Joe Solomon - Jazz Improvisation Workshop

Hes a great teacher: encouraging, but also knows when and how to critique and not discourage a beginner. Makes sure it is challenging, but not overwhelming. Encyclopedic knowledge of jazz and music theory. Definitely recommend!

I am a graduate from Berklee school of music with a master in jazz studies.

I studied music in an academic setting my entire life.

But then, I discovered that I was thought the fast way.

The way to just get a gig.

I then through a friend discovered joe Solomon.

Joe’s teaching is the way to internalize the language of music.

It’s the way to have a voice and a vocabulary.

Not only to get a gig but to feel and experience music.

Joe changed my way of seen music forever.

He is an amazing musician as well as an amazing human been.

If you are serious about Music you must have lessons with Mr. Solomon.

He will change your life.

Joe is a true teacher, one of the greatest I have ever had. He will teach you about jazz improvisation, for sure - and he is a master improviser himself - but most importantly he will get your head in the right place so you can access the creativity we all have locked up within us. He is endlessly patient and encouraging and can make anybody feel like a real musician with something to say. He plays bass but can teach you to improvise on any instrument (e.g. I am a trumpet player) because the essentials are the same. Joes method brings you deep into the creative process to help you find your own style and voice rather than sounding like a copycat. I would venture to say there are very few teachers who can do that well -- and I guarantee you will learn a lot about yourself and about life in the process. In short, he is amazing. You will not regret a moment spent studying with Joe and theres a fairly good chance he might even change your life.

I liked how deeply and intently he listened to my playing each and every week we were working together. He is highly invested in each one of his students and he creates an atmosphere where the process can flourish.

Ive been studying with Joe since 2015. To start, Im a piano player, not a bassist. But I can say that for improvisation, the instrument that you play is not the important thing. What you are learning with Joe is a simple and effective methodology to practicing and performing jazz improv. For me, it makes practicing feel meditative, where every bit counts, from the simplest c-scale to the more complex soloing over multiple changes. First of all, I found that Joe does not overburden you with a million different things to work on, but rather, meets you at your level, and then builds you up bit by bit. Secondly, He also does not ridicule you, or make you feel stupid, but lets you know the things youve done well and the things you need to still work at in a constructive way. Thirdly, he makes sure you always use a metronome, and really feel the rhythm, something often forgotten when playing. And lastly, he makes you sing the great the great solos of Lester Young and Charlie Parker (among others) to really feel and incorporate their vision.

While sometimes his method of teaching can feel mysterious, for me, through the mystery comes great strides in being a much more competent and deeper musician. More and more, I feel that Im actually saying something when I solo, not just playing licks or scales. Furthermore, my ears, my listening skills, have improved greatly, allowing me to relatively quickly figure out on the fly the chord changes and melody of a tune. Ultimately, one of Joes greatest lessons is to just embrace the slow, bumpy road of practicing music, and that through the slow and deepening awareness of the scales, chords, melodies, solos, and tunes you work on, you will come out as a true voice. As actually saying something unique, and not just being another run-of-the-mill jazz-player. You will have a sound and a voice to be remembered by.

Id been playing bass for 47 years but, in all that time, I had never actually studied privately. My ear has gotten me a lot of professional gigs over the years but I always felt there could be more. Joes patient persistence this past year has gotten me to places beyond where I ever thought I could go. Its been hard to break some old habits and rewire my musical brain, but Joes never given up on me. Hell kick your butt if you need it, but its well worth it.