Play Like the Greats: Jazz Concert Etudes in the Styles of the Great Jazz Trumpet Innovators by Bryce Call is appropriate for high school through professional trumpet players.

These etudes were designed as a way for you to develop and perform in the styles of the great jazz trumpet innovators, even if you don’t have much jazz experience. Each etude is based on musical passages as improvised by players like Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and others, and includes instructions for interpretation. Each etude was written not only to teach a specific style, but also to emphasize and bring awareness to how these players broadened the possibilities of the trumpet and impacted the way we now approach the instrument, regardless of what genre we play.

Click here to watch the author play the etudes.

"Bryce Call has produced a truly remarkable pedagogical tool with his modestly titled Play Like the Greats. He demonstrates a rare gift for analyzing the techniques and stylistic details of the early jazz trumpet pantheon, from King Oliver  to Miles, and including some oft-neglected figures like Bubber Miley and Rex Stewart. Furthermore, he walks the walk: his demonstration videos for each etude are dead-ringer impressions of the figures he's studying. He plays with great flair and fluidity, and with time and feel that would be the envy of most drummers. I can't recommend this book highly enough, and you won't want to miss out on the demonstration videos either!" - Rex Richardson, Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University

"Bryce Call has created a fresh take on jazz studies with his new book, 'Play Like the Greats.' His research of jazz recordings and his personal skills as a trumpet artist have resulted in a wonderful and fun set of jazz etudes. The etudes are generously packed with guidance on how to practice and perform characteristic jazz inflections and techniques. 'Play Like the Greats' is a fantastic resource with which to develop myriad jazz performance skills. Listening to and emulating the great jazz artists of history will bring Bryce Call's book to life! 'Play Like the Greats' will help bring your jazz trumpet playing to a new level." - Allen Vizzutti, International Trumpet Soloist; Recording Artist; Composer; Music Educator

“These etudes are FUN, and I feel better at trumpet after spending even a little bit of time on them. Any player—jazz or (especially) classical—who is looking to become more fluent in the language of jazz trumpet now has an invaluable guide. If you’ve yet to start your jazz journey, this is for you; if you’re well on your way, this is for you; even if you think you’re an expert (and maybe you are!), there’s tons in here for you. It is must-have-must-play material and fills a longstanding hole in the trumpeter’s stack of resources. My jazz voice is simply stronger, more competent, and more confident for having known this book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.” - Joel Baroody, Principal Trumpet, U.S. Coast Guard Band

“A well-thought-out book that addresses the 'how-to' of style and technique, this multi-faceted set of etudes is a practice session addition and not just a transcription book. Great for all people wanting to learn the language of these and all that encompasses a route to success!” - Vince DiMartino, Professor Emeritus at Centre College; International Trumpet Soloist

"With his former position in the U. S. Coast Guard Band, Bryce Call has the distinction of being one of the few professional players to have made an equally divided living between both the classical and the jazz worlds. With this unique perspective, his 'Play Like the Greats' brings a much needed volume to our profession, as the etudes dive deep into the nuances of Louis Armstrong and his contemporaries. While it won't teach you to truly play jazz, you might actually sound like you know what you're doing at a Pops show, and that's a gift we can all take to the bank!" - Phil Snedecor, Professor of Trumpet, The Hartt School; Author; Artistic Director, The Washington Symphonic Brass

"I believe Dr. Call’s etude book, 'Play Like the Greats,' is extraordinary. Each etude is well thought out and well written, and the musical instructions for articulation and style are articulate and very helpful. If this book had been available fifty years ago, when I was performing and teaching, I believe it would have given me the confidence to branch out and expand my comfort zone and become more than a one-dimensional trumpet player. I would certainly have used it and recommended it to my students." - Roger Stoner, former member, U. S. Marine Band; Professor Emeritus, University of Kansas

57 pages, spiral bound to lay flat on the music stand

Click here to learn more about the author.

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