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Comments on Blues Etudes, Patterns, and More:
"John
Racina is an experienced musician who has a lot to offer in his teaching
and writing about jazz. These blues etudes and heads are heavily
steeped in the jazz tradition and offer an aspiring player a huge amount
of good vocabulary. John's book, "Blues Etudes, Patterns and
More", is filled with swinging ideas that are fun to play and tie
in nicely with the Jamey Aebersold series of play-a-long
recordings"
Dan Haerle,
Regents Professor of Music, Jazz Studies Division
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas ~~
Professor
Haerle teaches Jazz Piano, Jazz Fundamentals, Advanced Jazz
Improvisation, Jazz MIDI, Graduate Jazz Improvisation, and a Rhythm
Section Master Class at the University of North Texas. He also
supervises the Jazz Chamber Music program and directs a keyboard
ensemble called the Zebras. He is the author of seven well-known jazz
publications. Mr. Haerle has been active as clinician and guest artist
at many colleges and universities from 1968 to the present, and
continues to be involved in a number of summer jazz workshops
throughout the country. He can be heard on a number of CD's including
twenty Jamey Aebersold play-a-longs. Dan Haerle has performed with
the following well-known jazz artists: Stan Kenton, Clark Terry, Chris
Connor, Mel Torme, Al Jarreau, Pat Metheny, Dave Liebman, Woody Shaw,
Kai Winding and Freddie Hubbard.
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| "John
Racina's books are a no-nonsense approach to jazz education. I
have used them in private lessons, in classroom teaching and in
my own practice sessions. They work very well for young,
intermediate and advanced students of jazz. I recommend these
books to anyone who wants to improve their playing in the areas
of jazz improvisation and sight reading"
Mike
Vax, ~~ Yamaha Performing Artist
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Comments on Blues Riffs:
"John
Racina has presented some excellent information and musical
examples which are the result of his many years of success in the
professional music world. Each performer who utilizes this
material will undoubtedly gain much to help in future
performances. I recommend this book without
reservation."
Leon Breeden,
Professor Emeritus
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
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| "John
Racina's fast-paced book for musicians of all levels, is designed
to expedite the development of an effective blues-based jazz
performance vocabulary. I especially like the book's
versatility; it's useful as a method for progressive study, as a
jazz resource, or as a stockpile of ideas for a Saturday night
gig.
Racina knows what
really works on the bandstand, and he articulates clearly the
practical information acquired during his long career as a teacher
and professional musician. I highly recommend Blues Riffs
as a valuable course of study for both individual and class
instruction."
Neil Slater,
Director, ~ One-O'
Clock Lab Band Chair, Division of Jazz Studies University of North
Texas, Denton, Texas
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"John
Racina's Blues Riffs, provides a great introduction to the
sound of the blues and a feel for the basic 12-bar blues form for
young musicians. It is definitely a valuable teaching
tool."
Lou Marini,
(*Blue Lou* from the Blues Brothers) Studio
Musician and Clinician New York City, New York |
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| "John
Racina's Blues Riffs is a valuable resource for jazz
educators working with private students or in the classroom.
Racina has provided an exhaustive study of riffs for the basic
12-bar blues form, with accompanying theory and practice
suggestions. If you are looking for a method to help you to
increase your blues vocabulary, this is the book for you."
Matthew
Nicholl,
Professional Writing
Division Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA
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Comments on Etudes to Rhythm Changes for Treble Clef instruments:
John
Racina has compiled an impressive collection of exercises in
"Jazz Etudes To Rhythm Changes".
The book is a wonderful teaching tool for sight reading,
ear training, and jazz phrasing as well as for absorbing the
harmonic contour of "I've Got Rhythm" changes.
Clay
Jenkins,
Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet Music, Rochester, N.Y.
Clay is an outstanding jazz player and teacher who played with the
bands of Stan Kenton, Count Basie, Buddy Rich and many other
artists. |
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"John
Racina"s Jazz Etudes To Rhythm Changes is a fine addition to the
notated jazz etude book selections.
If used diligently, this etude book promises to develop
reading proficiency in the jazz style and potential for developing
key relationships regarding rhythm changes."
John Riggs,
Professor of
Saxophone, University of North Texas, Denton, TX. Mr.
Riggs, highly regarded as a musician and teacher, has performed
with Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Mancini, Tony Bennett
and the famous One O'Clock Lab Band at the University
of North Texas as their lead alto saxophonist.
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"John
Racina has put together a book of etudes that will serve as a
wonderful introduction to rhythm changes for younger players.
Students can absorb the sound of rhythm changes by playing
well constructed, flowing bebop lines.
These lines are full of melodic, swinging ideas that are
fun to play, and are also sources of good material for more
advanced musicians."
Dave
Rickenberg,
Instructor of Jazz Saxophone, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA. Dave
is active on the
New York,
national and international music scenes as a saxophonist and
woodwind specialist. He
works consistently with the jazz bands of Dave Liebman, Toshiko
Akioshi and Maria Schneider.
Formerly with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd, Dave
continues to tour with the Herd under the direction of Frank
Tiberi. He also
performed with Blood Sweat and Tears for several years.
Comments on Jazz Etudes to Rhythm Changes for Bass Clef instruments:
"I would recommend Jazz Etudes to Rhythm Changes to any trombone player who wants to improvise jazz. A careful analysis of these etudes will teach a musician how to "make the changes" when confronted with the basic Dm7-G7-C progression that makes up most popular songs of the last hundred years, and the common turnaround Em7-A7-Dm7-G7. Finally, any serious musician must be able to play in all keys, and John Racina's book, which provides etudes in all 12 major keys, will assist musicians to reach such a goal."
Tom Malone, principal arranger and trombonist with the David Letterman Late Show, has performed on close to 2,000 TV shows, more than 350 records, and more than 3,000 radio and television commercials, in addition to arranging and performing TV show theme songs and movie scores. He has recorded with the likes of Miles Davis, Steve Winwood, Lou Reed, Dave Sanborn, B.B. King, Diana Ross, Harry Connick, Jr., Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Lou Rawls, Bette Midler, Aretha Franklin, David Byrne and James Brown. He has toured with Frank Zappa, Gil Evans, Billy Cobham, the Blues Brothers Band, and Blood, Sweat and Tears. He also played lead trombone at the University of North Texas in the famous One O'clock Band.
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"John Racina's Jazz Etudes to Rhythm Changes is a musical and challenging resource for bassists. I recommend it for the study of melodic ideas to use when playing solos on one of the favorite vehicles jazzers play. With its inclusion of a variety of keys, ideas can be used on innumerable tunes that contain parts of the same chord sequences."
Lynn Seaton, Jazz bassist and Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas, can be heard on over 100 recordings including the Grammy-winner entitled Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra as well as Woody Herman's Grammy-nominated album 50th Anniversary. Lynn's biography and discography appear in the 2nd edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2002). He is also active as a clinician with the summer jazz workshops hosted by the University of North Texas and the well-known Jamey Aebersold summer jazz camps. He has toured in every state in the United States and 35 countries with the likes of Jeff Hamilton, Monty Alexander, George Shearing, Tony Bennett, among others too numerous to mention.
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