Jamie Aebersold Jazz Play-A-Long
Volume 130: Pennies From Heaven
Volume 131: Cry Me A River
Volume 132: On The Street Where You Live
www.jazzbooks.com
By George W. Harris

The great thing about Jamie Aebersold’s famous Play-A-Long educational
books and cds is that, even if you don’t play an instrument, it’s just
so much fun to listen to the supple and lithe trio of Steve Allee/p
(who has some great stuff of his own on Owl Records), Tyrone Wheeler/b
and Jonathan Higgins/dr. They do an excellent job of providing support
without overwhelming you while you’re playing over them. Just enough
chord support to make your ear work, which is what you want from these
guys.

Volume 130 is a 2 cd set of 20 tunes that stretch from the early 20s to
the 40s. 1921’s “April Showers” and 1922’s “My Buddy” are the oldest
tunes, and they sound fresh as a sunrise here. 1944’s “How Little We
Know” by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer, might be one of their
lesser known tunes, and it’s definitely worth exploring here. Classic
Depression era tunes like “Jeepers Creepers” and “Day In-Day Out” sound
great here, and two versions of “Blueberry Hill,” one with a heavier
jazz feel, make this set a real delight.

Volume 131, with 15 tunes, emphasizes the 30s through the 50s, though
“More Than You Know” from 1929 sure sounds good on this single cd set
here. Highlights include a reflective take of “It Never Entered My
Mind” as well as a spry take of “The Lady Is A Tramp.” More overlooked
material such as “Bidin’ My Time” or “Hold My Hand” keep your sight
reading skills up to speed, while slower pieces like “Dedicated To You”
will help your longer tones.
Last, but certainly not least, the single disc Volume 132 keeps you on
your toes by doing various readings of a couple of tunes. “Music ,
Music Music” adds takes with advanced jazz harmonies, and another with
brushes, while “In A Shanty Town” adds a ¾ groove to the regular
version. This is a real fun book, as songs like “You’re The Cream In My
Coffee,” “Goofus” and “Alabamy Bound” are sure to raise a few happy
eyebrows among friends. Also, it’s nice to be able to play along to one
of my favorite tunes, Johnny Green’s “Coquette,” who shows that he
could do other material besides “Body and Soul.” Great session!!!