Review

Fred Lipsius
Playing Through The Blues:

, Germany
Publisher: Advance Music
Date of Publication: 2009
URL: http://www.kendormusic.com

Book, play-along compact disc

Primary Genre: Jazz Material - etude

Fred Lipsius created this 32-page, soft-cover book with compact disc to serve “as an intermediate-level reading book of jazz melodies and phrases,” an excellent description. Twelve original jazz etudes provide you with a wide variety of phrases and rhythms well suited to an assortment of blues styles. Each tune features a couple of choruses of written-out melodies, then additional material typical of a moderate-difficulty series of riffs or section solis, and finally a recap of the tune.

Styles include basic I-IV-V dominant blues, bop blues, suspended-chord blues, and minor blues (no Bird blues) in swing, slow swing, shuffle, waltz, and funky styles. Ranges mostly top out at g1, some up to a1, and descend mostly to B-flat, some to low G; and the occasional plunger markings are optional. On the early twelve tracks trombonist Jeff Galindo performs the tunes with rhythm section as a superb stylistic demonstration, followed by a dozen rhythm tracks minus Jeff, featuring you. If a bass trombonist were to tackle this material an octave down, it would be a suitable workout of moderate to difficult challenge.

The high-quality compact disc makes the performance-practice fun: the rhythm section presents an interactive feel by accenting spots suggested by the trombone’s written line. With the provided chord changes, you may improvise a solo at any point. But remember that the overall format is as Fred intended: “a reading book”—it does not include any tips for improvisation. The opening tunes are approachable as written lines but are not printed in order of increasing difficulty for improvisers: the collection begins with four tracks of bop blues and sus blues with chromatic movements before you arrive at the first I-IV-V blues at the fifth composition.

The book easily opens flat on your music stand, and the music font is superb to read. Alternate-position suggestions are provided at some spots but not at other logical locales. Eighth notes are beamed in groups of four rather than two, and sometimes a pair of upbeat- and downbeat-eighths surrounded by rests is beamed together unusually. The rhythms in some of the etudes graduate quickly to double-time feel and back; so be ready for the worthy challenge. 

Lipsius, the original saxophonist and arranger with “Blood, Sweat and Tears,” has created with Advance Music separate but compatible books for flute, clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and violin; so you can partner up with a buddy for reading sessions. High school through college students, as well as weekend warriors, will benefit from shedding their reading with this effective and grooving book and compact disc.

-Antonio J. García
Virginia Commonwealth University