Outside the Lines (Jazz for Church Musicians)

Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Music

Outside the Lines (Jazz for Church Musicians) Details

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This fine collection includes a mixture of contemporary and traditional tunes, arranged unabashedly in "smooth jazz" style. Both solo piano parts and rhythm charts (including dedicated bass charts!) are included, the latter in the back of the book. Personally, I found the arrangements to be varied in mood, tasteful, and musically substantial (within the confines of the smooth jazz idiom, at least). Kudos to Mr. Hamilton for encouraging the exploration of improvisation here (coloring "outside the lines").Some of the arrangements can stand on their own as true piano solos, but others really need a rhythm section to be most effective.Which brings me to the accompaniment CD, sold separately, which I also own. This is not your run-of-the-mill accompaniment track... there are two versions of each song: one with the full accompaniment, and one with just the "sweetening" elements (such as strings, auxiliary percussion, etc., varying from track to track). This means that, if you have a drummer and bassist at your disposal, you can get the best of both worlds: a more spontaneous performance with all those lush production nuances. In short, if you can afford the CD, it is great fun to practice and perform to!

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