Chasin' the Sound Learning Jazz Improvisation through Historical Models

In Chasin' the Sound: Learning Jazz Improvisation through Historical Models, authors Brian Levy and Keith Waters use solos by famous jazz musicians to outline a melodic and rhythmic vocabulary of jazz improvisation. In contrast to mainstream approaches based on rote memorization and generic chord/scale pedagogies, Chasin' the Sound encourages hands-on learning with activities that highlight the intangible yet key aesthetics of sound, groove, and feel. By studying jazz fundamentals alongside well-known examples of those fundamentals in practice, students and instructors will gain a broader and more meaningful understanding of the art of improvisation. In addition to exploring the mechanics of what to play, Levy and Waters offer ideas on how to play the essential roles of timekeeping, comping, and soloing, and how to develop routines within these roles. Supported by classroom-tested exercises and hundreds of original annotated music examples, students will learn the core rhythmic and melodic tenets of jazz while studying and playing along with the improvised solos and accompaniments of Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Sarah Vaughan, Bud Powell, Clifford Brown, Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis, Red Garland, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins, among many others. Throughout, Levy and Waters show that great soloists and accompanists do not in fact have an unlimited vocabulary but rather use limited melodic and rhythmic resources as modules for infinite recombination. Written for all experience levels, Chasin' the Sound is a substantial workout for students and instructors to build chops and knowledge along the way.

Brian Levy is Director and Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at San Diego State University (SDSU). Prior to this role, he was a full-time member of the faculty at The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) from 2013-23, where he held joint appointments in the Department of Jazz Studies and the Department of Music History and Musicology. In 2021, he received the prestigious Louis Krasner Teaching Award. As a saxophonist, Levy performs regularly in the US and Europe. Keith Waters is Professor of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder. As a professional jazz pianist, he has recorded and performed with jazz artists such as James Moody, Bobby Hutcherson, Eddie Harris, Dave Liebman, Janis Siegel, and many others. As an author, Waters is the author of The Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68; Postbop Jazz in the 1960s: The Compositions of Wayne Shorter; Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea; and Jazz: The First Hundred Years (with co-author Henry Martin).