Take the Lead Plus: Jazz Standards: Percussion Book & CD

Smooth, conversational, and genuinely swinging. These are timeless standards that sit comfortably in the jazz tradition, and the percussion parts are voiced to complement rather than decorate the harmonic landscape. Playing along with the backing tracks creates an immediate sense of ensemble and groove.

Percussion students at the intermediate level who are ready to play authentic jazz standards with real swing feel. This works for recital soloists, percussion ensembles, and any player looking to build jazz repertoire and confidence with professionally recorded accompaniment.

• Listen to the demonstration track multiple times before rehearsal to absorb the swing articulation and rhythmic pocket of each tune; the recorded performance shows how the parts lock together.
• Pay attention to dynamic contour within phrases rather than playing at one volume throughout; jazz standards breathe, and your percussion lines should respond to the harmonic movement underneath.
• Lock in the time feel with precision but resist over-playing; these are standards, not showpieces, and restraint lets the melody and harmony breathe.

Feature individual percussionists in a jazz recital context using the accompaniment tracks for seamless ensemble feel. These standards also work beautifully in a mixed chamber program to demonstrate the intersection of classical musicianship and jazz sensibility, or as repertoire for percussion students preparing auditions.

• Jazz swing articulation and rhythmic placement
• Reading and interpreting standard jazz notation including slash notation and figured rhythms
• Balancing independence and ensemble listening in a quartet texture
• Phrasing and dynamic shaping appropriate to jazz idiom
• Responding to harmonic changes and song form architecture