Jazz & Blues, Op. 37, Book 3: Late Intermediate Piano Book

Schultz writes jazz that sounds like jazz, not simplifications of it. These 12 solos offer students the chance to inhabit authentic swing, bebop, and blues idioms while remaining manageable at the late intermediate level. The collection rewards careful listening and repeated playing without ever feeling like a etude.

These pieces capture the sophistication and swagger of jazz from the club to the concert hall. You'll move through moody ballads that demand lyrical sensitivity, driving swing tunes that require rhythmic confidence, and blues numbers heavy with soul. The piano writing sits naturally under the hands and sounds rich, never sparse or apologetic.

Late intermediate pianists ready to move beyond classical technique into genuine jazz repertoire. Students in private studios, jazz piano curricula, and advanced group piano classes will find music that challenges their musicianship while remaining within reach. Teachers looking to offer students jazz solos that sound professional and feel rewarding to perform will return to this book repeatedly.

• Listen closely to recordings of the styles represented here. Understanding the swing feel, the vocabulary of bebop phrasing, and the emotional arc of a slow blues will shape how you voice chords and shape your lines.
• Pay attention to Schultz's chord voicings and rhythmic anticipations. They often sit slightly ahead of the beat or use unexpected extensions. These moments define the jazz language he's using, so honor them rather than straightening them out.
• Treat the blues numbers as opportunities to sing through the piano. Let the rubato and dynamics breathe; these aren't metronomic pieces.
• Work hands separately first on the more complex passages, then layer in the rhythmic independence that jazz demands between right and left hand.

Pair individual solos from this collection with classical or contemporary piano recital works to represent the full breadth of your student's musicianship. A slow blues or ballad works beautifully in a concert alongside impressionistic or art song repertoire. These pieces also make strong showcase material in student recitals or jazz showcases, where their authenticity and polish will impress both knowledgeable listeners and newcomers to jazz.

• Swing feel and rhythmic anticipation in jazz styles
• Jazz chord voicing and reharmonization
• Blues form and improvisation within composed structures
• Bebop phrasing and melodic vocabulary
• Hand independence in jazz rhythm section patterns
• Lyrical ballad playing with rubato and dynamics
• Listening to and emulating recorded jazz pianists