Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Volume 112: Cole Porter: Book & Online Audio

Porter's harmonic vocabulary stretches your students' ears and technical facility without veering into academic abstraction. Twenty-two of his standards means students encounter a genuine repertoire, not just a handful of tunes, allowing them to develop real ownership and confidence in interpreting this essential corner of the Great American Songbook.

Sophisticated and urbane, with melodies that stick in your head long after you stop playing. Porter's world is one of elegant restraint and clever turns of phrase, where a single chromatic shift or unexpected chord can unlock an entire narrative layer.

Intermediate to advanced jazz students ready to engage with genuine standards repertoire and instrumentalists who want to expand beyond the typical "real book" rotation. This collection works equally well for solo practice, small group study, or ensemble coaching.

• Study the melody in context before soloing. Porter's tunes reward phrasing that mirrors the lyrical content, even when improvising.
• Listen closely to how Steve Allee voices the changes on the recorded piano part; his comping suggests productive harmonic pathways for solo construction.
• Work through the chord changes slowly and separate from the recording first. Many of these tunes contain chromatic movement and unexpected harmonic turns that reward deliberate preparation.
• Pay attention to tempo relationships between tracks. Some of Porter's songs shift character significantly depending on feel (straight eighths vs. swing), which affects rhythmic accuracy and phrasing choices.

Build a full concert around Porter standards, or use individual tunes as centerpieces for jazz combos throughout the year. The sheer depth of material makes this particularly valuable for developing improvisation skills over an extended unit, since students can track their growth across multiple sophisticated tunes.

• Interpreting melody in sophisticated harmonic contexts
• Navigating chromatic passages and unexpected chord movements
• Building solos over extended harmonic forms
• Matching phrasing and articulation to lyrical content
• Comping flexibility and chord voicing options