Once in a While: Piano Digital Sheet Music
Once in a While: Piano Digital Sheet Music

Once in a While: Piano Digital Sheet Music

Michael Edwards, Teddy Wilson, Bud Green

Item: 00-PS-0000615
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$3.99
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SKU: 00-PS-0000615

More about this title

About the Artist: Teddy Wilson

Teddy Wilson (1912-1986) was a pianist and bandleader who shaped the sound of swing jazz during the 1930s and 1940s. His refined touch, harmonic sophistication, and ability to comfortably navigate complex chord changes made him one of the most recorded and influential jazz pianists of his era. Wilson's work with Benny Goodman's integrated ensembles broke significant racial barriers in jazz and popular music, while his solo recordings demonstrated a lyrical approach to improvisation that influenced generations of jazz musicians.

Beyond his recording legacy, Wilson was a dedicated educator who taught at Juilliard and mentored countless students in the art of jazz piano. His playing style balances technical precision with emotional warmth, making his recordings enduring models for understanding how to voice chords, accompany soloists, and construct coherent improvised lines over standard song forms.

Why we love this

Teddy Wilson's interpretation of 'Once in a While' captures the essence of swing-era elegance without unnecessary complexity. The performance demonstrates how masterful voicing and phrasing can make a standard timelessly beautiful, offering pianists a clear model for balancing technical sophistication with accessibility.

What to expect

The piece breathes with unhurried sophistication. Wilson's treatment balances the song's inherent lyricism with subtle harmonic color, creating an impression of effortless elegance that masks considerable technical and musical intelligence underneath.

Who it's for

Jazz pianists seeking models of tasteful interpretation and sophisticated harmonic thinking will find this transcription invaluable. Both students working toward authentic swing-era vocabulary and experienced players refining their touch and phrasing can learn from Wilson's refined approach to a well-known standard.

How to get the most out of it

  • Study Wilson's touch and articulation carefully; his lines sing with an almost vocal quality even in the accompaniment figures.
  • Pay attention to his comping underneath his own improvisation to understand how to support melodic ideas harmonically.
  • Listen for the subtle tempo flexibility and rubato he uses to shape phrases, particularly in balladic sections.
  • Note his approach to reharmonization and how he maintains clarity while exploring extended and altered chords.

How to use it

Feature this as part of a jazz recital focused on standards and swing-era interpretations, or use it as a study piece when teaching jazz history and the evolution of piano comping. It pairs naturally with other Wilson recordings or recordings by his contemporaries to illustrate the aesthetics of mid-century jazz piano.

Skills your students will build

  • Swing-era chord voicing and reharmonization
  • Listening for and recreating subtle touch variations and articulation
  • Balancing melodic improvisation with harmonic accompaniment
  • Phrasing and rubato in balladic jazz contexts
  • Understanding the relationship between melody and harmonic sophistication in standards

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