“I Figure Singing and Playing Is the Same”

Abstract

This chapter returns to the issue of the cycle of fifths progression, “My Brazilian Beauty” and tunes such as “Muskrat Ramble,” “Big Butter and Egg Man,” “Potato Head Blues,” and “Basin Street Blues” and the relationship between Armstrong’s vocal practices and his cornet playing showing the direct translation of note choices from voice to cornet.The question that this book raises is what are the implications of this research for jazz performance pedagogy? How can we develop a research informed way to learn to play jazz?