Imagine Phil Woods coming to your home and giving you two or three years of private lessons. That's what this CD-ROM offers. Short of an apprenticeship with the bebop alto saxophonist master, Jazz Tutor is the most comprehensive jazz educational tool ever conceived. The interactive nature of the CD-ROM medium serves as a powerful vehicle for this well organized compendium of jazz theory and improvisational study that is certain to be of significant value to both students and professionals worldwide.
At the core of the program are five Woods originals performed by his quintet (Brian Lynch, trumpet; Jim McNeely, piano; Steve Gilmore, bass; Bill Goodwin, drums) that can also be enjoyed on a regular CD player. Each of these tracks is augmented by a musical score, the composition itself and the players' solos, which scrolls by as the music is played. In addition, an extra track for each composition without the lead instruments is included.
Exercises based on the five originals can also be accessed. Audio narration for each exercise provides reference and guidance for this section, which analyzes the structure of the music and the nature of the improvisation.
The reference section, which utilizes text, audio narration and MIDI music, includes a jazz theory primer, a glossary of musical terms and an extensive chord and scale dictionary. All this can be accessed from anywhere in the Jazz Tutor, with the chosen scale or chord appearing when the highlighted text is chosen.
A series of MIDI duets with Woods also use the course material and like everything else in the program, are presented in the keys of C, Bb, and Eb. The advantage of using the MIDI interface is that the speed can be controlled without a change in pitch.
The Jazz Jukebox features another 14 Woods originals, once again in MIDI format. In addition to the music, each composition includes an audio introduction from Woods, with frequent anecdotes enlivening the proceedings.
A slide show biography of Woods, with photographs and appropriate memorabilia, high-lights his legendary near half century career.
For those in need of a more traditional approach, the Jazz Tutorial is available, which takes all the course material and presents in a structured, linear form. Truly interactive, the tutorial guides the user through every phase of the course. A serious student could easily spend one to four years studying this material.
And for the novice CD-ROM user, a thorough introduction explains how to use the CD itself and serves to guide even the most apprehensive computer user.
The Jazz Tutor was the brainchild of Dr. Phil Terman, a dentist by day and saxophonist by night, whose patients have included Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins. Talented son Philip Terman did the programming for this CD-ROM, which took years but was certainly worth the wait. MasterClass Productions, their home company, is headed by yet another Terman, David.
The Jazz Tutor presents the art of jazz improvisation in an exciting and entertaining format and is highly recommended for every student of jazz.
- Bret Primack