Jazz Saxophone Etudes Volume 4 Paperback – July 31, 2015

Greg Fishman has done it again! Another masterful compilation of etudes based on jazz standards. I have purchased all of Greg's instructional books over the years, and have had incredible fun practicing his etudes, and learning the jazz lexicon from them. I play in a number of jazz bands, at a semi-professional level, and can attest that his books have helped me develop my soloing style, without question.His latest is, as previously, a collection of etudes suitable for both intermediate and advanced saxophonists. The intermediate pieces are, at least for me, quite easy and a lot of fun. The advanced pieces are amazing! Get ready to spend hours of fun time practicing and learning from this latest collection.

Good writing, fun playing.

Outstanding in keeping with Greg Fishman's high standards of musical quality..

The ad said, "The chord changes are based on popular standards that are easily recognizable." I could recognize maybe 2 of the songs in the book and there are no hints as to what the standards might be since they all have weird names not at all related to the standard they are based off of.

Each of the 12 Etudes is constructed to offer benefits and guidance to everyone from the intermediate jazz player to the seasoned pro. There are specific suggestions for each level on how to practice these Etudes. Jazz Saxophone Etudes 4 imparts real world information on how to play jazz specifically on the saxophone. They play beautifully and are great for reading, hearing leading tones, harmonic motion, melodic extrapolation, syncopation, style, language and thematic development. If you want to know how to construct a perfectly balanced jazz line - just study these etudes.These etudes are definitive - for example, Taylor Street (based on a progression similar to I Can’t Get Started) is a classic - worthy of comparison to James Moody’s solo on I’m in the mood for love and Drexel Boulevard (based on a progression similar to Wave) includes Greg’s clever allusion to elements from the original piano solo - using only a short series of 3 note phrases, contrapuntal leading tone lines are created. Many treasures await you in each etude. These are not shallow experiments, but deeply developed, memorable melodies that convey a wealth of information. Nothing short of impressive in every phrase.Greg chooses great songs from the expanded standard repertoire - familiar, but not overplayed. The outstanding accompanying tracks for each etude include Greg's fantastic performance of the etude, and an additional performance of rhythm section only, providing choruses to play the Etude/melody and improvise. Having this set of tunes, great rhythm section and organization of jazz materials available anytime makes this collection an indispensable tool for players at any level. Another Masterpiece from Mr. Fishman!

This book is phenomenal! There is so much to learn here and it truly is a great resource for musicians of all levels. I have a few of Greg's other books including his first jazz etude book and I must say this is my favorite by far. This book has a great variety of styles and tempos including a waltz, a slow blues, a ballad, medium and up tempo swing, and bossa nova. A great resource and I highly recommend to anyone interested in studying jazz.