The Acoustic Bass DVD
Who better to help hone your improvising skills on upright bass than Gary Peacock? In this 75-minute DVD, Peacock covers the basics of bass playing–posture, alignment, etc.–before sharing his insights into improvisation and how to practice. Using standard jazz compositions (e.g., “Stella by Starlight,” and “All the Things You Are”), Peacock explains how to navigate a tune’s harmonic construction and augment a melody with confident and intriguing underpinning. homespuntapes.com
Zildjian/Body Glove Collection
Surfing drummers and nonsurfing drummers (but probably not nondrumming surfers) will find something to like in the Zildjian/Body Glove Collection: A drumstick bag, cymbal backpack and cymbal bag on wheels that are made of material that feels like a Body Glove wet suit. Ah, the synergy. zildjian.com
The European Real Book
What do those Europeans know about jazz? Plenty, apparently, as this 430-page book documents the tunes of great European jazzers like Michel Petrucciani, George Shearing, Toots Thielemans, Philip Catherine, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, Claus Ogerman, Kenny Wheeler, Django Reinhardt, Enrico Pieranunzi, Joe Zawinul and others. Each chart in the tome has its composer’s approval and many feature extras like sample bass lines, chord voicings, rhythm section hits and harmony parts. shermusic.com or musicdispatch.com
