Jazz Masters for Piano: Keyboard/Piano Book & CD

This book strips away the mystique of jazz piano by grounding students in real compositional techniques used by the masters. The inclusion of preparatory exercises alongside each piece means students aren't just playing jazz solos; they're building the harmonic and rhythmic literacy that makes jazz language stick. The CD accompaniments let pianists work at their own pace without needing a full ensemble on call.

Stepping into a jazz club after hours of careful classical or folk study. The pieces are colorful and playable, never overwhelming, but they demand your attention to swing feel, harmonic subtlety, and the particular voice each master brought to the keyboard. You feel the difference between reading notes and making music speak.

Piano students ages 12 and up who have solid foundational skills and are curious about jazz beyond what their method book offers. Young learners under 12 can work through the pieces with teacher guidance. This is equally valuable for adult learners returning to piano or exploring jazz for the first time.

• Use the solo keyboard accompaniment track first to get comfortable with the harmony and pocket of each piece; switch to the full band arrangement once you've internalized the changes.
• Read the listening suggestions and biography before you start learning the solo. Knowing what made each artist distinctive sharpens your ear for the stylistic details you're about to play.
• Work through the preparatory exercises thoroughly even if they feel simple. These targeted drills build the muscle memory and improvisational vocabulary that connects one piece to the next.
• Record yourself playing along with the CD. Hearing your own timing and tone choices against a real rhythm section reveals phrasing problems and strengths that reading alone won't.

Use these solos as a bridge between formal recital repertoire and student improvisation projects. A spring or fall lesson showcase featuring one piece per student creates natural programming variety. The book's correlation to Alfred methods makes it seamless to assign alongside regular lesson materials without derailing progress.

• Reading and executing swing rhythms and shuffle feels
• Understanding jazz harmony (ii-V-I progressions, altered chords, extensions)
• Styling and phrasing within jazz idiom (comping, ornamentation, dynamic control)
• Listening to and analyzing recorded jazz artists
• Playing solo piano lines over chord changes while maintaining groove
• Applying preparatory exercises to performance of original compositions