Jason Lyon Music

Author: Jason

  • Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec

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    Jason
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    A while ago, in a brasserie far, far away… THE FOURTHS AWAKEN Darth Vegfryer – Head Chef Florent Regent Count Orderticket  – Oliver Regent Kylo Knobtwiddler – Maitre d’ Nolan Regent Cantina Band and crew of the Millennium Lazybird: Dave O’Higgins (tenor sax) Steve Fishwick (trumpet) with the Jason Lyon Trio, featuring Alan Gibson (bass), Joel Prime (drums) Also featuring: Viviana Zarbo &…

  • Right, Said Fred

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    I’ve been working with a student recently who’s concerned about getting more out of her piano soloing. And my suggestion has been to commit piano heresy – practise with the right hand alone. Before the ghosts of generations of piano teachers break free from the special circle of hell reserved for them to torment me,…

  • Herding Cats

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    …an expression I often use about running a jam session. It does have an idiomatic jazz-related connotation, and as you’ll hear at the conclusion of the video: “it ain’t an easy job, but when you bring a herd into town and you ain’t lost a one of ’em – ain’t a feelin’ like it in the world”……

  • Take Four

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    Bit of fun this week. I’m not down on pop music at all, but I can be forgiven (I hope) for noting that a lot of it sounds suspiciously similar. Well there you go, some harmonic progressions just work and… well… they’re popular. Which is the object of the exercise, after all. Nor is this…

  • Quite Frankly My Dear…

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    I was chatting to a musician the other day about nerves. She was horribly afflicted (visibly quivering) and eyeing the awaiting stage with a sense of dread. The conversation ranged a bit, but ultimately boiled down to a rather glib sounding piece of pep talk. In my view, the secret to a good performance is……

  • Bill Dunham

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    A little tribute to a lovely man, who I hope is still with us and going strong. Anyway tributes are no bloody use to you when you’re dead, are they? You pick up all kinds of influences and inspirations as you go through life, and on the flip-side you never know how a casual meeting…

  • The Amazing Disappearing Jazz Student

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    A Suggestion for Practice It won’t come as news if I say that the best way to really get your jazz chops together is to transcribe. Nor would you be surprised to hear that playing along with the original recordings is also a good idea. But some of the most powerful practising I’ve ever done…

  • Fame – What You Like is in the Limo

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    Jason
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    I don’t mind karaoke in its place – it can be great fun. But the ubiquitous TV talent formats have swamped the gigging circuit with too many wannabe warblers, and everyone suffers – the audiences, the venues, the musicians… Sorry, but while I’m all for ambition, for every one who can carry a tune in…

  • Beethoven’s Dynamic Duo

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    I was talking to a jazz pianist the other day about technique, in particular dynamic and tonal control. He asked for some exercises and I thought about it for a bit, then suggested he work on the Beethoven E minor Sonata (opus 90). This rather underrated piece* does require healthy hands, but it’s not going…

  • Grumpy Old Jazzers

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    Regular readers will be aware by now that I have an occasional tendency towards the grumps. On that I’m unrepentant. My gig, my rules, mate. I’ve recently discovered a couple of blogs by other similarly minded individuals and I commend them to you. I’d like to clarify that I make no judgements about the vintage…