Book includes teacher's answer key; discs contain recorded examples for ear training.

Book 1. Basic elements (melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, form) -- Swing feel & swing eighth notes -- Swing groove -- Jazz melody & improvisation--syncopation, bebop style -- Jazz melody & improvisation--lick, line and melodic soloing -- Major triad, major scale, consonance -- Major seventh chords, chord changes -- Tonic function, scalar melody, passing & neighboring tones -- Dissonant 4th and resolution -- Subdominant major seventh chords -- Voice leading tonic & subdominant major seventh chords -- Modes, Lydian scale -- Hierarchy of 3rds and 7ths -- Major 9th chords -- Major 6/9 chords -- Major pentatonic scale -- Jazz language--grace notes, scoops & turns -- Dominant 7th and 9th chords -- Dominant function -- Resolution of V⁷ chords, tendency tones and tritone -- V⁷-IMaj⁷ common tones and voice leading -- Dominant scale (Mixolydian), bebop dominant scale -- "Bluesy" dominant chords -- Blue notes -- 12-bar blues progression, blues scale.

Book 2. Counterpoint--bass and melody -- Walking bass lines -- Walking bass lines in the circle of fifths, two-note voicings -- Comping & comp rhythms, voice leading -- Brazilian bass lines & comping patterns -- Minor 7th and 9th chords & inversions -- Supertonic function--iimi⁷ and iimi⁹ chords -- Resolution of iim⁷ to V⁷ -- The ii-V-I turnaround progression -- Jazz language--combined scale/arpeggio & "the ii-V lick" -- Jazz language--triplet arpeggio & "the bebop dominant lick" -- Dominant 13th chords & ii-V-I voicings -- Passing minor major 7th chord & progression -- Tonicisation of the IV chord -- The ii-V turnaround to IV -- Melody for the turnaround to IV -- II dominant seventh chords -- II⁹ chords, Lydian dominant scale, I augmented chord extension -- Diminished 7th chords & diminished scales -- The vii diminished 7th chord, #iv diminished 7th chord, diminished 7th melody -- The turnback progression & the VI⁷ chord -- AABA standard song form--"Take the A train" progression -- Jazz language--chromatic leading & passing tones, bebop scales -- Jazz language--auxiliary "enclosure" tones -- The jazz blues progression, finding the chromatics.

Book 3. Jazz language--melodic soloing & melodic sequence -- Afro-Cuban jazz: clave & tumbau -- Afro-Cuban jazz: Cascara & Montuno -- Drop-two voicings -- Minor 11th chords & sus. chords -- Minor tonic chord, jazz minor scale -- Minor ii-V turnaround, half-diminished chord & V⁷(♭⁹) chord -- Resolutions and voice leading -- Jazz language--scales for the half-diminished chord -- Jazz language--harmonic-minor scale & lick for V⁷(♭⁹) -- Turnaround to iv in minor keys -- Minor turnback, VI⁷-V⁷(♭⁹)-i cadence -- Blues scale in minor keys, minor pentatonic & pentatonic/blues scales -- Turnarounds to III, VI and VII in minor keys -- Minor 12-bar blues progression -- Minor turnarounds in major keys--to ii and vi -- Minor turnaround in major keys--to iii, deceptive cadence (backdoor cadence) -- Altered Dominant chords -- Jazz language--diminished scale for dominant chords & altered dominant cell -- Jazz language--altered dominant lick and scale -- Step-down progression -- IV-I (plagal) progressions, backdoor progressions -- I-VI progressions -- ABAC standard song form -- Slash chords.

Performers on CDs: Peter DeSiena, Michael Stever, trumpet ; Robby Marshall, Nolan "Scott" Jeppeson, tenor saxophone ; Shelly Berg, piano ; Harish Raghavan, Gabriel Noel, Erik Kertes, bass ; Matthew Slocum, drums.

Recorded at the Blue Room and Private Island Trax, Hollywood, California.