Timothy Blackmon Jr.

This masterclass centers on Detroit Jazz Master Thad Jones’ legacy and contributions to jazz music. The video focused on a particular writing composition from Thad’s early career and explored aspects of the song’s melody, chord cycle, and rhythmic interpretation. It demonstrates the importance of picking apart a song and searching for small digestible fragments to help better understand how to perform the piece. 

Instructor: Timothy Blackmon Jr. — Spartan Youth Jazz Faculty

Accompanied by:
Michael Reed, drums 
Jonathon Muir-Cotton

Masterclass Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Performance of:

• Howard’s Blues by Howard McGhee
• Scratch by Thad Jones
• Cristo Redentor by Duke Pearson
• Willow Weep For Me by Ann Ronnel