Review of “The Jazz Piano Book” by Mark Levine, Sher Music Co.
I bought this book from Mr. Levine after taking one of his jazz theory classes at the Stanford Jazz Workshop a few years ago. Even though I am now a sax player, I started out on keyboards and I felt that it was important for me to know more about what the piano player was doing within the context of a jazz group. Besides the stuff specific to the piano, most of the information covered transfers nicely to any instrumentalist wanting to play jazz.
The whole experience of attending the Stanford Jazz Workshop and continuing to study The Jazz Piano Book has done nothing short of change my musical life! I feel that I have a much deeper understanding of what is going on in jazz harmonies. (continued)
The book starts with a good review of intervals, major modes, and the II-V-I, then launches into voicings. Then, there is a large section on Scale Theory that does an excellent job of unraveling the mysteries of how melodies and chords arise from scales. We see how the major scale provides a solid foundation, while the melodic minor (or jazz minor) and diminished scales are the key to many of the colorful harmonies of modern jazz. Many other scales are also covered.
After that, there is even more about voicings, a section on Latin Jazz, Comping, and a huge discography of recommended listening material.
Throughout the book are tons of notated examples – many from specifically sighted jazz recordings, so you have something solid to relate to.
As is generally the case with books from Sher Music Co., this one is of the highest quality and I highly recommend it.
