Now the exams are by and I'm back looking at everyday repertoire, I've realised I need to look at some new books for my mid-range students. I've been using Piano Time Jazz 1 & 2 for pupils up to grade 2/3, but I now have a clutch of quick moving students who are eating up the jazz books like sweets! and within the next few months are going to finish the books.

One of my girls did Baroque and Roll from the Grade 4 list at the Spring session, and she's now working on other pieces from the book [can't remember its title off-hand]. There are several good tunes in it, but all by the one composer, and it shows.

Can anyone recommend any compilations of jazzy pieces from around grade 3 and up? I'm particularly looking for books with multiple composers if possible, since I've bought books before and then been disappointed in the style. [And at this time of year, with fewer pupils because of the holidays, and then the new syllabus next month, a short-list could also save money! ] One of the reasons I've enjoyed using the Piano Time ones is the variety, even if you weren't keen on a particular composer's sound, the next page could be entirely different... Makes it easier with the different characters of individual pupils too!

Any suggestions?

The Martha Mier books are good (Jazz, Rags & Blues books 1-4) Book 1 is around grade 1-2 level, etc. Book 4 is roughly grade 5-6 level. I think book 2 is around the right level. The only thing is, they're all by Martha Mier.....so not a compilation....

She's the one that did Jackson Street Blues? which was on the grade 5 list this year? I've been meaning to get some of her books anyway, but yeah, I'd still like to find a couple with a variety of people.

Microjazz series - Christopher Norton

New Orleans Jazz - William Goldock

I've found them both great

Mmm, thank you! I think I have a couple of the Christopher Norton ones I picked up somewhere... And I remember New Orleans Nightfall was William Gillock(?)

Looks like books with more than one composer must be thin on the ground though...

Possibly - I read your original post, and I could only think of single-composer books - the ones others have mentioned plus Pam Wedgwood. There must be some compilations I guess - but I couldn't think of any,

yes, I think New Orleans was William Gillock.

Hi Alder

Have a look here and scroll down to "Jazz Standard" for a list of quite a few jazz piano compilation books. Personally, I really like the Jazz Piano Solos series by Hall Leonard. There are 4 books in the series: Bebop jazz (Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, etc), Hard Bop (John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins), etc, Cool Jazz (Bill Evans, John Coltrane, etc), Latin Jazz (The Girl from Ipanema, etc). They're not cheap, at £13.95 each, but they are compilations of proper jazz Standards rather than books of original jazzy music.

For the lower grades you could try 'Really Easy Piano: Jazz' published by Wise. (about Grades 2-3 standard). It has 24 easy arrangements of jazz standards such as: All Blues (Miles Davis), Blue Monk (T Monk), Hit the Road Jack (Percy Mayfield), The Girl from Ipanema, Satin Doll (Ellington), Fly me to the moon, to name but a few! Click here for the link to musicroom.com.

Hope this helps!

Cheers

Bexr

I can recommend The Jazz Piano Master by John Kember. Excellent arrangements of a variety of songs with the intention to improve jazz techniques. It is Grade 6 level but it follows on from Kember's Progressive Jazz Studies which I have not seen.

I haven't seen this one, but I do like some of John Kember's other books.

Adds more to her list...

I'm definitely going to try and get hold of Martha Mier and William Gillock. Funny that there seems to be so little original jazzy stuff for the mid-grades....it's a pity, given how popular it is.