Below is the press release for my new book, Bach Shapes, out May 25.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BACH SHAPES, A NEW SAXOPHONE BOOK THAT COMBINES BAROQUE MELODIES WITH A JAZZ APPROACH, RELEASES MAY 25.
May 12, 2017 New York, NY – Bach Shapes, a new method book for saxophone that utilizes baroque melodies for interval practice and jazz improvisation, will be released worldwide on May 25, 2017. The book was written by Jon De Lucia, designed by Chrissy Kurpeski, and published by Musaeum Clausum Press.
“My idea was to distill some of the iconic scale sequences in Bach’s music into patterns that one could work through all keys, and possible apply to improvisation, though the book is useful for musicians of all styles of music,” says author of Bach Shapes, Brooklyn-based saxophonist Jon De Lucia. “The etudes in the back are written over standard jazz changes to see how one could use the ‘Shapes’ that way if desired.”
Numerous arrangements of Bach’s music are currently available for saxophone and other woodwinds, but this is the first to work with this material in this manner. The foreword to the book mentions the long history of integrating jazz with Bach’s music. Jazz luminaries John Lewis, Dave Brubeck and Jacques Loussier have all released albums of Bach’s music or other fugue inspired material. De Lucia’s project, the Luce Trio, performs baroque repertoire combined with jazz improvisation on their debut release, Pieces, Vol. 1, and appeared live at the Greene Space in Tribeca as part of WQXR’s Bach 360 Festival in 2013.
The book features a repository of Bach’s more well known sequences, taken from the Violin Partitas, Flute Sonatas, Inventions, and Cello Suites. Large interval leaps, often very difficult on the saxophone, are emphasized and the introductory material explains different ways to practice this. The patterns are then organized in order of difficulty and transposed to all keys, followed by 4 etudes. While it is an especially good workout for all saxophones, the book could be practiced on any instrument, and the author finds it very useful for flute and clarinet as well.
“The book is only the beginning. I will be recording audio and video materials to supplement the book, explaining various ways to practice the material,” continues De Lucia. “I also hope to have an etude writing contest, and to continue collecting ‘shapes’ for a Volume 2. For now, I hope that this will be the kind of book people will leave out on their stand so they can flip open a page and find a challenge to work through for a few minutes a day.”
Bach Shapes has already been praised by broadway and jazz musicians in New York City, including Andrew Sterman, Sam Sadigursky, Walt Weiskopf, and Dmitry Baevsky along with woodwind faculty at Berklee College of Music, City College of New York, and New England Conservatory.
The book is officially out on May 25th, 2017 with pre-orders being taken at bachshapes.com, while it will also be available on amazon.com and at Jamey Aebersold’s online store, jazzbooks.com. Blog updates regarding the book will be regularly posted at www.jondelucia.com/blog. De Lucia’s Saxophone Octet will perform a baroque-themed concert on May 29th at Sir D’s Lounge in Brooklyn and November 12th at St. John’s Lutheran in Greenwich Village to celebrate the release of the book. More information at www.jondelucia.com.
Bach Shapes
by Jon De Lucia
Release Date: May 25, 2017
Imprint: Musaeum Clausum Press
Soft Cover, Perfect Bound
Pages: 76
Retail Price: $18.95
ISBN: 978-0-692-84477-9
Press Contact: Jon De Lucia, 617-283-5279, jondelucia@gmail.com
About the Author
Jon De Lucia is a woodwind performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He has released three albums as a leader, most recently As The River Sings on Fresh Sound New Talent in 2017. He holds an MA in Jazz Studies from the City College of New York and has studied with Lee Konitz, Andrew Sterman, Bill Pierce, George Garzone, Greg Osby, Joe Lovano and many more. His interest in the music of the baroque led to the forming of the Luce Trio, a new take on early music for saxophone, electric guitar and bass. This group has performed on WQXR’s Bach 360 and released Pieces, Vol. 1 on Musaeum Clausum Recordings. He can be found regularly performing in the NYC area with such musicians as Bill Crow, Michael Kanan, Putter Smith, Billy Mintz, Chris Tordini and more.
Ruud –
Great book! Good
For technique, but mainly very good for inspiration. Beautiful lines!
Michael Robbins –
Wonderful book! I am an upright bassist, and one aspect of this book that I’ve really enjoyed, is that, once I’ve gotten an exercise under my fingers and can play it fluently I get a very similar gratifying feeling as when I play through a cello suite. Very musical, and I highly recommend it!