El Clube Do Sol: Ten Weeks of Latin Jazz
(This is a past presentation of a Learning Club™ that was live in 2021)
Ten Weeks of Latin Rhythms & Beautiful Melodies are the theme of this Learning Club™ and, boy, this is a fun one!.
Since the beginning of Jazz, there has been a productive cross-pollination of musical ideas between the music of the US, Africa and Latin world.
Indeed, Jelly Roll Morton spoke of the “Spanish tinge” (the Cuban tresillo and habanera rhythms prevalent in New Orleans at the time) he felt was integral to the music: “If you can’t get mange to put tinges of Spanish in your tunes, you will never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz.”
The ten songs we will be using as the focal point for this Learning Club are some of my all-time favorites: “Besame Mucho”; “Black Orpheus’ Theme” “Corcovado (Quiet Nights)”; “Desafinado” “The Girl From Ipanema”; “Speak Softly, Love”; “Maria Elena”; “Watch What Happens”; “Wave” and “Volare”.
These wonderful songs represent composers from Brasil, (Luiz Bonfa & Antonio Carlos Jobim); France, (Michel LeGrand); Italy (Domenico Modugno & Nino Rota); and Mexico, (Consuelo Velazquez & Lorenzo Barcelata).
As always, we will use the songs as a jumping off point to study guitar playing and improvisation. In this Learning Club™, we will take a look at a variety of concepts: melody, rhythm, groove, accompaniment techniques, harmonizing, chord melody, using different chord substitutions and extension choices to create different musical effects, and much more.
(This is a past presentation of a Learning Club™ that was live in 2021)
Ten Weeks of Latin Rhythms & Beautiful Melodies are the theme of this Learning Club™ and, boy, this is a fun one!.
Since the beginning of Jazz, there has been a productive cross-pollination of musical ideas between the music of the US, Africa and Latin world.
Indeed, Jelly Roll Morton spoke of the “Spanish tinge” (the Cuban tresillo and habanera rhythms prevalent in New Orleans at the time) he felt was integral to the music: “If you can’t get mange to put tinges of Spanish in your tunes, you will never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz.”
The ten songs we will be using as the focal point for this Learning Club are some of my all-time favorites: “Besame Mucho”; “Black Orpheus’ Theme” “Corcovado (Quiet Nights)”; “Desafinado” “The Girl From Ipanema”; “Speak Softly, Love”; “Maria Elena”; “Watch What Happens”; “Wave” and “Volare”.
These wonderful songs represent composers from Brasil, (Luiz Bonfa & Antonio Carlos Jobim); France, (Michel LeGrand); Italy (Domenico Modugno & Nino Rota); and Mexico, (Consuelo Velazquez & Lorenzo Barcelata).
As always, we will use the songs as a jumping off point to study guitar playing and improvisation. In this Learning Club™, we will take a look at a variety of concepts: melody, rhythm, groove, accompaniment techniques, harmonizing, chord melody, using different chord substitutions and extension choices to create different musical effects, and much more.
(This is a past presentation of a Learning Club™ that was live in 2021)
Ten Weeks of Latin Rhythms & Beautiful Melodies are the theme of this Learning Club™ and, boy, this is a fun one!.
Since the beginning of Jazz, there has been a productive cross-pollination of musical ideas between the music of the US, Africa and Latin world.
Indeed, Jelly Roll Morton spoke of the “Spanish tinge” (the Cuban tresillo and habanera rhythms prevalent in New Orleans at the time) he felt was integral to the music: “If you can’t get mange to put tinges of Spanish in your tunes, you will never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz.”
The ten songs we will be using as the focal point for this Learning Club are some of my all-time favorites: “Besame Mucho”; “Black Orpheus’ Theme” “Corcovado (Quiet Nights)”; “Desafinado” “The Girl From Ipanema”; “Speak Softly, Love”; “Maria Elena”; “Watch What Happens”; “Wave” and “Volare”.
These wonderful songs represent composers from Brasil, (Luiz Bonfa & Antonio Carlos Jobim); France, (Michel LeGrand); Italy (Domenico Modugno & Nino Rota); and Mexico, (Consuelo Velazquez & Lorenzo Barcelata).
As always, we will use the songs as a jumping off point to study guitar playing and improvisation. In this Learning Club™, we will take a look at a variety of concepts: melody, rhythm, groove, accompaniment techniques, harmonizing, chord melody, using different chord substitutions and extension choices to create different musical effects, and much more.
My Learning Clubs™, with their ten-week duration, are the perfect way to really dig into the songs and make a lot of improvement while having a lot of fun. The interval and regular sessions provide you a sustained look at the material. The formula provides real results: with consistent practice, so you can make consistent and measurable progress.
Here’s how it works: When you sign up, a link is provided to you that contains a wealth of downloadable material for you to start practicing for the weekly jams. You get pdf chord charts for each of the ten songs, and a short video lesson where I show you how to play them. And, you receive sound recording files of each of the songs featuring me and a rhythm section playing a backing track so you can practice playing the melody and improvising with me.
Best of all, each of the ten weeks features a live, one-hour jam session over Zoom that I lead.
The codes are emailed to the participants each week. The virtual jam room always opens up 30 minutes before the session, so you can say hello to other participants and “do the hang.” I sometimes play a relevant recording, tell a story or make myself available for questions before the jam session starts.
During the sessions, we focus on the songs. Repetition leads to mastery. So we play them over and over in different ways, putting them under the microscope and having a ball while doing so.
After the session, participants can submit any questions they may have. I answer them all, compiling the questions and answers onto a video and placing it inside the materials folder. New materials are also routinely provided based on things that happen in the jam sessions.
I am really, really excited about the new Learning Club™ and about this new way of approaching guitar study!
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today and let’s get to work!
