Here's the first lesson on Invitation!

First off, the title is a bait-and-switch. The Beatles aren't mentioned in any substance until the last chapter of the book. The book is really about its subtitle: "An Alternative History of American Popular Music", and judged on that content it's a great read. It covers the American popular music scene in loving detail from about 1890 through 1970, with colorful anecdotes, musical analysis, movers and shakers behind the scenes, and thoughtful analysis of the economic, social and technical factors behind many of the changes in popular music.

The A Train study is an in depth look at a tune. Tunes unlock secrets to harmony and improvising. In a way, a tune is a well thought out solo! A prepared one! And in a way a solo is a quickly conceived melody over a tune. That's not quite true but you get the idea.

The A train study is a way to really work through this tune and learn the nuances, see what you can take over to your improvisation and work on your chords, chord melodies and solo playing.

Here is the PDF to go along with Drop 2 Lesson 3 Part 3

Here is the melody of "Alone Together" harmonized in drop 2 voicings. I have included the .pdf of what I am playing (minus my performance mistakes <:)-

Check out Joe talking about Milt and Bobby with Marian Mcpartland. Listen to his description of each one of them. It's right on the money and even Marian thinks so!

I'll be posting parts from Joe's appearance on Marian Mcpartland's Piano Jazz.

This is from the Mid 90's.

It's a great chance to check out Joe and listen to him play and talk. He's a very inspiring cat!

I'll be posting parts of Joe's appearance on Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland. Here they are playing Au Privave. This is from the Mid 90's

Welcome to Philly.

You in the dorms?? you dig it??

i've been swamped. you around next tuesday about 11ish. i get out of a meeting around then, we could meet and talk.

there's a chance i'll be around saturday night, but i'm not sure.

also my friday gig is outdoors and it looks like rain. are you around friday night?

cu
tony

Barry asked me to talk about the tune invitation. So I whipped up a quick video, just talking about what makes that tune unique and why it's a great tune to study.

I'm going to do an etude and then I think if some of you guys are interested we can do a study of the tune, just like with A train.