Jazz is a language, and, like every language, you need to study it thoroughly in order to be fluent. You should read books about music theory, learn music sheet of standards or chord melodies, and one of the most important things you should do is learning solos from the greats, the ones who invented the language of jazz.
In this post I am going to talk about the 5 solos that I think every jazz player should learn and why. In addition, I will add a link to every solo on the list.
Chet Baker’s Solo On “It Could Happen To You” – Simple, Melodic, Beautiful
Many times when we think about a jazz solo, we imagine this long and hard to pull off solo, and that can scare and discourage anyone who is trying to start learning jazz. That is way Chet Baker’s solo on It Could Happen To You is a great solo for the beginner jazz player. It is short, easy to play and just beautiful to listen to.
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/ccLQWlVWLiM?t=72
Wes Montgomery’s Solo On “Satin Doll” – ii – V – I And The Art Of Making A Motif
In jazz, one of the most common chord progression is a; ii7 – V7 – Imajor7. That means that, as jazz players, we have to learn how to improvise over that progression. Learning Wes Montgomery’s solo on the standard Satin Doll is a great way to specifically practice that. The solo is full of great ii7 – V7 – Imajor7 lines and licks. Furthermore, Wes uses many amazing motifs in his solo. Motif is taking a musical phrase and using it again inside a solo. It can be a rhythmic pattern that you play again, but with a different set of notes, or a melodic motif that you repeat with a different rhythmic pattern or with slight changes. Motifs are very important when improvising over a standard. It is one of the things that will keep the audience interested in your solo.
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/jzweWLvN47Y?t=112
Chet Baker’s Solo on “Autumn Leaves” – Telling A Story And Creating A Melodic Solo
When improvising, you are telling a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Chet Baker’s solo over the tune Autumn Leaves is a great example of storytelling with a solo. Chet uses rhythm, tension and melodic soloing to create an amazing story with his solo, and he plays it in such a melodic and interesting fashion, that you can sing his solo note to note only after listening to it a few times. When your audience will be humming your solo after a show, you can be sure that you played a great solo.
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/sgn7VfXH2GY?t=41
Wes Montgomery’s Solo on “D Natural Blues” – Pure Gold
This list will never be finished without a solo over the jazz blues progression. And Wes’s solo over D Natural Blues is just one of many amazing solos to pick from. I believe that this is a great solo for a beginner jazz player because it is not too difficult to play and the solo is full of different techniques to learn, from single note playing to the famous octave playing of Wes. It also contains some amazing blues licks and phrases to add to your inventory.
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/vZ5ZrT0IKz0?t=90
Miles Davis’s Solo On “So What” – It’s All About The Silence Between The Notes
When improvising, many people often feel the need to play as many notes as they can or as fast as they can. However, you do not need to play a lot to improvise a great solo! A great example of this is Miles Davis’ solo over the tune So What. Miles is known for his ability to use space in his solos. He may “say” less than other players (when he chooses to), but when he does play, he plays the perfect note in the perfect moment. This solo is a great opportunity to learn how to use space and silence in your improvisation.
Link to the video: https://youtu.be/ylXk1LBvIqU?t=90
When starting to play jazz, learning a solo from one of the greats might seem as an impossible task. They play fast, complicated and in ways we never thought of playing. But these players are the ones who created this amazing language of jazz and we have so much to learn from them. So, the best thing is to start with solos that are a bit easier and approachable, exactly like the ones in this list. In time and with practice, you will be able to tackle the more fast and complicated ones. And remember: you do not have to learn a solo from start to end; you can just learn the licks and phrases that are more meaningful to you.
For more information on jazz solos and online classes, contact me today.
Gal Dornay
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