Coker - Improvising Jazz

To my wife

Patty

whose helpful suggestions

and patient proofreading

greatly facilitated the

writing of this book.

ALSO BY JERRY COKER

Patterns for Jazz
The Jazz Idiom
Listening to Jazz
The Complete Method for Improvisation
Jazz Keyboard
Drones for Improvisation

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Few methods have been designed for group improvisation, which, in essence, is a spontaneous exchange or interplay of musical ideas and moods. Jazz music, with its roots in basic rhythms and simple melodies, has developed naturally into a blend of musicianship, humanity, and intellect, having universal appeal. Improvisation has existed in other styles, but in the classical music of Western civilization its use has been stifled by enlarged instrumentations and the complexity of compositional techniques which have made no allowances for this means of individual expression. The composer achieves the effect of spontaneity when his written music flows naturally and is well played.

Jazz has brought about a renaissance in improvisation, providing a style which is conducive to spontaneous creation by utilizing standard musical elements, such as 4/4 time, songs of uniform length and form (usually 32 measures in length, with an A-A-B-A structure), fairly standardized instrumentation, steady tempi, consistent and logical harmonies, stylized melodies and rhythms, and even an established order of introductions, statements of themes, sequence of soloists, and codas and endings. Such an established framework as we find in jazz improvisation is as useful to the jazz player as the twelve tone system is to the atonalist composer. The characteristics of the style make for swift decisions, enabling the music to move along without interruption. This is not to say that jazz music has always been and will always stay within the aforementioned boundaries dictated by its style, any more than it would be correct to state that twelve tone music is without potential for further development. Jazz has already begun to expand its resources by absorbing the multitude of musical techniques existing in other styles of music. Improvisation in any of the existing styles offers the musician the opportunity to utilize his technical ability to its fullest extent, while enjoying the creative freedom of spontaneous composition. In our present culture, the bulk of the activity in improvisation is in jazz music.

This book is designed to equip you with the understanding of the theoretical principles used in jazz, presented in logical sequence as they apply to the ultimate improvised performance. As a prerequisite to this study, the student must have some technical proficiency and should be reasonably acquainted with major and minor scales.

The absorption and utilization of theory and techniques, which are the improvisors tools, can in no way guarantee an interesting musical personality. Each jazz player will find his own musical style and his style will be subject to the criticism of the listener. He may develop a style which is physical or cerebral, faddish or original, blatant or subtle, rambling or formful, ugly or beautiful, flexible or inflexible, tense or relaxed, exciting or dull, or any combination of these extremes, all of which could be the product of a technically equipped player. The style of the individual player is affected by his personality, his intelligence, his talent, and his coordination, all of which are beyond the scope of this text.

Since the birth of American Jazz and in its struggle to develop, there has been a great need for both the literature and theory pertaining to the music as contained in this book, IMPROVISING JAZZ. This is certainly a most welcome contribution. I have been through the book in all of its details and find it an excellent treatise on the subject. I am sure both Mr. Coker and the publishers have something in which they can be extremely proud, as the book can serve both as a text book or as a self-teaching device. I am especially delighted to know that IMPROVISING JAZZ is now a reality.

stan kenton

The training, care, and feeding of the jazz musician is something about which many of us ought to be more concerned. For jazz is a significant and vital musical language truly of our time, if only because it was born and bred in the twentieth century. And its value has increased with the years as it has developed beyond its relatively humble and isolated beginnings to become a sophisticated art form, which speaks an international, world-wide language.

This book will undoubtedly raise once again the old question of whether jazz can or should be taught. And I suppose many still feel that it should not. In fact, I never cease to be amazed at the tenacity with which various anachronistic attitudes and prejudices regarding jazz persist, despite overwhelming evidence that the face of jazz has undergone some rather radical changes in the last decade or two. In view of these changes, it is surprising that the teaching of jazz and the whole question of formal education in jazz is a highly controversial issue. Only religion and politics seem to be capable of generating more heated discussions. But then, the vehemence of these discussions in itself attests to how much is at stake, and it indicates much about the vitality of the subject under discussion.

I should like to place the practical aspects of this book in the context of the professional realities which the young jazz musician of today faces. As jazz broadens its expressive and technical scope, it will make increasingly greater demands on its performers and composers. To clarify this assumption graphically, one need only compare the musical knowledge required to play jazz in 1925 with that necessary in 1943 (let alone 1963). In 1925 no self-respecting jazz musician aspired to read or write music, nor did the music of the day demand it. By the same token, today no self-respecting musician could survive without the ability to read and write musical notationand those few that still exist are quickly trying to remedy such shortcomings.

In bygone days, the young jazz musician acquired his skills (his bag, in jazz parlance) in those two now-defunct institutions, the jam session and the big band. Here he learned his mtier. He gained experience in the practical every-day challenges of creating music. He learned the art of pacing himself, artistically and physically. He learned from his fellow players or from his leader. And above all, he had time to learn by trial and error, to try out new ideas, even at the risk of failing. He had time to edit himself and to acquire the subtle art of artistic discrimination. For the young player of today these opportunities are virtually non-existent. The jam session and big band are a memory of the past. Deprived of these means which represented, in effect, the educational process of yesteryear, the young player of today is thrown out in the professional arena and left to fend for himself as best he can. Perhaps the stage band development of recent years will help to fill this void. It is still too early to say, but there are signs that this is already a beneficent influence.