Improve Your Jazz Vocabulary at least 43.67% With This Line

Science was definitely used to determine these numbers.

Okay, science wasn’t even in the building when I pulled 43.67% out of my arse to use in the subject line of this email. But there is some truth to there being a tangible and very realistic improvement, perhaps even by as much as 40% 😉, in your understanding of jazz vocabulary if you understand not only this one line, but the concept behind transcribing, repeating, and assimilating any vocabulary you want to learn.

The line in question is something I included in my 2012 book “All The Good Stuff”

I first got this phrase, and more importantly the framework to practice it in, from Michael Brecker from a bootleg of a live clinic in Italy sometime in the 90’s. It’s such a rarity to have someone as legendary as Mike, completely alone and clear in his sound, explaining how he practices specific pieces of vocabulary in his routine.

This track sounds like it was recorded on a tape machine of questionable quality, so the audio is not the most hi fidelity experience. But I’ve found some of the most useful pieces of information have come from the poorest quality and shortest bootlegs in my collection.

The descending ii-V line starts at around 40 seconds, and just listen to how intense the speed is, and how thick a wall of sound Mike is able to create with such a simple outlining of the most popular chord combination in jazz: the ii and the V chord.

Again, it’s not the notes that are going to improve your understanding and command of jazz vocabulary, it’s the process. And as you can see, it doesn’t take much information (8 notes to be precise) to give you something to work on that might take a lifetime to play it like Mike.

Bass TAB from “All The Good Stuff”

I’ve included the TAB for the exercise because, even though I disagree with just about everything it stands for, I’m not that much of an asshole and do include TAB in all my books. I understand not everyone is trying to be a top-tier sight-reader, or make music their full time source of employment where TAB doesn’t exist.

Regardless of where you sit on the spectrum of commitment, it’s actually just a really good idea not to use any kind of notation at all. Listen to the bootleg, and transcribe it for yourself. I can say with absolute certainty that I have never used anyone else’s transcription in the process of learning vocabulary, and the payoff is incredible over time.

My ears thank me, and so will yours.

Just to prove it is possible to come fairly close on bass to what Mike does on sax, here’s a video I posted yesterday on YouTube based around this line.

I know it’s absurd to think of someone like Mile Davis or Jaco Pastorius asking you to “Like, Comment, and Subscribe”, but sadly them I am not, and it really helps the channel grow so I can keep uploading free videos like this. 100k subs is the goal by April, and I need all the help I can get!

More jazz, more vocabulary, more bass, and more music soon.

Janek