There are a few music festivals that take place every year in the Isle of Wight, the ‘Jazz Festival’ is an event that has taken place for only a few years. I am a Jazz guitarist and I had the privilege to perform there for the first time last year in 2006, it was great, I loved the atmosphere, the people were warm and friendly and I’ve never met so many people who knew their Jazz inside out.
I got ready to go on stage with Jazz Culture to perform a well rehearsed Jazz set for 11 am, it was around 10.50 am in the morning and I didn’t expect anyone to turn up until we finished, at 11am the place was packed, I don’t know where the crowd came from but everyone sat down looking serious and ready to be entertained.
I knew that letting them down was the last thing on my mind, I came this far over the water by ferry to get up early in the morning for an unheard of 11am gig, me and the band went into a few standards like ‘blue skies’, ‘killer Joe’, ‘taking a chance on love’ and ‘fly me to the moon’ it went down a storm, we were on stage for about an hour, we even did two encores. From that moment me, the band and the audience fell in love with each other, there was a powerful aura between all of us. Well I’ve been to Isle of Wight many times since and when I perform there it feels like home to me, I got the chance to play at this years 2007 festival and it was mind blowing, there were many great international acts included, very talented and inspiring, there was a nice vibe all around and the weather was fantastic, I can’t wait to go there again, even if you aren’t performing, it’s worth booking a trip out there for three days next April to absorb this Jazz experience.
By: Clinton Paul
1) Know the genre you want to learn for improvisation.
One of the best ways to find out the genre that appeals to you is by listening to a few styles (i.e. jazz, blues, rock, folk, country, pop, etc.). The ones that stick in your mind are the ones to start off with. Like with anything you learn, learning becomes easier when you’re interested in it. As you listen to the various styles, one thing to keep in mind is that the blues genre relates to most all the other genres. For that reason, if you learn to improvise in the blues genre, it will ultimately end up helping you improvise across all the genres.
2) Build up a foundation of jazz guitar licks and riffs.
Successful players have built up a memorized library of licks and riffs. During their jazz guitar lessons, they have absorbed and practiced these licks from a variety of sources so that when it comes time to perform solo or lend an improvisation, they are ready to practice and apply what they have learned. Improvisation becomes easy because they know how to blend tunes on their gypsy jazz guitar.
3) Knowing the scales is the foundation for improvisation.
No jazz guitar player can improvise without knowing their instrument and how to craft the melodies together. When learning to play jazz guitar, you can’t ignore this important step. You don’t have to learn all the scales. In fact learning just a few scales like the major scale and the blues scale will be sufficient for a lot of improvs and solos. For example if you can see a lick in and filter it through the major scale, you’ll have mastered what makes a jazz guitar player a jazz guitar player and your audience will appreciate your talent and effort!
4) Transcribing tunes are a great source for improvisations.
Transcribing involves learning a tune by ear and then working it out in different chords if you choose. Transcribing really helps any serious player and should be a regular part of their solo practice. It involves trial and error practice where you’ll discover what works for you and what doesn’t work.
5) The best part is hearing yourself play.
Inspire yourself during your improvisation by recording yourself (you might also consider hooking up jazz guitar amps). When you listen to the recording, you’ll be able to hear even better the areas that need work. At the same time, you’ll also hear the areas that work very well and demonstrate the progress you’ve made as a jazz guitar player.
Improvisations and solos are like a string of musical ideas that you have gathered along the way through your learning career. You’ll get these “musical ideas” by learning and mastering the scales, learning to key licks and riffs and by transcribing tunes that you enjoy. You’ll soon see your creativity and skills take off!
By: Logan Young
There are so many different types of dancing available today that it can be difficult to find the right sort of clothing or accessories. Depending on how serious the dancing is taken, it may be okay to get away with comfortable and casual clothing but if there is a need to be serious or to dress to an expected manner, there will be a requirement to follow a particular dress code. One of the increasingly popular styles of dance at this moment in time is jazz and young and old are flocking to the dance floor to shake their stuff to some of the all time classic hits of jazz. If you are part of a show and you want to wow the audience, making sure you are wearing the right sort of jazz dancewear is absolutely crucial to have the best form of impact.
It can be easy to overlook the benefits of creating an overall image and impression but if you are looking to make as positive an impression as possible, ensuring your outfit says exactly what you want it to say is very important. Even if you are only dancing for fun, you may feel a lot better and a lot more confident about yourself if you are wearing proper jazz dancewear. This is not to say that wearing the proper form of jazz clothing will make you a better dancer than you really are, but some people will develop a greater level of confidence in themselves if they wear the recognised fashion.
As there are many different moves and shifting of positions involved in jazz dancing, it is imperative that jazz dancewear is able to provide the support and assistance to ensure the dancer is able to perform to their maximum level. Whether it be the footwear providing the support for the dancer to move effortlessly and gracefully or the clothing range to allow them to be as comfortable as possible in their activity. There is no doubt that being able to move freely and confidently is the most important thing for a dancer of any level and jazz dancing is no different.
If you are unfamiliar with jazz dancing then all of the talk about the products available to make a jazz dancer look great and feel good about themselves may sound very strange, but they can make a huge difference. Whether it is the psychological benefits from wearing the sort of clothing that looks good and feels great or the physical benefits of jazz dancewear that was specifically created for that type of dancing, there is something for everyone who likes to dance to jazz music.
There are so many different styles of dance clothing and footwear available that it can be difficult to find the right product. But if jazz is your thing then jazz dancewear will be enough to get you looking great on the dance floor. So if you want to you want to be the talk of the town, you know what to wear.
By: Treak Eric