Greg Fishman, a flutist and saxophonist, is an accomplished performer and recording artist. He also teaches and teaches. He was born in Chicago in 1967 and began his professional career at the age of fourteen. Greg earned a DePaul University degree in Jazz Performance and a Masters Degree from Northwestern University in Jazz Pedagogy. He is a leading expert on Stan Getz’s music and the author of three Getz transcription books, published by Hal Leonard. His self-published books Jazz Saxophone Etudes Volumes 1 to 3, Jazz Saxophone Duets Volumes 1 and 3, Jazz Phrasing For Saxophone Volumes 1 and 3, Jazz Phrasing Jazz Saxophone Volumes 1 and 3, Jazz Phrasing Jazz Saxophone Volumes 1 and 3, Jazz Phraing for Saxophone Volumes 1 and 3, Jazz Phrasing Jazz Saxophone Volumes 1 and 3, Jazz Phrs and Tasting Harmony(tm), Bob Sheppard, James Moody, James Moody, James Moody, James Moody, and Phil Woods. Greg contributes jazz theory articles to Jazz Improv magazine JAZZed and Chicago Jazz Magazine. He was also featured on the cover for Saxophone Journal. The liner notes to the Verve reissued of The Steamer by Getz are his. Greg has toured the world with his own band and with other artists such as Slide Hampton, Lou Levy and Clark Terry, Louis Bellson and Slide Hampton, Conte Candoli and Conte Candoli. Greg and Paulinho Garcia, a Brazilian guitarist/vocalist are the co-founders of “Two for Brazil”. They have released five CDs. Greg’s discography includes jazz recordings in Japan, Singapore, and the U.S. Greg has performed at numerous clubs and concerts throughout the U.S. and also appeared at the Concord Fujitsu Jazz Festival in Japan and the NorthSea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), as well as in many concerts in Hong Kong and Singapore, China, Singapore, China, Israel, and Thailand. Greg is a teacher of jazz master classes, college workshops and is a faculty member of Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop. Greg is based near Chicago, where he performs and teaches at Greg Fishman jazz studios. Greg Fishman, a Rico artist, plays exclusively Rico reeds. Greg Fishman Jazz Studios was established in 1992 as a teaching and recording studio. My lesson plan included a “solo” or “etude” that I would often write to show how to play over chord changes. These etudes were a hit with students, who began sharing them with their friends. Within a few weeks, other saxophone teachers asked me for copies of the etudes to share with their students. My first book, Jazz Saxophone Etudes, was published in 2004. Although the original book contained twelve etudes it did not include any play-along CDs. The book was released in the first year. I received many great comments and suggestions to improve the book. Mark Colby, a saxophonist, suggested that I include play along CDs in the book. Dave Liebman suggested I include a section on suggested uses and some analysis. A play-along CD would have been problematic because the etudes must be played in their original key in order to work well on the saxophone. The music will work well for either the alto or the tenor alto, as Eb is for tenors and Bb for tenors. The transposed part will compromise the horn. The play-along book usually includes a CD with the transposed part in one key. This can cause some instruments to be out of their comfort zone. A piece of music written for the alto saxophone is transposed for the tenor saxophone. The transposition of the original parts changes all of their fingerings and places the notes in a slightly different range. Publishers will often shift solos by an octave in order to accommodate the differences in range. However, this compromises the musical integrity and the composition’s musicality. I found a solution to this problem by recording the rhythm-section accompaniment using two different keys. This approach allowed all saxophonists to read the notes exactly the way I had written them. They would also be in the correct range of the horn. It would be possible to play the pieces on the horn with the original idiomatic fingerings of the etudes. I am basically having the rhythm section change key to suit the range of the Saxophone. This is similar to how they would change keys to match a female singers vocal range. My books are unique because of this unique feature. The books are loved by saxophonists all over the globe because of the overwhelming enthusiasm they received from students, teachers, and major artists such as: Phil Woods (Plaus Johnson), Phil Woods, James Moody; Plas Johnson; Bob Sheppard; Dave Liebman; Jerry Coker; Jamey Aebersold. The books can be used in many ways depending on the player’s level. The books can be used by a beginner player to help them improve their skills and tone. The same book can be used by a more advanced player to learn about melody and variation, melodic creation, sequence use, voice-leading, and other topics. The books were created to assist saxophonists in developing a high level jazz vocabulary. from www.gregfishmanjazzstudios.com
