Creative Comping for Improvisation, Volume 2: Melody Instruments (C, B-flat, E-flat) & Percussion Book & CD (English/French/German Edition)

Crook's approach to comping moves students past basic chord-tone soloing into genuine harmonic conversation. The inclusion of reharmonizations and rhythmic displacements alongside the play-along tracks means your ensemble can explore how different harmonic interpretations serve the same melody, building flexibility and creative problem-solving that transfers directly to performance.

Working through this book feels like having a working knowledge of harmonic language at your fingertips. The interplay between chord voicings on the recorded tracks and your own improvised lines creates the conversation and spontaneity of genuine jazz playing, with the safety of a reliable rhythm section supporting your experiments.

Jazz students working on improvisation who have progressed beyond basic blues changes and are ready to tackle standard repertoire. Saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, and other melody instrumentalists benefit equally, and percussion students working on comping and coordination will find structured material here.

• Start with the backing tracks at a slower tempo to lock in the bass line and chord changes before attempting any comping variation or displacement.
• Use the MIDI files to customize the tempo and instrumentation for your specific ensemble needs; a saxophone section will need different support than a trumpet solo.
• Practice the reharmonizations without the recording first so you develop hearing and voicing options independently, then layer in the accompaniment to test your choices in context.
• Transpose between the C, B-flat, and E-flat lead sheets within a single rehearsal to build fluency across keys and prevent your students from relying on fingering patterns alone.

Integrate this into your jazz ensemble's weekly work on standards, rotating through different songs across rehearsals so students build familiarity with essential changes and develop comping flexibility on familiar material. Solo students preparing for jazz recitals or competitions benefit from the structured play-alongs and multiple harmonic approaches to the same tune.

• Comping chord voicings over standard jazz progressions
• Improvisation using reharmonized chord changes
• Rhythmic displacement and syncopation within harmonic frameworks
• Transposition across concert, B-flat, and E-flat instruments
• Listening and responding to accompaniment while soloing
• Reading lead sheets with harmonic notation