Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Volume 71: East of the Sun: Book & Online Audio

This volume captures the exact repertoire that defined mid-twentieth-century jazz and that players still return to again and again. The rhythm section of Haerle, Coolman, and Soph swings with such ease and command that students absorb phrasing and taste simply by listening and playing along. Ballads sit alongside burners, giving players practice navigating both the lush harmonic landscape of songs like "East of the Sun" and the straightforward groove of "One O'Clock Jump."

These are the songs that created jazz. Each tune carries decades of interpretation and reinterpretation in its melody and harmony. Playing along with Aebersold's rhythm section feels like sitting in at a jam session where the musicians have been playing these same songs for years and know exactly where the music can go.

Intermediate and advanced jazz soloists of any instrument or voice who are building fluency with standard repertoire. Players working on improvisation will find tunes they need to know inside and out. Vocalists benefit from the included lyrics and the chance to learn how these melodies fit into the jazz tradition.

• Listen to the recorded rhythm section multiple times before playing along. Notice how Dan Haerle comps, how Todd Coolman walks, and where Ed Soph is pushing or settling back in the pocket.
• Sing the melody first with the recording until you can carry it without looking at the page. This builds your ear and teaches you how the tune actually breathes.
• After the melody becomes comfortable, step back and solo over a chorused accompaniment. Use the recorded track to hear what's possible over these changes.
• Practice the ballads without rushing. Let the rhythm section's space teach you about phrasing and where silence matters.

Use this collection to build a group reading session or jam clinic where students tackle one tune per rehearsal and gradually add improvised choruses. Singers and soloists can rotate features over these same changes, building ensemble cohesion and shared vocabulary. This works especially well in the second half of the school year when players have developed enough chops to focus on style and interpretation.

• Singing melody with accurate phrasing and expression
• Reading chord changes and navigating functional harmony
• Listening to and imitating rhythm section interplay
• Improvising solo statements over jazz standards
• Distinguishing ballad time and swing feel
• Navigating repeated exposure to the same tune across multiple choruses