When I was much younger, my mentors taught me that the best thing I could do for my playing was to transcribe on a regular basis. They taught me that it was not for the purpose of learning to copy and play solos that others had played, but rather to develop my ears so that I could create similar material in real time. They also taught me that the process of transcription enabled analysis which led to a better understanding of what others had done before me.

A somewhat “impressionistic” version of Monk’s “‘Round Midnight” using voicings from my book “Voicing Concepts For The Jazz Vibist”.

So, Tiki bars have become a thing, and the folks who dig this sort of thing really dig vibraphone xylophone. An acquaintance had a gig for me, so I put together this little duo...

This is a near-forty minute concert by Khan Jamal from 1992, and if you're not interested in the entire concert I'd suggest jumping to 15:30 for the last chorus of "In A Sentimental Mood." You'll hear a couple of amazing cadenzas that take the song out.

A work in progress. With a little break from teaching today at Berklee I was working on using mallets 4 and 2 for playing lines over the standard "Like Someone In Love". I feel that in my playing, mallet 4 is underutilized and I'm trying to work on that deficiency. It still needs a lot of work but I see the potential in using it more not only for solo playing for also for playing lines as well.
#thecompleteguidetoimprovisation
#voicingconceptsforthejazzvibist
#vicfirthm39edsaindonsignaturemallet

I am trying to play vibraphone with broken thumb after a stupid bicycle accident.
Next week they will nail my thumb - an unpleasant imagination.
But it is not acceptable not to play for 8 weeks.

For several weeks, I have been using ballads while practicing as a vehicle for working on dynamics, time, and just trying to play decent music. Here are two recent efforts, both long time favorites of mine: Nature Boy and My Foolish Heart. I've occasionally performed these with my group, The Brooklyn Jazz Collective, when the horn players need to rest their embouchure muscles. They are both still works in progress.