A phenomenal collection of the most popular jazz standards ever written.

Complete original jazz piano arrangements clearly notated with precision.

Improvised solos transcribed in their entirety with strict adherence to detail.

Incredibly valuable jazz piano techniques for developing interpretive skills.

A recording of every arrangement performed by the author, Michael Tarro

A bonus track of Tarro's award winning Big Band single, Traveling Theme.

Creative Jazz Piano Arranging provides a logical approach towards creating arrangements of simple well-known melodies. This powerful tool in developing performance excellence is one of the first steps toward becoming an incredible jazz pianist.

Gentle Rain by Louis Bonfa * Don't Blame Me by Jimmy McHugh * Sharp Nine Blues & Traveling Theme by Mike Tarro My Romance and Hello Young Lovers by Richard Rodgers and Hammerstein * When Sunny Gets Blue by Marvin Fischer Days Of Wine & Roses by Mancini & Johnny Mercer * Nearness Of You & Georgia On My Mind by Hoagy Carmichael Sweet Georgia Brown written by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard and Kenneth Casey * When I Fall In Love by Victor Young and Don't Get Around Much Anymore and I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good by Sir Duke Ellington.

Foreword

Creative Jazz Piano Arranging for Real Fake Book Tunes is the culmination of more than thirty years experience in teaching piano. It contains musical concepts and explains many techniques for any jazz pianist to develop their own interpretive style. Creative Jazz Piano Arranging teaches how to create variations of simple melodies of many well-known jazz standards as written in every Fake Book. The most frequently asked question when playing tunes from the Real Book or any Fake Book is, What do I play with my left hand and how do I pull it all together?

These and many other questions are answered and clearly defined in this book. As each of these concerns are addressed and resolved, the pianist's individual style begins to emerge. This process is established by following this simple guide and studying its unique approach to interpretation. Specific techniques are labeled and explained in the expanded analysis section which creates a viable working system for the student, novice or professional to build and develop their own style, ideas and arrangements. In addition to the detailed examples and explanations, every tune is performed, recorded and included on the performance CD.

A few of the areas of focus & analysis in this book are melodic embellishments, assorted left hand accompaniment options, chord voicings & substitutions, introductions, and endings. These are ultimately used to create variety in your own arrangements. The tunes are then transcribed and carefully notated.

A fundamental knowledge of triads, sixth & seventh chords is a requirement for those hoping to benefit from this approach. A more complete understanding of ninth, eleventh & thirteen chords is also extremely helpful. The chords used are of the Tertian variety (based on thirds) as well as Quartal (based on fourths,) which is used in some instances for accent, effect and punctuation. The final type of harmony called Secundal (based on seconds,) creates dissonance and may sound a bit unusual.

This type of harmony used in twentieth century classical music can be found in the works of many composers during the Impressionistic period. Secundal or dissonant harmony is commonly used in progressive and free form jazz styles.

A solid background of finger exercises that are found in Hanon, Czerny or Isidor Philipp's School of Technique is highly recommended to insure accurate execution when playing any demanding melodic passage. It takes countless hours of disciplined daily practice to become a good pianist and even more to develop into a great one.

Creative Jazz Piano Arranging for Real Fake Book Tunes provides a logical approach towards creating interesting arrangements of simple melodies. This title is a powerful tool in developing performance excellence and one of the first steps toward becoming a great jazz pianist.

The Classics to Jazz * Complete Highlight Edition published by Santorella Publications includes a performance CD. Each classic exercise and jazz piece is played “up to tempo” by Craig Stevens on an acoustic baby grand. This Craig Stevens performance is truly remarkable! All we can say is “Wow” and so too, will you! These “four fabulous sections” include:

Johann Sebastian Bach: Bouree in E Minor • Minuet in G • March in D • Corrente • Minuet in G Minor • Little Prelude *(derived from the masterworks of J. S. Bach)

Carl Czerny: Exercise No. 1 • 15 • 20 • 22 • 25 • 34 • 37 • 42 • 59 • 63 • 70 *(derived from Czerny’s 160 Eight-measure Exercises)

Charles L. Hanon: Exercise No. 1 • 2 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 8 *(derived from Hanon’s Sixty Exercises for the Virtuoso Pianist)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Andante • Larghetto • Minuet in G • Minuet in D • Minuet in F • Minuet in C * (derived from the masterworks of W. A. Mozart)

There is certainly an abundance of Classical and Jazz literature to keep studies interesting, but few publications strive to blend the two. When experimenting with a new style, the student usually faces a learning curve. The musician must now step back and listen, to appreciate the usefulness of the scales and arpeggios that he or she has played for so long.

Classics to Jazz allows the serious student to make a smooth transition from Classical to Jazz studies. Each piece is written in standard notation identical to the original work. Then we embellish the Classic to a “point of no return”, which would make even the greatest Jazz pianist take notice. This Santorella Publication is not meant for the unprepared musician. It pushes the dedicated student to the edge, encouraging them to advance with every page-turn.

The whole approach abolishes the barrier that has separated the two genres. Many educators are fearful that expanding into Jazz studies translates into abandonment of the students’ Classical background and technique. On the contrary, Santorella’s Classics To Jazz seriesemphasizes the importance of Classical literature by displaying the original piece, followed by a Jazz rendition. This allows the student to concentrate their efforts on the Classical piece prior to attempting the Jazz arrangement. Only after successful completion of the Classical piece should the student advance to the challenging Jazz Piano version. Educators will praise the approach and adore the results. If by hard work and practice, a young pianist can play through Classics to Jazz, then he or she will have certainly surpassed the abilities of their peers.

Currently available in five editions, the Classics to Jazz series from Santorella Publications is just getting started. Jazz Bach, Jazz Czerny, Jazz Hanon and Jazz Mozart are sold separately, but a sampling of each can be found in our Jazz Highlights Edition. The featured composers were not chosen in any specific order and therefore can be studied in any sequence.

We feel that each composer is as important as the next; having his own set of strengths making them unique. From Bach, father of Classical Music, to Czerny, master of Characteristic study, to Hanon, creator of the bible text for piano technique, these books are exceptional texts for every serious student and the beginning of an expanding series to be praised and reveled by all.