Jon Wheatley

Jon Wheatley shows how to make standard tunes sound lyrical, fresh, and interesting by adding progressions between the regular changes — embellishments that are as vital to improvising as they are to comping and chord soloing. The emphasis isn't on "far out re-harms" but on really getting the tune happening. Drawing on thirty years of professional playing, Jon shares ideas that are field tested: derived from extensive listening to the best pianists, guitarists, and orchestrators, plus his own creative experimenting. What's covered Working through "It Could Happen to You" and "I'll Remember April" change by change, from the basic song to an enriched version Reinterpreting diminished chords as dominant flat-9 chords and expanding them into II-Vs for more motion Tritone substitutions , and why you can precede almost any chord with a dominant 7th a half step above Line clichés over minor chords and bass-motion ideas A substitution idea picked off a Barney Kessel record The instrumental fundamentals behind effortless playing: tone, rock-solid time, swing, and aural "visualizing" of chord changes The class includes standard notation song sheets : "It's You or No-One," "Move," "It Could Happen to You," "I'll Remember April," "There is No Greater Love," and "Manhã de Carnaval" arranged by Jon Wheatley.