This post begins my series featuring the music of composer Jerome Kern (1885-1945). Kern’s career spanned four decades and included a catalog of more than 700 songs, used in better than 100 musicals and films. Perhaps due in part to his musical training at the New York College of Music and then in Heidelberg, Germany, Kern’s music included some important stylistic innovations, including his use of jazz chord progressions, dance rhythms and syncopation. Needless to say, these are the very qualities that have attracted jazz musicians to his music since the beginning. You’ll be amazed to discover, as was I, that despite the fact that so many of Kern’s tunes have become standards in the American Popular Songbook, he despised jazz arrangements of his songs.
You’ve probably noticed that I often comment about how much I continue to learn both as a piano teacher and in conjunction with writing these blog posts. Capturing my thoughts about, and recording my solo piano rendition of All the Things You Are to share with you today, has been no exception to this process of musical growth. Whether your creative process involves photography, landscape design, writing poetry, gourmet cooking or playing the piano, you’ll notice how much enthusiasm, excitement and energy you have as a result of investing your time in your avocation. Why Jerome Kern disliked having musicians embrace and personalize his songs is beyond me. I certainly never gave it a thought when I featured I’m Old Fashioned in a former blog post.
Nevertheless, for as long as I can remember, All the Things You Are was considered one of the most popular and important standards for the aspiring jazz musician to learn. Over the years, I’ve heard it played and performed it myself in a variety of musical styles. For some reason, this time I was spontaneously drawn to treat it as a jazz waltz. You may find it helpful to revisit last year’s jazz waltz blog post series if you want a bit of background on the subject. Anyway, little did I know that between the time I did the recording of All the Things You Are and the writing of this article, I would experience a wonderful breakthrough in my efforts to help my piano students learn how to play a jazz waltz.
About two weeks ago, while I was giving a piano lesson to one of my adult students at the Hudson Piano Studio, I was struggling to figure out how to help to him go from playing his jazz waltz pieces with chordal accompaniment to the more professional sounding 10th system in the left hand part. In order to help you understand what I mean, I have included a few measures of All the Things You Are with chordal accompaniment employing the jazz waltz rhythm.
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One thing that keeps me passionate about teaching piano, even after 32 years, is my desire to discover definite methods for communicating musical concepts in the clearest and most effective manner to my students.
And so here I was, giving a lesson to an intelligent and disciplined adult pianist and all of a sudden, as Chef Emeril LaGasse would say “BAM!” it hit me. In that very moment, I knew exactly how to create a jazz waltz accompaniment using the 10th system. I have been searching for this seemingly simple solution for students for more than a decade. You can see how you can enrich your own keyboard playing of All the Things You Are in the jazz waltz style using the 10th system:
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Needless to say, I began showing this technique to other students as well. Just the other day at the Natick Piano Studio, another pianist benefitted from this breakthrough as we used it to enhance I Feel Pretty from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.
During the coming weeks, we’ll get to know more of Jerome Kern’s music. Although I can’t promise you that each of the next eleven selections will deliver such delightful discoveries, but I can tell you that Kern’s contribution to the American Popular Songbook repertoire will enrich your musical lives in one way or another.
Just a reminder, my wonderful website consultant and long-time musical collaborator, David Summer, and I have made a decision regarding the schedule of these blog posts. You can now look forward to seeing a new post every other Tuesday. So on Tuesday, June 22nd, on the first day of summer, our scheduled selection will be Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.
Speaking of summer, as you finalize your plans for traveling, family visits, vacations, summer camp, concert going and even educational activities, remember that the Ed Mascari Piano Studio’s unique 2010 Summer Piano Lesson program can keep you connected with your piano keyboard as well. Rather than returning to lessons in the fall and spending the entire month of September refreshing your knowledge and skills, you can get the best of both worlds. You’ll be able to select the number, times and dates of your lesson appointments during July and August.
So whether you are an adult beginner, the parent of a high school student who wants to make a change of piano teachers, an adult piano student who wants to return to taking piano lessons after a long hiatus or the parent of a child who just got her first keyboard, taking piano lessons at one of the Ed Mascari Piano Studio’s two convenient locations Natick MA Piano Studio and Hudson MA Piano Studio is the best way to for you to get started.
Contact us today to find out all about taking piano lessons at the Ed Mascari Piano Studio. Our piano instructors are always delighted to help you learn to play the music you love!
