Essential Solos for Alto and Baritone Saxophone: Alto/Baritone Saxophone Book & CD

This book cuts through the gap between learning jazz theory and actually improvising over changes. By providing carefully selected solos on standard tunes paired with backing tracks, Harrington gives alto and baritone players concrete models to absorb and adapt rather than abstract patterns to memorize. Your students hear professionals, play along, and build the internalized vocabulary that makes improvisation feel natural.

The solos pulse with authentic jazz phrasing and the rhythmic confidence that comes from studying how masters navigate standards. Working through them alongside the backing tracks creates the sensation of jamming with a real band, grounding abstract improvisation concepts in living, breathing sound.

Alto and baritone saxophonists at the intermediate level and beyond who are ready to move beyond basic improvisation exercises into real jazz language. This is ideal for students preparing for jazz competitions, auditioning for jazz ensembles, or serious about developing a personal improvisation voice.

• Listen to the demo tracks first without the horn. Sing through the solo mentally, paying attention to how the melody lands against the harmonic changes and where the licks anticipate or resolve.
• Practice the written solo at multiple tempos using the backing tracks. Start slow enough to lock every note, then gradually increase speed until you're comfortable at the recorded tempo.
• Record yourself playing each solo and compare it directly to the demo. Note the specific articulation choices, subtle timing variations, and dynamics that shape the phrasing.
• Work on transposing one solo from the written key to another. This forces you to understand the underlying harmonic and melodic logic rather than playing it by rote.

Assign specific solos as weekly etudes in private lessons or jazz ensemble coaching. Use them in masterclass settings where students hear each other's interpretations and discuss the choices that different players make on the same changes. The backing tracks also make these solos valuable as performance material for jazz recitals and festival competitions.

• Jazz vocabulary and idiomatic phrasing over ii-V-I progressions and other standard changes
• Transcription and ear training through learning and playing recorded solos
• Rhythmic control and swing feel at various tempos
• Melodic and harmonic understanding of jazz standards
• Foundation for personalizing solos and creating variations through direct models