Just Purchased this qPress Jazz Method by Robert “Boysie” Lowery. I had seen it several times and decided to get the digital and print version. It is written (Transcribed from interviews) by Gerald Chavis who was a student of Lowery’s. Lowery wanted to leave a personal legacy of his teachings that he shared with Clifford Brown who was a student of Lowery. The book is set up in a very logical fashion and establishes Rhythmic consistency, Scale / Key center, The “Magic 6 Notes” (not the Caruso ones) C A F D E G C and and their corresponding chords. Learning these intervals in every key, to establish the SOUND in your head. he then outlines Active Notes (single chromatic approach notes) Double active Notes (Double chromatic approach notes), and “The Classes” which are Exercises extrapolated from these technical intervallic patterns. In my humble opinion, it is a very good look into the method by which Lowery used to allow his students to hear, respond and understand what it was they were reading, playing, and assimilating under their fingers and more importantly into their improvisational ear. In the book Mr. Lowery says it is one thing to be able to mimic what one hears, but a whole different experience when you can fully understand how the theory works and SOUNDS like, so it can be confidently absorbed into one’s own playing. The exercises are not transposed into every key, but this is actually an incentive to be able to use your OWN EARS to transpose and memorize each tonal center, thus making you learn the pattern and hear it in ALL Keys. There is also an excellent “Teacher’s Guide” to teaching students, how to motivate them and Biographical material about Lowery, that Chavis transcribed from his recorded interviews. Great Book overall. I was introduced to Some of Lowery’s approach note concepts back when I was a student in Boston, studying at the Berklee College of Music via Theory improv lessons I had taken with a faculty guitarist who had studied with the great Pianist, Charlie Banacos.
