AboutD C DowDell Expertise D C DowDell will answer questions about Jazz improvisation, composition, chord voicing, scales and modes, practice techniques and ear training. Professor DowDell also enjoys discussions on Jazz musicology and the evolution of style.
Experience D C DowDell is a professional Jazz pianist/composer who currently teaches online Jazz studies at A Passion for Jazz!. He has been teaching music for over 25 years at 2 major universities, several community colleges as well as accepting students for private study.
As an educator, D C DowDell has published articles at the university level and recently published Basic Musicianship a primary reference text for pianists, vocalists and composers.
D C also maintains an active performance schedule, having appeared with Rosemary Clooney, Marilyn McCoo, Bobby Vinton to name just a few. Generally, D C stays in the Southern California area with Jazz ensemble or as a solo artist.
Organizations American Federation of Musicians
National Music Teachers Association
International Association of Jazz Educators
Education/Credentials Bachelors of Music Education from UCLA Masters of Music Composition from UNT
Question Hello and thank you in advance for taking the time to respond to my question. I am an advanced classically trained pianist (who currently plays piano for professional dance companies in Chicago) who would like to begin making a foray into the Jazz idiom. Do you have any suggestions as to which compositions/composers might be a good basis to start with? I'm not sure if you've heard of a jazz pianist/composer by the name of Nikolai Kapustin (discovered him on YouTube) but I REALLY like his stuff (only I'm not sure exactly what "style/category" this form of jazz would be called). Again, thank you for any suggestions you may have.
Answer Hello Tyrone and thank you for contacting me through AllExperts.com.
Congratulations on your newly found interest in America's only true art form. I would suggest listening to as many Jazz pianists as possible. You might wish to consider tuning you home/car stereo to your local Jazz station to gain a better understanding of just who you like.
Jazz spans 3 centuries with over 2 dozen distinct styles. Here a helpful link to The Jazz Timeline:
Some suggested Jazz pianists would be: Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Bill Charlap, Mulgrew Miller and Renee Rosnes however there are many, many extremely interesting and talented Jazz pianists and to list only a few would be unfair, so this is why I suggested listening to Jazz radio stations.
An free online music stream service called AccuJazz has a Jazz Piano station here:
