Jazztastic: Piano Acc. Book & CD

Swinging and conversational. The recorded accompaniment locks into a groove that feels alive and responsive, inviting you to play into the pocket rather than against it. Each track captures the easy pocket of working jazz, where precision and flexibility breathe together.

Intermediate pianists who are developing jazz vocabulary and need a dependable accompaniment resource for practice and performance. This works equally well for students preparing jazz recital pieces, ensemble players looking to strengthen their comping skills, or accompanists supporting other jazz soloists.

• Listen through the full CD track before you play along; identify the harmonic movement and the drummer's groove so you know what to expect in each section.
• Work hands separately at first if the left-hand comping patterns feel unfamiliar; jazz accompaniment voice leading often moves differently than classical parts.
• Play along with the recorded track multiple times at the same tempo before performing live; this builds the rhythmic confidence you need to swing naturally.
• Pay attention to dynamic shaping in your chord voicings; rebalancing which notes sit on top changes the color of each progression.

Include Jazztastic when your winter or spring recital features student jazz soloists; the book gives each performer a polished, professional-sounding backdrop without requiring a full rhythm section. It also serves studio teachers well for students interested in jazz but not yet ready to join an ensemble.

• Jazz comping vocabulary and voice-leading patterns
• Swing rhythms and feel (understanding triplet-based timing)
• Reading slash chord notation and changes charts
• Accompanying flexible phrasing and rubato in soloists
• Building confidence in improvisation over standard changes