Jason Lyon Music

Category: c) Musicianship

  • The Bill for Rehearsal Time

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    Jason
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHcAuOVdxpY&t=756s Thanks to Jazz Video Guy on YT for finding this rare documentary footage of Bill Evans preparing for a TV taping in Denmark. There’s a lot to take away, but I’ll just zero in one aspect – this is a textbook example of how to rehearse. See here for my personal thoughts on this. Of…

  • The Set Menu

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    Jason
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    Here is an episode of a ’60s BBC TV series called Jazz 625 (yeah, our TVs had 625 scan lines at the time and the Beeboid techies came up with that really imaginative name). It’s Bill Evans with his second trio visiting London. Look at 0:16 – the tune is Nardis, and watch bassist Chuck…

  • The Jaws of a Dilemma

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    Jason
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    I was involved in a discussion over on one of the REAPER forums recently with someone who seems to have been hung up on the production intricacies of one song for months. It’s probably my journalist background – the deadline’s the deadline. I was often reminded during my newsroom days (and nights) of the scene…

  • Camels and Robots

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    Jason
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    Or putting rhythm sections out of business… Nah, of course, I’d never do such a thing. There’s no substitute for the real deal. But then practising isn’t the real deal either and I was asked a while ago about how I practise. Sorry the reply comes so late, MH. Sad truth is that at the…

  • All About That Bass, Bout That Bass (No Trouble)

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    I’ve had a question about comping bass solos. Wow. Well, how long have we got… I’ll start by mentioning that I play some “journeyman” bass. I can do a reasonable job as long the tempos are gentle, the changes aren’t too complex and you don’t expect inspired solos (or particularly good intonation). The reason I…

  • Faking It

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    Jason
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    I don’t just mean “faking” harmony in the jazz sense, but rather more generally. Got involved in a little discussion recently about how to play complex cross-rhythms over at Adam Neely’s YT channel. When presented with something like 3s on 5s some people (me included) advocate learning to feel the way the two sound and…

  • A Little Ear Music

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    Jason
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    A couple of weeks ago I sat in on a sort of cocktail request gig and somebody wanted Hotel California “with the guitar bits”. Never actually done that on the piano before, strange to tell, but I had a little think and a sip of my libation while the band were getting ready and then…

  • Playing Flat

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    Jason
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    A quick one for pianists – in particular, pianists who are fortunate enough to play on grands. Though not all grands are made equal… Okay, let’s admit it, we all read sometimes. Whether detailed arrangements, originals, things we “kinda know” or whatever. Put the damn flap down and read the chart across it. If you’re a…

  • Crystal Metheny

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    The point of this week’s post isn’t confined to Metheny tunes – it’s just that there are a couple we’ve happened to play recently that illustrate it nicely. The two tunes I’ll reference are Song for Bilbao and Question & Answer. They’re both characterised by rather floaty harmony on the A sections and contrasting, very…

  • Booker’s Blues

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    Jason
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    All of us are always learning (well, hopefully most of us are…), but it’s not big-headed to take pride in what you do. Here’s a little parable (with apologies to Jorge Luis Borges). Imagine you’re walking down an enormous corridor in a library that stretches on and on into the distance. You’re reading the books as you…