March 2010

March 2010 Newsletter

Click here to view this newsletter online

March 2010 Newsletter: Monk and Nelson and A Day on the Road With ejazzlines

Hello again from ejazzlines!

We are often excited and proud of the works we have been fortunate enough to have received permission to publish, but little has thrilled us as much as what we are announcing today: six charts from the Thelonious Monk Big Band as arranged by Oliver Nelson! We have six arrangements from this incredibly unique session now available (from the original manuscripts), with the full blessings of the Estates of Thelonious Monk and Oliver Nelson. Brilliant Corners, Let's Cool One, Little Rootie Tootie, Monk's Point, Reflections, and Trinkle-Tinkle are all now in print and ready for shipping. Every one has been issued as a Jazz Lines Publications Jeffrey Sultanof Master Edition, which means that they contain the accuracy, bandleader suggestions, and historical notes which Mr. Sultanof does an unparalleled job of providing. These charts speak for themselves, and what we have heard so far is nothing short of magnificent. Also, see below for new release info on 2 new Gil Evans and 1 new Med Flory arrangement.

Our office was closed for several days in late February for a rather eventful business trip. Upon arrival in sunny Los Angeles (oh, it was about 40 degrees warmer than our lair in upstate NY, and we saw very little snow in the LA area) we settled in for a historic day. First we spent a few hours researching classic Harry James charts for future publication. The Thad Jones, Neal Hefti, and Ralph Burns arrangements should be among the first to see publication. As amateur historians and music lovers, handling these actual charts, which were written in the hands of some of the great arrangers of the 20th century, was truly a thrill. Keep an eye on this space for upcoming announcements of these charts' availability.

We then spent a little time on some of the LA freeways, as everyone who attempts to drive in LA County does, and eventually located the house of the Supersax creator, Med Flory. Mr. Flory has been nothing short of wonderful to work with in publishing the Supersax arrangements which have been great sellers for us. He graciously invited us into the home he has lived in for 50 years, and we sat down, had orange juice, became very familiar with his dog Chauncey, listened to a CD of a recent band of his, discussed music, and all of this happened within about 10 feet of his Supersax Grammy Award (which had Warne Marsh's named misspelled as "Warren"). Together we looked through his band book for new music to publish, and his generosity and hospitality were appreciated.

Med sent us on our way to meet his old friend Dave Pell, whose classic octet arrangements we have been carrying for years now, and which have been sent to literally every corner of the jazz-loving world. After trekking through many more LA neighborhoods, we eventually met Dave at a fantastic New York-style deli, which, having grown up in the shadow of NY, only made the experience more tasty for us. We enjoyed several courses of fantastic food and even more fantastic tales of Dave's half-century-plus as a leading figure of the West Coast Jazz scene. From stories of playing for Kennedy family parties many decades ago to the first-call musicians he still plays with today, Dave was as generous with his time and life experience as we had imagined he would be.

Following our visit with Med and Dave we spent a few days attending the California Band Director's Association annual conference. It was a pleasure meeting many of California's high school and College band directors. Spending time at the CBDA conference as well as with these two gentlemen made for one of the truly great weeks in ejazzlines' history, and we are already looking forward to our next trip to beautiful Southern California.

For those of you who like to keep up with new jazz releases, below are some items that you may wish to know about.

We once again thank everyone for your support - it is sincerely appreciated every day of the year!

Rob and Doug at ejazzlines

FEATURED NEW DVDs: March's highlights are clearly the now-available first four volumes of the Masters of American Music series, limited editions, all below, which are remastered versions of classic out-of-print DVDs. In addition, drummers will delight in the Murray Spivack/Louie Bellson DVD presented below, as well as brand new DVDs from Dennis Chambers and Omar Hakim. Jazz Legends in Concert and Mick Taylor Live round out another fine month of offerings. We also again recommend Dick Hyman's Century of Jazz Piano and Louis Armstrong's Good Evening Ev'rybody, February's most popular. ALL MARCH 2010 DVDs ALL FEBRUARY 2010 DVDs
THE STORY OF JAZZ This video documents the evolution of jazz. It began in 19th century New Orleans, where the slaves first introduced the rhythms of African music. Story of Jazz follows the development of jazz music from the blending together of African rhythms, European and American folk, and classical styles. Rare film clips, vintage footage, and photos complete this in depth look at jazz.	CELEBRATING BIRD: THE TRIUMPH OF CHARLIE PARKER One year before the Clint Eastwood-directed Bird, Gary Giddins likewise covered the life and work of jazz great Charlie "Bird" Parker in this absorbing documentary. Rare film clips (including the classic TV performance of Hot House) of Parker in action on the alto and tenor sax are intertwined with the live reminiscences of his contemporaries.
LADY DAY: THE MANY FACES OF BILLIE HOLIDAY Billie Holiday is recognized as one of the greatest blues and jazz vocalists of all time. Many of her signature tunes are included in this documentary, such as "St. Louis Blues," "My Man," and "God Bless the Child." Archival film clips show her in performances in film, television, and concert appearances. Interviews with musical colleagues and friends give insight into the troubled life of this giant of American music.	THELONIOUS MONK: AMERICAN COMPOSER This intriguing DVD recounts Thelonious Monk's journey from little-known pianist and composer to groundbreaking artist on the cover of Time magazine. Interviews with pianists Barry Harris, Billy Taylor and Randy Weston, Monk's son Thelonious Monk, Jr. and others give detailed insights into who he was and the archival performance footage -- of everything from "Blue Monk" to "Lulu's Back in Town" -- demonstrate his undeniable prowess and verve.
JON AND JIMMY: DREAMS, DRUGS, AND DJANGO This is the incredible story behind the friendship of Jon Larsen, top jazz guitarist and music producer, and Jimmy Rosenberg, the Hendrix of Gypsy Jazz. Voyaging through the demanding world of entertainment we soon learn about the drugs, money and temptations that threaten to destroy one of the most exciting partnerships in jazz history.	MURRAY SPIVACK: A LESSON WITH LOUIE BELLSON In 1992, Louie Bellson proposed the idea of documenting the approach of his teacher, Murray Spivack, in the form of filming a lesson with Louie as the student. On this DVD, Murray and Louie take you through a range of various rudiments with an emphasis on grip, stroke, and motion.

FEATURED NEW BOOKS: March's books feature the below pictured items, as well as several more. The Anthology of Latin Songs - Gold Edition, and the Anthology of American Piano Music are brand new collections of some of the best of these two internationally popular genres. We have the brand new Sound of Music Play-Along, so we can FINALLY all play My Favorite Things just like Coltrane! This month's bounty also includes several recently published guitar and drum books. We remind everyone of Hal Leonard's new Real Book Volume 2 Play-Along CDs, now available in four editions, all of which are in stock. ALL MARCH 2010 BOOKS ALL FEBRUARY 2010 BOOKS
JACO PASTORIUS BASS METHOD Complete with songs, solos, techniques, theory, and personal experiences with Jaco, this one-of-a-kind book/CD is finally here to give the world what it craves: bass guitar lessons with Jaco Pastorius. Included are even a few scans of actual pages of Jaco's personal practice book in his own handwriting for the ultimate personal Jaco experience.	625 ALIVE: THE WES MONTGOMERY BBC PERFORMANCE TRANSCRIBED 625 Alive: The Wes Montgomery BBC Performance Transcribed is the definitive transcription of the music created on that day. It contains all of Wes' melodies and improvisations, including intros, solos, shout choruses and tags. Also included are a detailed harmonic and aesthetic analysis of each solo, insight into Wes' unique technique and fingering, and an interview with the band's pianist, Harold Mabern.
DRUMMER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE Presenting the perfect study companion for all drummers! With four of the most common ride patterns already written, in both one- and two-bar phrases, this book cuts transcription time in half: all you do is fill in the bass and snare drum patterns. Perfect for teachers transcribing songs, or just for students to groove. Also includes the 40 essential rudiments, blank manuscript paper, and a lesson planner at the beginning of each session.	ULTIMATE MAP FOR JAZZ GUITAR Written by jazz guitar great Michael Anthony who states, "This book is an attempt to eliminate, or at the minimum decrease the frequency of 'deer in the headlights' sputters and stalls and the threat of getting lost when following a melodic line, a new thought, or a progression of chords. Think of this book then as a map, a guide to the highways and byways of playing jazz guitar. The overall objective is to add maximum manual fluency and increase creative inspiration for all guitarists, regardless of level of expertise."
FRETBOARD ROADMAPS: ALTERNATE GUITAR TUNINGS A thorough guide to the most widely used tunings! Tunes and exercises that illustrate each technique are written in tab and music and played on the CD featuring 50 demo tracks. These essential fretboard patterns are roadmaps that all guitarists need to know and use to play in alternate tunings. Learn to: solo and play backup in Drop D, Open G, Open D, DADGAD, Open A, and Open E tunings; play a variety of lead guitar styles and songs (acoustic and electric) in open tunings; play chords and progressions anywhere on the fretboard, in all keys, in many tunings; and more.	JAZZ CLASSICS Rich piano solo arrangements of 21 of the best jazz gems of all time. Includes Birdland, Bernie's Tune, Donna Lee, Footprints, Impressions, On Green Dolphin Street, Red Clay, St. Thomas, Yardbird Suite, and many other timeless classics.

FEATURED NEW BIG BAND ARRANGEMENTS: In addition to the above publication annoucement of the Oliver Nelson/Thelonious Monk Big Band arrangements, we also are pleased to annouce two more Gil Evans charts (Robbins' Nest and Jambangle) and the first in our series of Terry Gibbs Dream Band arrangements, Med Flory's killin' arrangement of Flying Home. MARCH 2010 BIG BAND CHARTS FEBRUARY 2010 BIG BAND CHARTS
BRILLIANT CORNERS: OLIVER NELSON Here is Oliver Nelson's arrangement of Monk's standard 'Brilliant Corners' from the Thelonious Monk Big Band album of 1968 titled 'Monk's Blues.' Other available titles include: Let's Cool One; Little Rootie Tootie; Monk's Point; Reflections; and Trinkle-Tinkle.	ROBBINS' NEST : GIL EVANS (From the notes by Jeffrey Sultanof) If I were asked to name a piece where it seemed like the ensemble was going to explode but never does, I would immediately think of this arrangement. The Thornhill Orchestra was known as an ensemble that featured extreme contrasts in dynamics, from very soft to loud. Although there are some sections of Robbins' Nest that are moderately loud to very loud, the key to the success of this arrangement is softness; the ability to play very relaxed yet softly at the same time, which is seldom asked for in the music many big bands study and play today. This is the perfect piece to practice such an approach. Additionally, some of the voicings are highly dissonant and demand perfect intonation. Grinds of half-steps against each other are an Evans trademark in all his music, from Thornhill to the classic Miles Davis albums Miles Ahead and Porgy and Bess, and musicians must get used to them, even though they may have encountered them previously in the music of Maria Schneider and Bob Brookmeyer.
JAMBANGLE: GIL EVANS Jambangle was one of the earliest compositions by Evans after several years of arranging the music of others. He originally wrote the piece for the Jazz Workshop, led by Hal McKusick, and this version was recorded on April 6, 1956. Evans' new version was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on October 11, 1957. This Jazz Lines edition of Jambangle has been extensively re-edited using the original score in Evans' hand. Also please note that the piano part has been transcribed; it does not appear on the score. Bars 59-64 were missing chord names. Jambangle is an excellent example of Evans reworking a piece he'd written some time before. This version uses many of the same ideas as the arrangement for McKusick, but is improved in every way here.	FLYING HOME: MED FLORY Here is Med Flory's great arrangement of the Benny Goodman/Lionel Hampton standard as recorded by the Terry Gibbs Dream Band. This was written to feature vibraphonist Terry Gibbs but it also features a trumpet solo. We have also included vibraphone cues on the piano part. In the event that you don't have access to vibes this may be played as a piano feature instead.

As of this newsletter we have added 14 new DVDs for March 2010 and 15 for February 2010; 29 new music books for March 2010 and 52 for February 2010; 9 new big band and combo arrangements for the month of March 2010 and 17 for the month of February 2010. Our constantly growing jazz-related DVD selection now proudly approaches the incredible number of 2,200! We have the live performance DVDs, the documentaries, the method DVDs, the personal master classes - we offer a selection of jazz and jazz-related DVDs that is truly second to none. As always, please keep in mind that many of our new releases are available in limited quantities. We do our best to predict demand and fill orders as quickly as possible, but we do run out of new releases. Even if we run out of stock, everything featured in this newsletter should be available to ship within 2-3 weeks.