Jazz piano students spend most of their time practicing improvisation. However, in a performance situation, between 80 and 90% of the time, the jazz pianist is responsible for accompanying melodies and solos. ...

Guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson has recently made a name for herself as a bastion of musical innovation within the scope of free improvised music through her highly eclectic and progressive musical output. This output ...

This dissertation discusses the lineage of liturgical jazz with a particular focus on Edgar Eugene “Ed” Summerlin (1928-2006). This lineage stretches back into the late 1950s, but has largely been unexplored beyond a select ...

This project documents Pat Metheny's unique ideas in improvisations from his jazz guitar trio performances. Even though Metheny went on to create other projects, he continues to return to the trio format for a total of ...