Jazz Performer: Solo Inspirations: Piano Book

Johnston solves a real challenge for pianists learning jazz: how to sound idiomatic without relying entirely on improvisation. By writing out solos that capture the fingerprints of Powell, Evans, and Corea, he gives students a pathway into authentic jazz language while building their vocabulary for future improvisation. The repertoire itself is uncompromising, these are substantial standards, not simplified versions.

These arrangements capture the intellectual sophistication and emotional depth of the great jazz pianists. You're engaging with harmonic language that's both complex and singable, playing through changes that demand attention while offering moments of genuine beauty. There's a sense of conversation happening between the melody, the harmony, and the solo line, all the elements that made these pianists legendary.

Advanced pianists with some jazz background who want to deepen their understanding of jazz piano tradition without being left entirely to improvisation. This book works for conservatory-trained pianists transitioning into jazz and for jazz students who benefit from studying how masters interpreted classic standards.

• Study the harmonic language of each solo section before sight-reading. Notice how Johnston voices chords differently than classical voicings; this is where the jazz vocabulary lives.
• Listen to recordings of the referenced pianists (especially the ones Johnston cites) on these same tunes. Hearing how Powell and Evans approached Skylark or A Foggy Day will deepen your understanding of what the written solo is trying to capture.
• Treat the written solos as transcriptions, not as text to be read mechanically. Swing the rhythms, lean into the phrasing, and let the jazz language breathe.
• Pay attention to the comping figures underneath the solo lines. These left-hand patterns are where you'll develop the rhythmic independence that defines jazz pianists.

Feature these as solo recital material for advanced students, or extract individual pieces for jazz concert programming alongside smaller ensemble work. The stylistic diversity across the book makes it possible to program a complete jazz piano set or to weave individual standards into mixed chamber and solo contexts throughout the year.

• Jazz harmonic analysis and voice leading specific to the styles of Powell, Evans, Corea, and Jarrett
• Swing rhythm and phrasing through interpretation of written jazz solos
• Improvisation foundation by studying transcribed solo language
• Left-hand comping independence and rhythmic sophistication
• Interpretation of standards through multiple stylistic lenses