International Association for Jazz Education
Reading the Changes Randall Key, President, Alabama IAJE
I hope everyone had a wonderful sum- mer and feel refreshed for a brand new
school year. One of my great passions in music is improv- isation. I thoroughly enjoy reading chord changes and relating them to songs I have played before. I enjoy the risk factor of reading chord changes and the "chance" of my solo being successful. Unfortunately I am not suc- cessful every time I play an improvised solo, but I keep trying. The best way to understand chord changes is to lis- ten and play with a professional rhythm section that has a thorough understanding of chord functions.
When I was in college on Sunday nights I would travel to Birmingham and attend the jam sessions down town. Jerry Grundhoffer, "Grundy", was a Birmingham jazz icon for years and an outstanding musician. He was in charge of the jam session and there were some rules you had to abide by. The first rule was Grundy had to invite you to play. When Grundy called you up to the microphone it was your time to play. The second rule was, do not take extended solos. Say what you have to say…. But try to say it in two choruses. The first time I played with the Grundy trio I was very insecure and nervous. We played "In A Mellow Tone" and when it came time for my solo I was in for a shock. What I noticed was the feel of the band changed into a four groove and the chords were different the second time through the chorus. I remember asking myself "Did I hear that correctly"? The musicians played substitutions, which really threw my ear for a loop. Panicking was out of the question. I listened to my con- stants, which were the drums and bass. I understood
exactly what they were doing, but that was my only secu- rity on a song, I thought I knew. I got through the solo after one chorus and sat down. Grundy loved the fact that I played one chorus and got out of the way.
After that
night he invited me to play every time. I really did not sound good on the solo and certainly did not handle the chord changes very well. Naturally the more I experi- enced the chord changes the better I handled them.
As with each year we encounter changes in curriculum, personnel, scheduling, and even procedure. We must keep in mind change is unavoidable, and many times out of our control. What we can control is how we handle change, and try to make it beneficial to our overall objectives.
One of our changes for this year is all IAJE membership will be attained online at
http://www.iaje.org. This is to insure that our members receive all due benefits. IAJE is a wonderful organization that serves educators, musicians and enthusiasts. IAJE membership is consistently grow- ing worldwide and promotes a true American art form.
All-State Jazz Band audition requirements can be found at
http://bama.ua.edu/~twolfe/ and downloaded at no cost. This will be our first year to begin the etude rotation. Many thanks to Tom Wolfe for updating our website and writing the etudes for our auditions. Tom is a true promot- er of jazz within our state and is always eager to help with our IAJE unit. Also, be sure and visit the AMEA website for information about our Association.
I hope everyone has a fabulous year! Congratulations to the Alabama 2006 Collegiate Chapter Growth Recognition Recipients:
Auburn University Auburn, Alabama Advisor: Jane Kuehne
Troy University Troy, Alabama
Advisor: John Jinright
University of Montevallo Montevallo, Alabama
Advisor: Martin Cochran
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August 2006
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