Modern Jazz Piano: An Intermediate Guide to Jazz Concepts, Improvisation, Technique, and Theory (w/CD).(Book Review)

Modern Jazz Piano, An Intermediate Guide to Jazz Concepts, Improvisation, Technique, and Theory (w/CD), by Sarah Jane Cion. Hal Leonard (7777 W. Bluemound Rd. P.O. Box 13819, Milwaukee, WI 53213), 2005. 123pp. $19.95.

Modern Jazz Piano, as titled, is a guide rather than a method book. It is a tool that can be used for reference and for supplementing lesson plans. Inside, one will find individual sections that cover listening, jazz harmony, theory, transcription and analysis. Many jazz instructors find success with a non-linear teaching approach that allows the use of resources and materials from a wide variety of sources. Sarah Jane Cion's guide fits very well into this approach because it is a "go to" text that one could use to solidify weak areas in a student's skills, and it also can be used to supplement and reinforce newly introduced concepts.

It is evident throughout the guide that Cion has put her stamp of personal experience as a performer and educator on the included information and the pedagogical approach. This is in sharp contrast to other jazz method books that I have seen that are clearly not written by active, "gigging" jazz musicians.

To me, the transcription section of the book and recorded compact disk are most valuable. Many jazz teachers encourage students to learn to play by ear, the recorded ...