The Jazz Workshop Series, Vol. 6: Modern Jazz Classics Vol. 1: Book & CD

Dobbins curates a repertoire that matters: Monk, Gillespie, Powell, and his own original composition sit alongside each other without hierarchy, signaling to students that transcription and analysis work best when paired with genuine musical appetite. The dual-track design (full performance plus rhythm section only) means you're not locked into one interpretation; students hear mastery first, then build their own voice against a living rhythm section.

These tunes breathe with the weight of bebop history. Monk's asymmetry in Bye-Ya, Gillespie's harmonic sophistication in Con Alma, Powell's angular logic in Hallucinations, each piece carries its own gravity. The recorded solos set a standard without prescribing a single answer; you're hearing what's possible, not what's required.

Jazz students and improvisation teachers working with intermediate to advanced players who are ready to move beyond lead sheets. This series suits ensemble directors adding jazz repertoire to their offerings, as well as private instructors building a student's vocabulary across multiple styles.

• Start with the full performances multiple times before attempting the play-along tracks. Your ear needs the melodic and harmonic architecture before you're improvising over it.
• Study the included transcription on its own instrument first. Internalize the phrasing and articulation choices of the soloist; these inform your own approach when you step up to the play-along.
• Reference the chord/scale information while listening, not as a theoretical exercise but as a map of what the soloist actually chose in real time. Notice where they stayed inside the changes and where they bent the rules.
• Record yourself on the play-along tracks and listen back without judgment. You're building a relationship with the tune, not nailing a performance.

Assign one tune at a time over several weeks, pairing the transcription analysis with rehearsal on the play-along track. This material works especially well as a winter or spring focus when you want to deepen students' harmonic understanding and solo confidence before festival season.

• Recognizing and improvising over bebop changes and extended harmony
• Transcribing and internalizing phrasing from recorded solos
• Applying chord/scale relationships in real-time improvisation
• Maintaining ensemble cohesion while soloing over a rhythm section
• Analyzing compositional choices in modern jazz standards