Does the idea of spontaneously creating your own improvised solos intimidate you? Does your stomach do backflips when it’s your turn to be in the spotlight at a jam session? Then this class is for you! Seth will take you by the hand (metaphorically — no physical contact will be made) and walk you through a variety of non-threatening techniques for beginning and intermediate swing improvisers. Topics covered will include melodic embellishment, the Blues Scale, chord simplification, modal playing, Rhythm Changes, and more. There’ll be a lot of learning and a LOT of playing in this class! All instruments welcome and both ear players and those who rely on those little black dots on paper are welcome to enroll!
Instructor Bio
Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier woodwind specialists, working with some of the best bands in jazz, swing, and more. Wowing audiences on saxophone, clarinet, and flute, Seth has made a name for himself in the Washington/Baltimore region, and beyond. He is the featured performer with The Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, Music Pilgrim Trio, The Natty Beaux, and more. He has won 28 Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies), including “”Best World Music Instrumentalist”” (2003-11) and “”Best Jazz Instrumentalist”” (2005, 2007-8, 2011-14).
He is the leader, clarinetist, and composer for The (Alexandria) Kleztet, a genre-bending klezmer band he founded in the Baltimore/Washington area. The band’s four albums, Peace, Love and Coffee (2009), Close Enough for Klezmer (2005), Delusions of Klezmer (2002) and Y2Klezmer (1999) are all available nationwide. All four recordings received the Washington Area Music Association’s (WAMA) award for Best World Music Recording following their release. Additionally, Seth was named “”Best World Music Instrumentalist”” by WAMA every year from 2003 through 2011. In 2012, he was bestowed the honor of “”Emeritus”” status in this category. In 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2011-14 he was also named “”Best Jazz Instrumentalist.”” In 2017, his song “”New Waltz”” took home the Grand Prize in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, sponsored by the Songwriter’s Association of Washington (SAW).
In addition to his activities with The Kleztet, Seth has fronted a variety of swing and jazz groups, including Bay Jazz Project. In 2002, he was commissioned to write, perform, and record an original score for Dreams in the Golden Country, an original theatrical production at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In January 2004, Seth released his first jazz CD, Nuts and Bolts. His second solo album, The Great Pretender, was a blues/jazz project released in July 2007 on the Azalea City Recordings record label. His third solo record, Phonin’ It In with Seth Kibel and Bay Jazz Project, is a straight-ahead acoustic jazz record released on Azalea City Recordings in July 2011. In April 2014, he released a “”Jazz for Kids”” album, Jazz For People Who Are Shorter Than Me,”” which was named “”Best Children’s Music Recording”” for 2014 by the Washington Area Music Association.
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