Improvising with Pentatonic Scales with Anton Schwartz at California Jazz Conservatory

A theoretical and practical look at the pentatonic scale and its variations and the indispensable role it plays in jazz improvisation. The unique structure of the pentatonic scale gives it a singular flexibility to function in a myriad of harmonic contexts. Participants learn various techniques for incorporating this distinctive scale into their solos to add color and excitement. Prerequisites: An understanding of basic harmony and seven-note scales is required; familiarity with advanced harmony (altered, lydian, etc.) is recommended. Please bring your instrument! JazzÕs greatest improvisers create music that packs an emotional punch...

read more

A theoretical and practical look at the pentatonic scale and its variations and the indispensable role it plays in jazz improvisation. The unique structure of the pentatonic scale gives it a singular flexibility to function in a myriad of harmonic contexts. Participants learn various techniques for incorporating this distinctive scale into their solos to add color and excitement. Prerequisites: An understanding of basic harmony and seven-note scales is required; familiarity with advanced harmony (altered, lydian, etc.) is recommended. Please bring your instrument! JazzÕs greatest improvisers create music that packs an emotional punch. ItÕs a lesson that tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz learned well. SchwartzÕs Quintet is Winner of 2016 Northwest Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the Year. Their latest album, Flash Mob, spent eight weeks in jazz radioÕs Top 10 and earned a four-star review in Down Beat magazine, reinforcing SchwartzÕs reputation as a passionate but poised improviser and smart purveyor of captivating melodies. Schwartz has performed at jazzÕs most prestigious clubs and festivals, including the Blue Note and DizzyÕs (NYC), Blues Alley (DC), YoshiÕs (Oakland), Jazz Alley (Seattle), and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Recent engagements include sold-out shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center and a feature as soloist with the Boston Pops in Boston Symphony Hall. He is a longtime faculty member of the California Jazz Conservatory and has taught extensively at the Stanford Jazz Workshop and the Brubeck Institute. Schwartz is also the author of a popular blog about jazz, improvisation and harmony.,

show less