Starting Jazz?

[ProfaniTy]

Hey everyone, Ive really gotten into jazz music lately, and I really would like to learn it.

So far Ive been playing for some years, enough to be able to lay down a groove and such, but nothing special. I know the bare skin-n-bones of jazz, but nothing more.

So basically, how do I get better at it? Is there a way on learning on my own, or would there be a certain book that would really help teaching me it? I took lessons years ago, but since I moved thats out of the question now.

Thanks in advance.

[Sunshine]

Well, I'm sure there are at least two or three key books for learning jazz..unhelpful as it may be, I don't remember the titles at this very moment, but I've seen various ones recommended around the forums to others...

---

Well, here are some good artists to listen to, anyway...
http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=536581

[Patrick323]

I'd recommend: The Drummer's Complete Vocabulary as taught by Alan Dawson, Syncopation by Ted Reed, and The Art of Bop Drumming by John Riley. the alan dawson book will help you with some effective ways to interpret Syncopation, and the Art of Bop drumming will spoon feed you a bit more, but it's good to start with some of that I think.

and listening... sit down and listen. I recommend you start with some Hard Bop, so get some Art Blakey and Horace Silver albums. I'd recommend Moanin' and A Night in Tunisia by Blakey and Song for My Father by Horace Silver. It's a good style to start with: a lot of the songs are at nice tempos and coordination-wise it tends to be relatively simple (especially Blakey) while also being extremely taseteful.

Also, listen/transcribe some of Blakey's time playing. I was surprised when I first did it: most of the time he's not comping so much. The problem with a lot of the workbooks for jazz (including the ones I recommend) is that the comping exercises are very 'notey'. When you listen to the real time playing, it's awesome to see how drummers like Blakey can interact/complement [with] the other musicians using relatively little comping... there's more focus on subtle embellishment. It'd be good for you to focus on this going in, I think, because I spent too much time playing through all the exercises and not listening to how the greats actually play this stuff.

[billdrum]

The above mentioned materials are great. There are two steps to follow to get better at jazz.....1) listen, listen, listen, then listen some more, and 2) you need to practice the exercises in the above books and others to gain the independence and fluidity needed to play what you hear. Takes time, so be patient and work hard!

[spirit]

Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer by Jim Chapin.

Really surprised no-one mentioned that one yet.

If it's not clear, I mean in addition to all of the books and ideas already talked about.

[Patrick323]

Yo spirit, about that: I've been through most of the chapin book and played through the rest and the reason I don't recommend it is because I don't think it encourages creative synthesis like syncopation/dawson's book do. In terms of bop ideas, I think the Art of Bop drumming is more hands and more practical nowadays than chapin's book. It covers Advanced Techniques's functions and eclipses them, even (some might think me saying this is blasphemy, but this is a case where I don't trust all the hype when my experience dictates otherwise).

No disrespect to Jim Chapin, though. I know that his book was revolutionary when it was released, being the first and only book like it on the market at the time - that's definitely no small feat (I'm acknowledging its historical importance - I do think every drummer should check it out at some point for that reason).But yeah, I think the books I'm recommending cover everything the chapin book has and more, especially in terms of creative synthesis, which really helps with any sort of music more than learning just licks. But to each his own... ProfaniTy, maybe pick up advanced techniques now with those others and at least keep what I'm saying in mind...

and spirit, i know you were recommending it in addition to the others anyways, I just wanted to clarify

[MisurCanavi]

I recently wanted to get into Latin music and the first thing my drum teacher told me,

"You listen to only Latin music in your car for a month, then come back and I will help you."

So, I listened to only Latin in my car, drove my friends crazy, but when I went back to him for lessons, he really didn't have to show me a lot. Of course he helped with my basswork on improv stuff, and minor ghostnotes but for the most part, just me listening to it made me "learn" how the music is played. Not just some guy blindly teaching me music I am not familiar with.

So yeah, most important is,

LISTEN!

[-Obscurity-]

http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Magadini-Jazz-Drums/dp/B000H5TUKY/ref=sr_1_3/102-7691941-0092959?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1192029355&sr=8-3

Good for some basics, and will give you most the concepts you need to build upon. Comes with a book of the rhythms covered in the video.

[Imperial Star]

what everyone has said is right. My favourite jazz book is The Art of Bop Drumming. It also has solo phrases and brush grooves in it aswell as comping phrases.

[We_Love_Lime]

Syncopation.

[Talos]

Yeah yeah whatever. Its all been said.
Listen to the music and learn from it.
Im sure if you ask people to suggest Jazz bands they would, theres even a link to suggested Jazz bands in the first reply.
Check that out.