Curious about jazz? Ever wonder how musicians can learn so many songs by heart? Or are you one looking to expand your skill set?
John Elliot has some ideas you might find interesting. He's the author of Insights in Jazz , which lays out a roadmap to learn over 200 jazz standard songs, along with a podcast of the same name.
In this episode I interview John about his Lego bricks methodology for breaking down jazz songs into their atomic parts. An idea he developed himself when trying to play more with other musicians.
We also touch upon what is jazz, and the differences in the genre.
(0:00) - Introduction
(4:08) - Learning for a Lifetime
(21:36) - The Book and Method
(28:12) - Defining Jazz
(33:47) - The Divide Between Popular Music and Academia
(40:04) - Breaking Down a Song into Chunks and Bricks
(48:28) - The Form and Structure of Jazz Songs
(52:54) - Transcribing and Learning Jazz Songs
(57:11) - The Importance of Boredom and Inspiration
(1:02:47) - The Positive Side of Technology
(1:06:14) - The Method of Learning Jazz
(1:11:35) - The Importance of Finding Your Passion
(1:18:02) - The Lingua Franca of Jazz: B-Bop
(1:24:09) - The Fundamentals of Expression
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