Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Volume 49: Sugar: Book & Online Audio (Lyrics Included)

Hank Marr's Hammond B3 sound anchors these 10 tunes with the swagger and swing that makes this instrument legendary. The choice of material, rooted in the blues but extending to ballads and standards, gives you flexibility in how you sequence them, whether you're building a unit on blues changes, exploring the organ's role in small-group jazz, or working on ballad phrasing without a rhythm section dragging behind.

Greasy, grounded, and deeply swinging. The Hammond B3 has a weight and warmth that pulls everything around it into a pocket, and these tunes, many of them blues-tinged, sit perfectly in that warm, soulful space. You'll feel yourself relaxing into the groove rather than chasing it.

Intermediate and advanced jazz students ready to work with organ-based rhythm sections and serious about developing swing and blues vocabulary. Saxophone, trumpet, and trombone players will find the most direct application, but any melodic instrument benefits from the bluesy harmonic language and Marr's responsive comping.

• Let the organ's comping guide your phrasing; Marr's playing is conversational, so listen for spaces where he pulls back and ride that air.
• The blues tunes benefit from laying back slightly behind the beat rather than pushing; the heavy pocket the rhythm section establishes will feel sticky if you're patient with it.
• On the ballads, pay attention to how Marr voices the changes under the melody. His voicings are sophisticated but never overcomplicated, and shadowing that harmonic movement clarifies the tune's structure.
• Use the lyrics as a guide for phrasing and breathing, especially on the vocal-melody standards. Even as an instrumentalist, connecting to the lyrical shape keeps your line singing rather than purely technical.

Sequence these alongside smaller-group jazz combos or as part of a jazz history unit focused on organ trios and the blues continuum in American jazz. The dual rhythm section tracks (organ and drums) also make this useful for exploring how different voicing approaches on comping instruments shape ensemble sound and individual soloist response.

• Swinging over a strong blues pocket and recognizing when to lay back versus drive
• Phrasing and breathing in relation to harmonic changes rather than metronomic time
• Responding to a comping instrument's voicings and use of space
• Building improvised lines that sit comfortably over blues and standards without overplaying
• Reading and interpreting lyrics as melodic and phrasing guides