Big John Records

James P Martin asked:


Every great jazz musician has, at one time or another, transcribed jazz solos from recordings. Since jazz is an art from that is aural in nature, it makes complete sense that listening and copying the improvisations of earlier jazz masters helps one become a more consistent and skilled jazz improviser.

Transcribing a jazz solo involves the repetitive listening and notation of a recorded jazz solo. To get maximum benefit from the process, the person studying the solo through transcription should memorize and internalize every note and every inflection played by the improviser. “Transcribing” refers to the activity of notating on paper the exact notes and rhythms played by the improviser.

Evolving Technologies of Transcribing Jazz Solos

Charlie Parker could arguably be called the most influential jazz artist of the 20th century. His inventive jazz improvisations changed the face of jazz and ushered in one of the most exciting eras of jazz: the bebop era.

Charlie Parker was born with a huge amount of natural talent, but that does not mean Charlie never worked hard at his honing his craft. History reveals that Charlie spent almost a year early on in his music career memorizing - note by note - the jazz solos of Lester Young from 78 RPM recordings.

Before jazz became widely available on 78 RPM recordings, musicians relied on listening and learning in “real time”. The only way to learn jazz improvisation in the early days of jazz was to listen to live musicians and pick up what you could from what they played. Once played however, the music was gone forever.

During the 1920s, artists such Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and many others began recording their music and jazz improvisations onto 78 RPM acetone discs. This leap in technology opened the door for future musicians to “study” the improvisations of their jazz predecessors.

The 1950s saw the introduction of reel to reel tape machines and ultimately cassette tape recordings. Magnetic tape made it possible for jazz musicians to forward and rewind the tape to exact locations of solos and specific passages of a solo. No longer did musicians have to “drop the needle” on worn out discs to learn a solo or tune. Some cassette tape players were made specifically for musicians, allowing them to slow down parts or all of a recording at half or quarter speed. This proved to be helpful, but slowing down analog tape created problems with pitch and fidelity that was annoying to say the least.

In recent years, computers have assisted jazz musicians transcribe recordings in ways that were once considered impossible. Inexpensive or free computer programs have made it possible to slow down fast passages without changing fidelity or pitch. Other advantages of computer assisted transcription include the ability to change key, precise looping of passages for ease in learning, and even help with notating pitches that are played.

Transcribing and studying great jazz solos can be one of the smartest and beneficial activities any jazz musician can undertake to help hone his or her craft. Even with the marvels of modern technology, the process still takes time and effort however. Don’t forget to use the knowledge and skills you acquire from transcribing jazz solos to performing with live musicians. Nothing will replace the experience of playing jazz with others!

Akhila Choudhary asked:


Jazz music has become universally popular as it sounds mesmerizing to the ears. It follows numerous rhythmic patterns of music, including blues, reggae as well as swing patterns. In particular, the call and response pattern used in jazz is its USP and attracts major attention of music enthusiasts. And when the entire assembly gets connoted with jazz music, it emerges into the big band jazz music. This ensemble is also referred as jazz orchestra, jazz band and jazz ensemble.

The most amazing part of big band jazz music is that music combo notes are prepared in advance and only sometimes created spontaneously. They are the rich cultural blend of African as well as American music. This is because jazz music has its origin in African nations and once experimentally it was mixed with American music themes. It ended up successfully and since then it is being used with both mixes. Thereafter, its influence spread all over the world and it became one of the most popular music bands across the globe.

Big band jazz music generally comprises 12-25 musicians in order to play different musical instruments, including trumpets, trombones, saxophones, rhythm section and guitar to name a few. Although, the jazz music was associated with interests of elite groups, but with the easy availability of jazz midi files, it has reached almost every corner of world. This is because of the fact that jazz midi files can easily be downloaded from the internet for free. Even you can buy jazz cds at a cost effective price. So, people take a full advantage of this privilege and have complete access to the music of their choice.

Jazz music is gaining gradual prominence so much so that people are learning different forms, including practice jazz bass lines, guitars, and jazz pianos. All these popular forms have found strong ground in the hearts of music lovers and that is why they tend to learn and practice jazz bass lines to a large extent.

If you are interested in learning jazz music, you can also buy karaoke cds which have the basic essence of jazz as they play pure form of big band jazz music. So, learn your favorite band of jazz music and play it throughout your life.

Akhila Choudhary asked:


Big Band Jazz Music became popular around 1930s, also called as swing era, when it was played in the music concerts held at hot spots, such as New York and Chicago. Radio stations throughout the world begun to play this music thereby becoming the top choice of youngsters and adults who craved for intermediate jazz tools so as to learn and practice jazz piano.

Historical facts suggest that jazz grew popular when the touring musicians started singing songs based on themes of big band jazz music among the natives of America especially on the streets of New Orleans from where the touring musicians started their jazz tour in America. The modern style, steady rhythm and bluesy feel of jazz music got shape in New York and Chicago. Gradually jazz became so popular that the era of 1920s is still called as “jazz age” when people attended coaching so as to know how to play and practice jazz piano. By 1930, jazz emerged as the strongest and most popular mainstream music, and standard jazz songs got composed by the popular jazz musicians of that era.

One of the most common reasons for popularity of Big Band Jazz Music is that the musicians play all intermediate jazz tools in it thereby giving audience more time to dance. Another reason which led to the popularity of jazz is that the Lindy Hop dance introduced in 1930s by Charleston promoted solo dance thereby allowing jazz musicians to play for a long time.

Gradually Big Band Jazz Music became the popular choice of almost all the premier dance clubs throughout the America. The syncopated rhythms and blue notes of jazz emerged through usual waltzes and foxtrots.

Radio was one of the most popular sources by which Big Band Jazz Music became extremely popular. The era of 1930s and 1940s witnessed sky high popularity and huge demand of Big Band Jazz Music. Some of the common Big Band legends of that era include Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie.

Till date, the Big Band jazz music is considered as a favorite of many youngsters and that is why modern bands like Squirrel Nut Zippers and The Brian Setzer Orchestra performs new and standard songs from Big Band Jazz Music. Youngsters who are passionate about jazz music opt for intermediate jazz tools so as to practice jazz piano.

Akhila Choudhary asked:


Jazz is truly a great music genre and is featured with an exclusive style thereby making a large number of people the true fans of this music type. If you are really looking forward to learn to play jazz, what better option can be than to start it online. These online learn to play jazz lessons involve teaching how to play different musical instruments of jazz such as guitar and drums.

There are online jazz music schools which contribute a lot in helping the interested people to learn to play jazz and that too in a really easy manner and without involving much time. This online mode of learning jazz music online is gaining huge popularity both among the youngsters as well as the adults who desire to know each and every section of jazz music genre. The best part about these online jazz classes is that the students can learn their favorite music type by enjoying the comforts of their homes and at any point of time when they are free.

These online jazz schools adopt the special tools for teaching jazz so that the students can have the best of their times learning their loved music. Interactive conversations with the trainers is the best of all the tools for teaching jazz as the learners can solve their queries then and there while attending the jazz music classes.

Also, with the help of online jazz music classes, the interested students can easily learn the very basics and concepts of guitar licks and riffs along with the advanced guitar chord structure theory. The jazz students are trained to master in the field of scales so that they can perform solos as well with great skills and expertise. These lessons are offered in the jazz midi files so that the learners can excel in the jazz music genre with ease and fast pace. The jazz midi files are basically the standard form of representing the musical details in the digital format. After learning this music genre properly, one can even try for the jazz improvisations in order to master in playing tunes whenever one wishes to. These lessons also let the students know of different jazz instruments playing by numerous jazz musicians and experts so that the learners can imitate their favorite jazz personality if desired.

Duane Shinn asked:


Some of the greatest piano players in history became known for their proficiency in jazz. Technicality and a heavy reliance upon the ability of the musician to improvise makes jazz piano one of the hardest styles to learn. That does NOT mean, however, that it can’t be learned, but to get to the highest rungs a pianist must have lots of talent, a great ear, and the ability to improvise.

The birth of jazz music in the early 1900s was a significant period in musical history. Many of those who are considered among the greatest jazz pianists of all times were pioneers of the genre during this period. Jazz evolved from musical styles that African slaves brought to America. Therefore, its inception can largely be attributed to the early African-American community. African-American pianists, such as Scott Joplin and Ernest Hogan, are considered to be among the fathers of ragtime music. Although the ragtime era only lasted a few years, it was a precursor to, and contemporary of, the jazz era.

Many of the earliest and greatest jazz pianists were African American. For this reason, jazz music had something of a hurdle to overcome. While many embraced jazz as a new and exciting genre, others didn’t. The emancipation of African slaves was still a fresh memory, and many people still carried strong attitudes of racism.

Jazz’s public image changed slowly over the first two or three decades of the 20th century. Great African-American jazz pianists of the early to mid 1900s were instrumental in helping transform the perception of jazz. African-American artists like Erroll Garner, Theoloius Monk, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson brought a level of class to the genre that was undeniable. In fact, the Count Basie orchestra was pivotal to the jazz culture of New York for half a century. Noteworthy musicians in and of themselves, they also provided back-up for critically acclaimed singers like Billie Holliday and Big Joe Turner.

Count Basie’s association with Ella Fitzgerald is both historically and musically significant. The 1963 album the two made together is remembered by critics as possibly the greatest recording of her career. Count Basie also made recordings with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett. These match-ups lent even more credibility to jazz as a distinct genre.

The evolution of jazz saw many changes over the ensuing decades. More branches and sub-genres developed. In fact, jazz music fell out of favor with the public for several years in the 1980s. There was controversy within the musical community over the fusing of so many different types of music with jazz. Some purists viewed it as “watering down” the art form. Other musicians and fans see jazz music as a culmination of many types of music and view blending it with rock as simply another variation generally known as “fusion”.

Contemporary jazz artists have brought jazz back around into public favor in the 21st century. Today’s great jazz pianists, like Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr. and Norah Jones bear living proof of this by number of albums sold. While some write off their work as “pop” jazz, many believe they are instrumental in keeping jazz alive in the new millennium.

Sayid Aksa asked:


The 20th century music world has seen the entry of light and easy listening music with African-American jazz music. Originating in southern USA, jazz music is a combination of African and European music traditions. It puts together the use of blue notes, improvisation, syncopation and swing notes.

Jazz music was first used in reference to music from Chicago early in the 20th century. It has evolved in several other subgenres such as New Orleans Dixieland, big band-style swing, bebop, Afro-Cuban jazz, Brazilian jazz, jazz-rock fusion, and the more recent acid jazz.

The realm of jazz music was and still is predominantly associated with the American black community. These black musicians transitioning from banjos and tambourines learned to play European instruments such as the violin. Black slaves from early America used to sing and play music as a form of spiritual or ritualistic hymns.

After emancipation, employment opportunities for black slaves were very limited as segregation laws were still in force. Most of these black slaves found themselves in the entertainment industry as piano players and instrumentalists. They became low-cost entertainers as minstrels, vaudeville players, piano bar players, and marching band members. Soon, this kind of jazz music called Ragtime Jazz spread from the southern USA to other areas in the western and northern cities in USA.

Ragtime jazz became very popular in the early part of the century. Musician Jelly Roll Morton published the first ever jazz arrangement in print in 1915 with the title Jelly Roll Blues. This printed arrangement brought forth a new breed of musicians playing ragtime. Ragtime music moved on from red-light district bars and vaudeville shows to major concert locations such as the Carnegie Hall.

The first jazz record was recorded in 1913 by Society Orchestra, the first black group to come out with a record. Another group that came up with their very own jazz music recording is the “Original Dixieland Jazz Band”. Other bands followed suit, releasing jazz music recordings starting in 1917. In 1922, the most famous blues singer of the decade, Bessie Smith, also released her first recording. Also in the 1920s, Jelly Roll Morton played with the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and made history as the first mixed-race recording collaboration. Big bands like those of Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington and Earl Hines played the more prominent venues and paved the way for the development of big-band-style swing jazz.

Louis Armstrong, a trumpeter, band leader and singer, came to be known as the Ambassador of Jazz, what with his early innovations in jazz music. Swing music is considered to be popular dance music and is played from printed musical arrangements. Then came the bebop which focuses more on small groups and simple arrangements.

Throughout the years jazz music has always been preferred music genre among those who enjoy light and easy listening. There are radio stations that play only jazz music. Jazz music can be heard most everywhere hotel lounges, salons, concert halls, wedding receptions, Jazz music is perhaps also the most unique form of music as there are no two jazz music performances are ever the same.

Akhila Choudhary asked:


Jazz is one of the most popular music genres and has its own exclusive style and theme, thereby attracting the attention of millions of true fans. If you fall under the same category of jazz enthusiasts and want to learn this mesmerizing form of music, then here is the chance to fulfill your wish.

Internet has emerged as a useful tool through which you can learn as well as practice jazz music in all forms, including piano, guitar and drums. The online jazz schools train interested people in a systemic manner so that they can have good hold over playing different kinds of musical instruments for playing jazz music.

The best part of these online jazz schools is that you can get well acquainted with intermediate jazz tools. These tools are specially designed for students learning jazz. Under them, you can interact with the trainers in order to learn concepts and basics of jazz. This in turn, will help you in solving all the queries and difficulty that you might face while playing the musical instruments.

The most popular jazz practice tool is jazz midi files as you can learn in depth about the essence of this mesmerizing music. This is regarded as one of the best tools for teaching jazz where you can learn scales, both high and low keys and gain mastery over them.

The best part of about this jazz practice tool is that you can learn even the digital format for free. This is because jazz midi files can be downloaded in your computer and after that you can use this software to your heart’s content. You can learn as well as practice musical notes of jazz. Another major advantage of downloading is that you can even record it in your music system and practice unabatedly. As far as the privilege of enjoyment is concerned, you can play them in parties and dance to its tunes.

After learning the basic concepts, you can also learn all the jazz improvisations in order to play all the fine tunes without any hassles. So, use the jazz practice tool and become a master of your favorite music genre jazz by learning from world popular gurus within short span of time.

Akhila Choudhary asked:


Jazz music is a kind of popular music that is mostly liked by well established or the elite class. However, it has now become a popular taste for all kind of listeners. Big Band, a popular musical group, is widely known for its jazz music. From early 1930s to late 1940s, the group was one among the most famous jazz bands and has offered some of the best touching music pieces loved by everyone till date. Big Band Jazz music was played by musicians ranging from 12-25 in number.

One of the specialties of Big Band is that the group utilizes all the musical instruments that are required in composing a jazz music. Whether it saxophone, trumpets, rhythm section or the trombones, Big Band jazz music group has some of the most renowned players.

Moreover, jazz midi files can easily be downloaded via Internet or CDs can be purchased that are available in markets at an affordable rate. Some people who have interest in singing can also get karaoke CDs that consist of only jazz music. By buying such CDs, the music lovers can enjoy the Big Band Jazz Music as well as sing with the famous beats composed by them.

Many offline and online stores provide Jazz midi files of Big Band and they offer maximum numbers of files with excellent quality. One could also practice jazz bass lines using these jazz midi files offered by Big Band. Walking jazz bass lines are the most melodious and the neatest sounding parts being offered. One can practice jazz bass lines by studying original music beats composed by Big Band.

There are also many sources that distribute pirated CDs and popular music files of Big Band illegally. So, jazz lovers should check the copyright and the authenticity certification in order to get the original version. Jazz, as a form of musical art, has expanded beyond its genre definition and it keeps on transforming to remain in tune with the changing era. It originated as a moody music from the African American communities residing in the southern part of America. Formerly, the jazz music forecasts the moods and the struggle of the African American living in New Orleans. Around 1920s jazz music spread over the northern part of US and most of the jazz bands perform before the common society.