Roger Edison Jazz Rhythm Guitar - Help

**patted** · 08-29-2009, 05:47 AM

Using this forum and site, and a few books, I have been learning to play jazz guitar since April.

One of the books I am using is Jazz Rhythm Guitar - A Systematic Approach To Chord Progressions by Roger Edison. Every now and again he has a page which he refers to as "a chord progression to a famous jazz standard" and it's driving me nuts that I don't know what they are. I suspect that he does not name the "standard" for copyright reasons, but I really would appreciate it someone could tell me what they are.

**FatJeff** · 08-29-2009, 10:46 AM

Could you post the actual chord progression here? I bet we could identify it.

**patted** · 08-29-2009, 12:21 PM

Thanks FatJeff, Why didn't I think of that?

**monk** · 08-29-2009, 06:23 PM

1. Rhythm Changes in G
2. Making Whoopee
3. Whispering
4. Sweet Georgia Brown
5. Sweet Georgia Brown (Embellished)
6. Gone With The Wind
7. All The Things You Are

Regards,
monk

**patted** · 08-30-2009, 03:28 PM

Your answer has saved me going over and over these progressions trying to make sense of them. I got to the stage of not being able to see the wood for the trees - don't know how I missed "changes"; and I had my suspicions about All The Things You Are but convinced myself that I was wrong.

Thanks again
Dave

**monk** · 08-30-2009, 07:37 PM

Dave,
You're welcome. I'm glad to be able to help.
Regards,
monk

**manu68** · 10-19-2009, 07:45 AM

I like this book. Seems to be very interesting for me.

I have found a .pdf copy on the web. Very nice to discover the content. But now, I really would like to buy it.

I don't find it to sell. Who could it be ordered ?

Thanks

**FatJeff** · 10-19-2009, 08:54 AM

Well, at lest one unscrupulous a$$hole is selling it used on Amazon, but he wants $166.30!!

**manu68** · 10-19-2009, 08:58 AM

I mean , ready to buy at "normal" price

The book is not so big, should be 10-20 $ I think, if I compare with other books I own (mickey baker method is 8$ for example).

It seems to be out of print, who knows.

**patted** · 10-19-2009, 08:58 AM

I tried to buy a copy too, after downloading the pdf version, but could not find one - sad that the author is not getting the income from it. I find that it compliments Mickey Baker book 1, and in many ways is an improvement on it.

**manu68** · 10-19-2009, 09:32 AM

exactly.

Mickey baker doesn't explain very well the ii-V-I ans so on.
This one seems to be also a comprehensive book for beginners like me

**CrackerJackLee** · 04-25-2010, 08:57 PM

i have a 1978 edition (Alfred Publishing 64 pages)... found them at a flea market... there's two separate books: Rhythm Guitar and Lead Guitar... the chords are beautiful... they are a set of 60 chords, but Roger Edison has selected them because their voicings, inversions and substitutions work so well together... i feel that after playing the many examples, that i have learned 90% of what one would need to know as a professional jazz, pop and blues guitarist... but also a well programmed book for beginners... does anyone know of the author? Cheers!

**Stylemaster** · 09-15-2010, 10:09 AM

I'm lucky - I've had this book for years. I hope I finally get myself to start using it and the Mickey Baker book. I can't afford jazz lessons and I've always wanted to learn.

**fm42** · 01-09-2012, 12:16 PM

I actually have 2 copies of it.
If you still want it I could send you a copy...

**nakim55** · 05-08-2014, 10:09 PM

I have the old Alfred edition. I loaned it to a friend years ago, and his wife (witch), threw it at him and ripped the top of the pages out of the back, can anyone send me a pdf to nakim55@yahoo.com of pages 50 & 51 (progression # 5) and the chord chart pages (60,61 & 62). I sure would appreciate it. As a side note, my friends wife sold his 1950's Gibson byrdland (in pristine /mint condition) for $800.00 while he was in jail for a dui 10 years ago, she was wicked.

**nakim55** · 05-08-2014, 10:41 PM

Never mind, found it on the internet

**mpleach** · 06-08-2014, 05:45 AM

Hi, Thanks for the useful thread. I've been using this book for years and am always coming back to it. It has been the one book that has consistently useful voicings that sound good on the guitar and are possible to play without difficult barres. As with the original post I've always wondered what the songs he uses for his progression examples were (apart from the final one of course) and I've very grateful to monk for working it out. However, he does not give a name for what Edison has as 'Jazz Progression No. 5' (pages 50–51 in the book) the one beginning with EbM7. (I've just realised that this is because it's not in the pdf that was sent to him!) I've checked through all the other suggestions with Grigson's Jazz Chord Book and can see that they're correct, but No. 5 (given in the list above as the embellished version of No. 4) is still eluding me. To my ear, Edison's voice-leading 'embellished' version is the most beautiful progression in the book. Does anyone know what it's based on? It starts of almost sounding like Charlie Haden's 'Silence' but it isn't that.

Thanks.

**MarkRhodes** · 06-08-2014, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by monk

1. Rhythm Changes in G
2. Making Whoopee
3. Whispering
4. Sweet Georgia Brown
5. Sweet Georgia Brown (Embellished)
6. Gone With The Wind
7. All The Things You Are

Regards,
monk

Thanks for that, Monk. I'm late to this party but can see this is a useful book. Great to know which tunes these progressions fit.

**monk** · 06-08-2014, 11:33 AM

To all,

The revival of this thread and a PM from mpleach has led me to a what-the-hell-was-I-thinking moment. I just dug out my copy of of Edison's book and reassessed the chord progression to Number 5. I have no idea how, five years ago, I saw and heard that as a highly embellished version of Sweet Georgia Brown. At this moment I'm not certain what this chord progression represents.

At the time this book was written, Mr. Edison was living in the Chicago area and had been playing rhythm guitar for Kenneth "Jethro" Burns after the death of Jethro's lifelong musical partner, Henry "Homer" Haynes. That these progressions represent well-known pop standards I am certain. However, at this point I am stumped as to the origin of this progression. There is a similarity to My Old Flame in the verse but the bridge doesn't seem to match. If anyone else on the forum has a copy of the book and knows this progression, please chime in. In the meantime, I'll keep playing it and hope it will reveal itself.

Regards,
Jerome

**mpleach** · 06-09-2014, 06:07 AM

Dear Jerome,

As I said privately, I don't think you made any mistake. The original poster did not include that progression in his pdf, so numerically, you were counting and naming correctly!

I'm glad it's not just me who can't place the actual No.5. I don't think it's My Old Flame as all the others you identified are in the same keys in Grigson's Jazz Chord Book, and My Old Flame is in G in that book, not Eb (and doesn't look like Edison's 'vanilla' progression).

Anyway, I'm glad the thread has woken up again and I was very interested to learn a bit more about Edison.

Many thanks

Regards,

Martin

**mpleach** · 06-10-2014, 07:18 PM

Is it perhaps 'Just You, Just Me'?

bw

Martin

**MarkRhodes** · 06-10-2014, 09:41 PM

Here's one version of "Just You, Just Me." I've often heard this song mentioned but rarely heard it played.

**monk** · 06-10-2014, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by mpleach

Is it perhaps 'Just You, Just Me'?

bw

Martin

I believe we have a winner. Good work, Martin.

**MarkRhodes** · 06-11-2014, 09:01 AM

So this gives us the following Revised Standard Version of Monk's previous list of tunes that suit the progressions in Roger Edison's book on jazz rhythm guitar:

1. Rhythm Changes in G
2. Making Whoopee
3. Whispering
4. Sweet Georgia Brown
5. Just You, Just Me
6. Gone With The Wind
7. All The Things You Are

**Vladan** · 06-11-2014, 05:11 PM

Oh man, what a flash!!!

At this very moment I have in my hands Jazz Solo Guitar by Roger Edson, in Serbian translation, printed 1988,
pretty bad print, looks like a photocopy on a cheap pulp paper ... Don't know really when I bought it, but it was just about the time of print.
Couple of times I kind of started working with it, but never systematicaly, and not much really. Honestly, could not find much use of it, but, at those times when I tried to use it, I was not after Jazz at all. I'm not totally after Jazz today, either, but am more willing to try out Jazz stuff, so maybe it's the time to wipe the dust ...
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Guess what, at the moment I have in my hands Jazz Rhythm Guitar (Learn To Play The Alfred Way), Alfred publishing 1978 which friend of mine landed me couple of years ago, because he claimed he doesn't need it any more, as he have learnt everything there is (in that book, and some more).
I rushed through it once, learned quite a lot at instant, and got impression it was a very usefull thing, with all the neat little tricks, clichees, rules, guide lines and so on, to make your life easy on comping and chord playing. Not as easy as my own style, I'm to lazy to skip strings in my grips and such, but I get an idea, every now and then, I should give it a real and thorough read through.
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You know, fact is, This is the first time, at least that I can remember of, hearing someone mention these books. Actually, not being mentioned made me believe they were not too good, especially the solo one. I will a good look at both. It has to be done now. This must be a sign of a kind. Thread started in 2009, resurected couple of times, I see it for the first time, ...

Anyway, thank you for bringing me back in 1988!