Introduction:

For most jazz performers, they began with a love for the music and the style. Listening to the standards, they were probably drawn in by the great melodic lines and subtle harmonies we hear in our favorite music – from Louis Armstrong to John Coltrane and Miles Davis to more contemporary artists such as Brad Mehldau and Denny Zeitlin.

However, if you are familiar with jazz, whether from a performance or even a listener’s perspective, it is the solo that really catches people’s attention. The art of taking existing or borrowed melodies, chord structures, and rhythms and putting them all together in your own words – that is your own statement – is what we know about jazz improvisation. And it is more often than not the improvisation that people associate with jazz music.

For the listener it is great – the time when the artist shows the crowd his unique creative abilities and technical styles. For the performer on the other hand, especially the novice or intermediate player, the solo can be quite a daunting task. How am I going to create my own melody and manage to stay within the chord changes? How can I make it sound like I really know what I am doing? How do I master the technical aspect and impress people?

If, however, you ask any great jazz musician these questions about improvisation, you will find that they are not looking for a showy, technical masterpiece that wows the crowd (and intimidates other musicians). They often see the solo as an opportunity to say something – really as an extension of verbal communication. It does not have to be highly flashy and technical; rather it should communicate something – a message, a feeling or emotion. In fact, most would say that one could have the greatest technical abilities (having mastered all scales and chord progressions), but if they were not trying to say something, it would be empty.

Be A Storyteller:

Improvisation in jazz can be seen much in the same way a storyteller is seen. While it is their job to communicate a message or feeling to the listener or reader, the storytelling does not take place alone – that is it does not end with something the storyteller has said. The interest comes not out of a one-way communication from orator to the crowd, but stems mainly from a conversation in which the crowd can also participate. I do not necessarily mean that the crowd will get up and tell part of the story; rather their reactions and questions to that message, for example, are critical components. In this thinking, it is a good idea to see this storytelling as a sharing process.

The musician also takes on this role, giving to the audience what it is they are feeling or trying to say. A good story will reel the audience in, make them listen to the music, and react. An example of this reaction is the audience’s expectations for the lines to follow. “Based on this line, the next one will include a faster run, a retreat to a more quiet dynamic, or even an explosive chord that ends the line.” With this in mind, the musician is leading them on a journey in which they are interacting. The musician may want to reveal what the crowd is waiting for (like a happy ending), or switch gears and show them something different (like a plot twist).

Embrace Your Own Unique Signature:

This sharing is a dynamic between the performer (in this case a musician) and the audience. Within the story, the musician is not only conveying a story through messages and emotions. They are also putting their own twist on the story. That is to say, the solo is their own signature. Just as a storyteller has their own style or nuance to the way in which they communicate, the musician divulges a little bit about themselves. What does the musician bring to the table? This could be a unique approach to rhythm, dynamics, and even pacing (right to the point development or round-about paths).

One technique, often underestimated and ignored by the novice performer, is the focus on the pause. During this silence, there isn’t any music to hear, but that does not necessarily mean that it is void of importance or impact on the rest of the solo. In fact, this silence is a great way to break up the statements before and after, to cue transitions, or even to catch the audience off guard by suspending or delaying the expected outcome. The role the pause plays can be equated to an almost suspenseful feeling in a scary movie, or to an unresolved ending of a chapter in a book. This is a great technique for storytelling and should be utilized in improvisation.

Be Spontaneous:

Another tip for improvisation is to be able to adapt within the solo. While typical soloists are essentially displaying a microcosm of their acquired knowledge and abilities through one story, they are not engaged in a dynamic that invites reaction and response. If one was to simply take snippets of rehearsed solos they have practiced over 20 years, put them together in one solo, they would just be regurgitating what they have already expressed. Not only is this boring for the musician, but it is evident for the listener. There is a lack of development, lack of theme, and maybe even an overall confusion as to the direction of the solo. If you have ever had to tell the same story more than twice, you know what I mean. It becomes rehearsed and stagnant.

However, if you would think of a different way or approach to tell the story, you are engaging not only yourself but the audience as well. You are not regurgitating or repeating, you are communicating in real time, altering your intensity or even changing your pacing of the story. As you are now more engaged and committed to a creative way to tell the story, the audience will pick up on this and go along with your adventure.

Spontaneity is not only important for storytelling, it will also allow you to adapt should something unexpected happen. You can rehearse over and over again, but what happens when (for example) a string on a guitar breaks or you miss the key note(s) that lead to your next phrase. Being able to adapt will allow the musician to change gears and take another path – even if it is not where they intended to go. There is no such thing as a “wrong” solo, just go with it and see what develops.

“Only by harrowingly traversing that bridge between conscious
and unconscious can the jazz artist succeed in revealing a new
story with each telling. In the art of jazz, the truly improvised
solo remains the ideal. It is a unique story, a kind of spontaneous
interior monologue shared with the listener. It is effectually a
work in progress, a single entry in an ongoing diary of discovery.”
- Robert Washut (Jazz Educators Journal)

Conclusion:

Most great jazz musicians do, in fact, have a highly developed arsenal of technical ability when it comes to note-for-note and chord-for-chord. Many use this ability in their solos as well. It is important, however, to realize that improvisation is not necessarily this ability to awe and impress. Working on your technical approach to jazz will no doubt help, but it should be seen as a tool – a vehicle to get you where you want to go.

Storytelling, the platform on which a solo is based and the framework for the performers motivation, is essential for a good solo and allows for the intercommunication and sharing mentioned in this article. It is not dispensable and cannot be replaced by technical abilities; rather it is the glue of the solo and should be considered the primary characteristic of improvisation.

“Like the story, the improvised jazz solo can be appreciated on many
levels. Because of our natural fascination with pyrotechnical display,
we tend to marvel at the technical virtuosity of a soloist in much the
same way that we share in awe at a spectacular show of fireworks.
Nonetheless where we may be dazzled by display, we are touched
forever by the magic of the story.”
- Robert Washut (Jazz Educators Journal)

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