Jazz Play-Alongs

Teachers keep coming back to Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Volume 1 for introducing improvisation fundamentals, and to John Riley's The Art of Bop Drumming for drummers who need to understand what lies behind the beats. Jim Snidero's Jazz Conception Alto & Baritone Saxophone serves intermediate to advanced players working on phrasing and vocabulary, while Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Play-Along Series for Drums engages ensemble players in contemporary big band style at grade 5-6 level.

Jamey Aebersold created the pedagogical foundation that countless teachers use to teach improvisation. His multi-volume series has made jazz fundamentals accessible to beginners while offering pathways for advanced players to study blues changes, standards, and harmonic concepts.

John Riley is widely recognized as one of the most influential voices in jazz drumming education. His books distill decades of professional drumming into exercises and concepts that move students from understanding jazz vocabulary to internalizing the phrasing and independence required to play convincingly in any setting.

Jim Snidero brings three and a half decades as a performing and recording saxophonist directly into his teaching materials. Downbeat Magazine has recognized him as a master musician, and his Jazz Conception series channels that performance experience into practical exercises for saxophone students working at intermediate and advanced levels.