tips-on-tips). This one is from early 2014.

The TIL references the memoir of Frank's ex-wife, Barvra titled "Lady Blue Eyes". She references the story from the time of their marriage, which was the mis 70's until his eath in 98.

Again, I'm not sying it's NOT you, but when we look at your post history and see you have a habit of karmawhoreing I'm less inclined to believe you.

Now, the fact you're a mod at the /r/pithforkemporium makes me respect your balls, but you're lies could use some work.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Listen-Jazz-Ted-Gioia/dp/0465060897

https://www.amazon.com/Augmented-Scale-Jazz-Players-Guide/dp/1562240315

forums.allaboutjazz.com

jazzguitar.be/forum

Learn how to use google site search to search those forums for topics that you're currently working on.

musictheory.net - use the lessons and exercises because you have to know the basics of reading and memorize the key signatures, etc.

I urge you to check out Hal Galper and Mike Longo's books/videos. They are at the forefront of Jazz Education and their material is a rite of passage for beginning jazz musicians.

Here's a playlist of Galper's masterclass videos:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7iWyGibrnPOQPEuUL4O3s5E0qdPj-cqs

The best general jazz chord-scale theory text I've seen (I've seen them all) is probably the Berklee book,
Chord Scale Theory and Jazz Harmony;
However, even better would be the Bert Ligon books, because they go into more detail about how to actually put it into practice:
Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony
Jazz Theory Resources Volume 1
Jazz Theory Resources Volume 2
Comprehensive Technique for Jazz Musicians


P.S. this subreddit is geared more towards jazz listeners and may not have that many musicians.

Be sure to fact check - cymbal thrown on floor, not "at" Parker, by Jo Jones (Basie alum) at jam session (no Duke); Lee Morgan shot by common-law wife, no marriage.

Miles' book is a great source, as are bios/autobios of Louis Armstrong, Art Pepper, Mingus, Chet Baker, Mezz Mezzrow, Bird, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Billie Holiday, Monk, Duke, etc. Also YouTube interviews. Probably a good idea to find confirmation, when possible, as the artists aren't always reliable. There is a book called Jazz Anecdotes - haven't read it.

Start off by listening to a ton of jazz. Afterwards, learn your major, minor, dorian, and mixolydian scales/modes. Check youtube, there's a ton of good tutorials if you don't know them yet. Then buy a real book and start attempting to follow along with the changes. Start with just the root notes and later add the 3rds and 5ths. Here's a book that I think explains walking basslines pretty well, and another one if you're interested in soloing.



Here's a list of jazz songs most students learn early on:

Afro Blue

All Blues

All Of Me

All The Things You Are

A Night In Tunisia

Au Privave

Autumn Leaves

Beautiful Love

Black Orpheus

Blue Bossa

Blue In Green

Blue Monk

Blues For Alice

Body And Soul

Cherokee

Cotton Tail

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

A Fine Romance

Footprints

Four

Freddie Freeloader

The Girl From Ipanema

How High The Moon

How Insensitive

Lady Bird

Maiden Voyage

Misty

Mr. P.C.

My Funny Valentine

Oleo

Ornithology

Recorda-me

Red Clay

Satin Doll

So What

Song For My Father

Sugar

Take Five

Take The “A” Train

There Will Never Be Another You

Tune Up

I have Exploring Jazz Arranging by Chuck Israels and like it. He does say in the book that not all that much has really changed harmonically since the days of Bach, so you'll definitely want to read up on traditional counterpoint as well. Besides that, maybe transcribing and analyzing full scores of arrangements you love? It'd be a lot of work, but you'd learn a ton.

You can go two non-exclusive ways:

​

1. page xooxanthelae (sp), who's a regular here & has composed a valuable cut/paste list of musicians/recordings that pretty much match your intentions; and/or
   
2. get yourself a copy of Gary Giddins/Scott DeVeaux's Jazz, along with the CDs that accompany it (link provides a sampling -- here's the "official"recordings), which basically deliver a version of the project you've set for yourself. (Get a hold of Jazz Essential Listening while you're at it. Same guys.)
   
   ​
   
   I recommend going both ways

\>>> I tried to compile the rest of the books.

​

But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz

by Geoff Dyer

(can't find the same edition)

"May be the best book ever written about jazz."—David Thomson, Los Angeles Times

In eight poetically charged vignettes, Geoff Dyer skillfully evokes the music and the men who shaped modern jazz. Drawing on photos, anecdotes, and, most important, the way he hears the music, Dyer imaginatively reconstructs scenes from the embattled lives of some of the greats: Lester Young fading away in a hotel room; Charles Mingus storming down the streets of New York on a too-small bicycle; Thelonious Monk creating his own private language on the piano. However, music is the driving force of But Beautiful, and wildly metaphoric prose that mirrors the quirks, eccentricity, and brilliance of each musician's style.

​

The Tide: The Science and Stories Behind the Greatest Force on Earth

by Hugh Aldersey-Williams
Half of the world’s population today lives in coastal regions lapped by tidal waters. But the tide rises and falls according to rules that are a mystery to almost all of us. In The Tide, celebrated science writer Hugh Aldersey-Williams weaves together centuries of scientific thinking with the literature and folklore the tide has inspired to explain the power and workings of this most remarkable force.

Here is the epic story of the long search to understand the tide from Aristotle, to Galileo and Newton, to classic literary portrayals of the tide from Shakespeare to Dickens, Melville to Jules Verne.

​

Return of the Sea Otter

by Todd McLeish

A science journalist's journey along the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska to track the status, health, habits, personality, and viability of sea otters--the appealing species unique to this coastline that was hunted to near extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries. These adorable, furry marine mammals--often seen floating on their backs holding hands--reveal the health of the coastal ecosystem along the Pacific Ocean. Once hunted for their prized fur during the 1700s and 1800s, these animals nearly went extinct. Only now, nearly a century after hunting ceased, are populations showing stable growth in some places. Sea otters are a keystone species in coastal areas, feeding on sea urchins, clams, crab, and other crustaceans. When they are present, kelp beds are thick and healthy, providing homes for an array of sealife. When otters disappear, sea urchins take over, and the kelp disappears along with all of the creatures that live in the beds. Now, thanks to their protected status, sea otters are floating around in coves in California, Washington, and Alaska.

​

Why Women Will Save the Planet

by Friends Of The Earth, Jenny Hawley (Editor)

Women's empowerment is critical to environmental sustainability, isn't it? When Friends of the Earth asked this question on Facebook half of respondents said yes and half said no, with women as likely to say no as men. This collection of articles and interviews, from some of the leading lights of the environmental and feminist movements, demonstrates that achieving gender equality is vital if we are to protect the environment upon which we all depend. It is a rallying call to environmental campaigning groups and other environmentalists who have, on the whole, neglected women's empowerment in their work.

​

Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea and Human Life

by George Monbiot

This book explodes with wonder and delight. Making use of remarkable scientific discoveries that transform our understanding of how natural systems work, George Monbiot explores a new, positive environmentalism that shows how damaged ecosystems on land and at sea can be restored, and how this restoration can revitalize and enrich our lives. Challenging what he calls his “ecological boredom,” Monbiot weaves together a beautiful and riveting tale of wild places, wildlife, and wild people. Roaming the hills of Britain and the forests of Europe, kayaking off the coast of Wales with dolphins and seabirds, he seeks out the places that still possess something of the untamed spirit he would like to resurrect.

He meets people trying to restore lost forests and bring back missing species—such as wolves, lynx, wolverines, wild boar, and gray whales—and explores astonishing evidence that certain species, not just humans, have the power to shape the physical landscape.

​

To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface

by Olivia Laing

To the River is the story of the Ouse, the Sussex river in which Virginia Woolf drowned in 1941. One midsummer week over sixty years later, Olivia Laing walked Woolf's river from source to sea. The result is a passionate investigation into how history resides in a landscape - and how ghosts never quite leave the places they love. Along the way, Laing explores the roles rivers play in human lives, tracing their intricate flow through literature and mythology alike. To the River excavates all sorts of stories from the Ouse's marshy banks, from the brutal Barons' War of the thirteenth century to the 'Dinosaur Hunters', the nineteenth-century amateur naturalists who first cracked the fossil code. Central among these ghosts is, of course, Virginia Woolf herself: her life, her writing and her watery death. Woolf is the most constant companion on Laing's journey, and To the River can be read in part as a biography of this extraordinary English writer, refracted back through the river she loved. But other writers float through these pages too - among them Iris Murdoch, Shakespeare, Homer and Kenneth Grahame, author of the riverside classic The Wind in the Willows.

But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz by Geoff Dyer.
http://www.amazon.com/But-Beautiful-Book-About-Jazz/dp/0312429479

As you mentioned, sax music has to be transposed to match with guitar and bass. But since you're probably going to be learning by yourself for now, don't worry about it yet! Practice scales and arpeggios, since that will help immensely with jazz improvisation.

Once you're feeling comfortable, you can pick up a fake book (like this one), and it does the transposing for you. There's a few hundred songs in each one, and there are books available for instruments in C (like guitar), bass clef (like bass), Bb (clarinet or tenor sax), and Eb (alto sax).

When you start transposing on the fly, take the key signature the rest of the group is playing in, and add 3 sharps. If they're playing in A, you're playing in F#. If they're in G, you're in E. A lot of times, playing with guitars puts the sax in terrible keys with loads of sharps. Practice your scales.

There is a trick to transposing sheet music on the fly. You still have to mentally add the 3 sharps to the key signature. And then move every note down one full line or space. It takes practice, but eventually will become easy. Helps to practice your scales.

Depends what gaps you have. Standard classical theory is good enough for functional jazz harmony, although some terms are different. (No augmented 6ths or neapolitan chords in jazz; but lots of "tritone subs".)

[Jazzology] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazzology-Encyclopedia-Jazz-Theory-Musicians/dp/0634086782) is a good survey of functional jazz harmony. It's somewhat dry in presentation, and it's a shame that all the examples of tunes (melody and chords) are written by the authors, not taken from jazz standards.

For post-functional jazz theory (modes and chord-scales), Mark Levine's [Jazz Theory Book] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazz-Theory-Book-Mark-Levine/dp/1883217040/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499166438&sr=1-2&keywords=jazz+theory+book) is the bible. As a standalone jazz theory text it has many drawbacks, which is what provoked Rawlins to produce the above book. So you could see them as companion texts.
The two great advantages of Levine's book are its easy readability and presentation, and its many quotes from jazz recordings (mainly chord voicings and licks from improvisations). However, Levine's interpretation of those quotes should be taken with a pinch of salt: he uses them to support his chord-scale theories, but they can be interpreted in other ways. It's by no means clear the players themselves thought in those terms.
A great scathing criticism of chord-scale theory can be heard [here] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NehOx1JsuT4) (Not as a theoretical principle, note, merely as a system for improvisation.)

Bert Ligon's books are also highly respected - I see them recommended all the time, although I haven't read any myself. [This] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/JAZZ-THEORY-RESOURCES-1-BOOK/dp/0634038613/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TK8Y6EQRPH62NAYVHB2G) is probably the best, and there is a [volume 2] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazz-Theory-Resources-Harmonic-Organization/dp/0634038621/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499166895&sr=1-3&keywords=bert+ligon).

In short, one gets the impression that "jazz theory" is a live body of knowledge that is still being worked out. Different authorities have different views and perspectives. In particular there is a tension between how the players themselves think (especially older ones), and how academics analyze the music produced. After all, the period of jazz that many people hold up as the zenith (the bebop era) was produced by musicians whose jazz training was on the bandstand, by example from older players. Some may have studied music at conservatoires, but it would have been exclusively classical theory. "Jazz" was learned by ear.

Another really good use is for V7 chords with some alterations, but we'd be looking at a tetrad: major 7th chord with the raised fifth, or a +Δ7 (where the Δ7 refers to the raised 7th scale degree, and the + refers to the augmented triad beneath it all).

​

For instance, if you stack a Bb+Δ7 over a C7 shell (E and Bb), you get a nice voicing for a C13(+11):

>LH: C-E // RH: Bb-D-F#-A

​

In addition, stacking an E+Δ7 over the C7 shell is a nice C7(#9,#5) sound:

>LH: C-Bb // RH: E-G#-C-D#

​

Lastly, as mentioned elsewhere, this tetrad makes a lovely -Δ7 sound as well. For a C-Δ7, we might voice with an Eb+Δ7 tetrad over C:

>LH: C // RH: Eb-G-B-D

​

Walt Weiskopf and Ramon Ricker wrote a pretty great book on the matter (The Augmented Scale in Jazz) that looks at not just the augmented scale, but a baffling array of ways that the augmented sound has been used by artists like Coltrane, Michael Brecker, and others.

​

[Edit]: I realize that if you're now discovering augmented chords, the above likely sound like absolute fluff and rubbish. Apologies.
Try using an augmented triad as a delayed resolution to the tonic or the I chord: G7 -> C+ -> C or C6.

Here's a book I just borrowed from my library, Ted Gioia's How To Listen To Jazz ( https://www.amazon.com/How-Listen-Jazz-Ted-Gioia/dp/0465060897 ).

I'm only a few pages in but I've read Gioia's The History of Jazz so I think I'll be learning a lot.
Ken Burns has a documentary series titled simply Jazz.

On youtube you have resources like Walk That Bass, who also just launched a jazz piano website ( http://www.thejazzpianosite.com ).

The lack of electronics is a little annoying. Usually I would recommend doing a lot of transcription. Once you learn the basics, the best thing to do is jump right in and get first hand experience. Will you have any way to listen to music? If not, definitely pick up some books of transcribed solos from your favorite guitarists. You would be missing out on the ear training you get from transcribing and it would be harder to memorize licks, but you would get some good sight reading practice at least. It might also be good to pick up some transcribed bass lines if you can find a book of those, because looking at bass lines is a great way to get a feel for jazz harmony. And bring The Real Book, of course! You'll have plenty of time to memorize tunes, which is going to be extremely important in the future.

Real Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002FL3JA0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Solid advice.

Resources:

• The Complete Arranger, Sammy Nestico
  
  
• Jazz Arranging and Composing, Bill Dobbins
  
  Scribd links:
  
  http://www.scribd.com/doc/32930029/Arr-The-Complete-Arranger-Sammy-Nestico
  
  http://www.scribd.com/doc/7121040/Bill-Dobbins-Jazz-Arranging-and-Composing
  

The Real Book Volume 1 has My Favorite Things.

The Real Book Volume 2 has Moanin'

I've played a decent amound of rock, (mostly into Wilco, Sufjan type stuff) and I feel that playing Bach helped me a lot for writing memorable parts with good voice leading. It's mostly about giving yourself a solid harmonic framework to go off of. Like building a house... you can kinda do whatever you want with the decorations, but the framework and structure has to be there. Bach gives us that framework, even for rock/pop/jazz (to an extent).

Some things of his that might help you for guitar parts: his solo violin (and solo cello) stuff. He was able to coax polyphonic sounds and a sense of harmony out of two instruments which are mostly monophonic, and you really learn how to write a good melody. For two-part structure (bass+melody, the most important voices), check out his Inventions, and for 3-part, check out the French Suites. For heavier stuff, check out the Well-Tempered Clavier or B Minor Mass. It's mostly about being aware of how you're moving the voices, and how your parts are moving melodically... thinking of harmony as melody.

Obviously, there's a huge difference between Bach and something like funk or afrobeat, which are groove-based, but I think studying him is really helpful for writing parts that "just fit" with the rest of the band, or knowing how to keep strong harmonic structure with minimal instrumentation (solo, duo, etc).

Some other books to maybe consider:

Exploring Jazz Arranging (He also talks about Bach)

Contemporary Counterpoint

Tonal Counterpoint for the 21st Century Musician

Voice Leading: The Science Behind a Musical Art

Get yourself a copy of Gary Giddins/Scott DeVeaux's Jazz, along with the CDs that accompany it (link provides a sampling -- here's the "official"recordings), which basically deliver a version of the project you've set for yourself. (Get a hold of Jazz Essential Listening while you're at it. Same guys.)


But also, supplement your listening to recordings with listening to some live jazz. Go to Smalls Live webpage, register (free) - & listen some evening ( just not 2nite, because they're closed.

You'll probably be interested in a Real Book. This book is full of jazz standards. I bought one a month ago or so, and the tall, complex 7th/9th/11/13th chords re-ignited my theory lust. This book is neat because all you get in the sheet music is the melody, and then chord symbols notating the harmony. Like the equivalent of a .zip file, as all the note information is condensed for you.

Hampton Hawes' autobiography: https://www.amazon.com/Raise-Up-Off-Me-Portrait/dp/1560253533

Every musician should read this book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1560253533

Check out Real Books and Fake Books for whatever style interests you. Example Amazon link

These have hundreds of songs and most music shops should have a selection of them.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

My first very strong recommendation is to study up on chords and melodies, never hurts to know more.

Second, check out this book ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/3892210063?pc_redir=1413713711&robot_redir=1) by Bill Dobbins. It gets complicated very quickly but it's a great resource for small group arranging.

Third, just do it anyway way you can, fail, be okay with failing, learn from your failure, try it again, repeat until you cease to be.

A smart music-geek, drummer friend of mine said this book was great: http://www.amazon.com/Coltrane-Story-Sound-Ben-Ratliff/dp/0312427786/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279924158&sr=1-3#_

The Jazz Piano book is a good start. I would also recommend Stylistic II/V7/I Voicings for Keyboardists by Luke Gillespie.

Basically you will want to know your vocabulary of scales and chords, especially all the 7th chords (minor, major, dominant, minor-major, half-diminished, fully diminished in all inversions, and in other combinations like drop-2 or drop 3). Jazz uses a lot of modes and altered scales as well. Start listening to jazz musicians, not just pianists, and transcribing their lines and/or chords. Pick a few standards you like and practice playing the chords.

It's a lot like learning another language: you learn the basic building blocks (voicings, melodies) and combine them to build larger ideas (tunes). Start slowly and practice with a metronome as well so that you don't neglect the rhythmic aspects of jazz and so you can play in time. As soon as you are ready, find other musicians to practice with. Jazz is live, dynamic music. Go see some live jazz near you as soon as possible and pay attention to how the musicians listen and interact. Listening is at least as important, if not more so, than what you actually play.

Additionally, check out this book by pianist Luke Gillespie on chord voicing. Its only like 20 bucks for a goldmine of chordal information

https://www.amazon.com/Stylistic-II-V7-Voicings-Keyboardists/dp/1562240846

Keep your ears open. Check out Ben Ratliff's book on John Coltane when you take some time off playing music.

Not to discourage you, but scare up a copy of Ted Gioia's The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. While not definitive, it's not bad. About 250 tunes in there; pretty good price for the kindle edition

Hey Poopydicknick, "Lady Blue Eyes, My Life With Frank is a great read, but does not focus on the mafia angle you speak of. Great read though, and I would definitely recommend. Thats purely based off my own enjoyment Poopydick, so whatever gets you through the night.

I'm a big fan of Patterns for Jazz for day to day exercises. Although the title indicates jazz music, this is a great exercise book for much of the harmony that you see running through rock, blues, jazz, and most popular music.

Another favorite of mine are the Bach Solo Cello Suites. I'd get the cello music rather than any transcriptions for bass. IMHO they all sound beautiful on bass and you'll run the gamut from relatively straightforward to very challenging.

For jazz, get the Real Book. Start with the first one. I've got the first three volumes, but there are more.