Now He Sings, Now He Sobs: Piano Book

Bill Dobbins' transcriptions give you direct access to the exact voicings and comping decisions from one of jazz's most important recordings, removing the guesswork from learning how Corea constructs harmony and navigates these five pieces. The suite itself moves through distinctly different moods and harmonic territories, so you're not just learning one approach repeated five ways. Advanced pianists and arranging students will find this invaluable for understanding how a master voices chords and develops melodic ideas across time.

Intellectual and introspective, with moments of playfulness. The harmonic language sits comfortably in the post-bop vernacular while maintaining space for spontaneity and personal interpretation. These pieces reward both careful preparation and willingness to explore beyond the page.

Advanced jazz pianists working toward a deeper understanding of post-bop harmony and composition. Arrangers and composers studying how to develop thematic material across multiple pieces. Students preparing for jazz studies programs who need to understand landmark recordings from the inside out.

• Study the harmonic rhythm carefully before focusing on tempo. Corea often sits on complex sonorities for longer than expected, and rushing through the changes will flatten the emotional arc.
• Pay close attention to the dynamic shapes within single phrases. These pieces breathe, and the difference between playing a passage at one level versus shaping it with subtle dynamics transforms how the composition lands.
• Use the recorded reference not as a target to match exactly, but as a map for understanding where tension lives in each tune. Your interpretation should find your own voice within the harmonic structures.

Feature one or two pieces in a jazz history or jazz piano masterclass context to anchor discussions about harmony and composition in the 1960s avant-garde. For studio recordings or small ensemble performances, any of these five works stands alone or can be programmed as a suite to showcase a serious jazz pianist's range and depth.

• Voice leading in extended and altered dominant structures
• Harmonic analysis of modal and chromatic movement
• Comping vocabulary beyond basic ii-V-I patterns
• Phrasing and rubato in ballad contexts
• Transcription and internalization of recorded performances