Jazz Resources

Recommended Jazz Reading

This is not a comprehensive list, just a few of the jazz books I recommend. These were all used on the undergraduate jazz & pop music performance programme when I was teaching at the University of Southampton. Useful for theory, improvisation & arranging techniques. This section includes books on jazz and music theory, transcribed jazz solos, real books, jazz history, jazz analysis and many other resources.

Real Books & Sheet Music

• The New Real Book Volume 1 (Sher Music Co, 1988) Bb edition
• The New Real Book Volume 1 (Sher Music Co, 1988) C and vocal edition
• The New Real Book Volume 1 (Sher Music Co, 1988) Eb edition
• The New Real Book Volume 2 (Sher Music Co, 1991) Bb edition
• The New Real Book Volume 2 (Sher Music Co, 1991) C and vocal edition
• The New Real Book Volume 2 (Sher Music Co, 1991) Eb edition
• The New Real Book Volume 3 (Sher Music Co, 1995) Bb edition
• The New Real Book Volume 3 (Sher Music Co, 1995) C and vocal edition
• The New Real Book Volume 3 (Sher Music Co, 1995) Eb edition
• The New Real Book Volume 3 (Sher Music, Co, 1995) Bass edition
• World’s Greatest Fake Book (Sher Music Co, 1983)
• The Latin Real Book (Sher Music Co, 1997) Bb edition
• The Latin Real Book (Sher Music Co, 1997) C and vocal edition
• The Latin Real Book (Sher Music Co, 1997) Eb edition
• Lionel Grigson: A Jazz Chord Book (Jazzwise, 1997)
• Conrad Cork: A New Guide To Harmony With Lego Bricks (2008 Edition)
• A New Guide To Harmony With Lego Bricks – Play Along CDs (Playalong for above)

Jazz Solos & Transcriptions

• Charlie Parker Omnibook
• Don Sickler: John Coltrane Improvised Saxophone Solos
• Stan Getz: Sax Solos
• Lester Young Solos

Theory Books & Improvisation Workbooks

• Mike Sheppard: How to Read Music
• Jerry Coker: How To Listen to Jazz
• Mark Boling: The Jazz Theory Workbook
• Mark Levine: The Jazz Theory Book
• Mark Levine: The Jazz Piano Book
• Yusef Lateef: Repository of Scales and Melodic Patterns
• Oliver Nelson: Patterns For Improvisation

Recommended Books on Jazz

This is a new page as I decided to split the previous jazz books page into two, “Jazz Theory Books ” and “Jazz Books “. This page will be dedicated to books about jazz in general, non-fiction, fiction and jazz biographies. If you have any recommendations please feel free to contact me or mention them on the discussion forum, where there is a section for jazz and books about jazz.

• How To Listen To Jazz – Jerry Coker
• Bird Lives – Ross Russell
• John Coltrane: His Life and Music – Lewis Porter
• Lester Young (Jazz Perspectives) – Lewis Porter
• Django Reinhardt – Know the man, play the music – Dave Gelly
• Being Prez: The Life and Music of Lester Young – Dave Gelly
• Straight, No Chaser: The Life And Genius Of Thelonious Monk – Leslie Gourse
• Miles – Miles Davis
• Beneath the Underdog: His World as Composed by Mingus – Charles Mingus

Jazz Playalong CDs

Recommended Playalong CDs

Play-along CDs are a great way to practise your jazz improvisation. These recordings have some top jazz musicians playing jazz, standards and blues tracks for you to play along with.

Some of these are better than others, and I have tried out many of the available CDs including most of the Aebersold series, so here is a list of those that I find the best and most useful for beginner and intermediate improvisers.