Jazz Improvisation Class Web Page

Below are links to the Play-Along tracks used in the Jazz Improvisation classes

Impressions
Maiden Voyage
Tune Up (MM 145)
Tune Up (MM 190)
The Night Has 1,000 Eyes (MM 150)
The Night Has 1,000 Eyes (MM 185)
Watermelon Man
The Chicken
Bb Blues
F Blues



Below are links to some mp3's of  recordings of the tunes we're working on now in the Improv class.

The Chicken, from "Live and Funky" by Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley (the transcribed trombone solo is from this track)
The Chicken, from a live recording by the Dave Weckl band, a very sophisticated, modern treatment
A link to You Tube to see the Jaco Pastorius Big Band play "The Chicken"

Watermelon Man, the original recording from 1962 by Herbie Hancock with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Dexter Gordon on tenor sax
Watermelon Man, a great live latin treatment of it by the Poncho Sanchez band
Watermelon Man, a revised version of this tune from Herbie Hancock's "Headhunters" album in the early 1970's
Watermelon Man, an interesting brass and rap version by a group called Wonderbrass

Other good funk tune recordings

Ain't that the Truth, a remake of the Jr. Walker tune by Don Byron on tenor sax, and David Gilmour on guitar
Cissy Strut, by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Sidewinder, featuring Eddie Henderson on trumpet and Grover Washington, Jr. on soprano sax
Cold Duck Time by Les McCann (piano) and Eddie Harris (tenor sax)

MP3 Recordings of accompaniments
The Chicken Accompaniment
Watermelon Man Accompaniment


PDF files of funk stuff

The first two choruses of Fred Wesley's trombone solo on "The Chicken" (above) along with a few tasty licks from Pee Wee Ellis's tenor sax solo.

A few classic funk style and funk/bebop licks isolated from the same recording.