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Jazz Explained

Jazz Explained

Written by: The Jazz Hot Spot
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Jazz Explained is a podcast for musicians and serious listeners who want to go beyond the surface. Each episode breaks down the theory, technique, and history that shape jazz—from Coltrane changes to modern improvisation. Whether you're shedding in the practice room or just want to hear music with new ears, this is your backstage pass to understanding jazz from the inside out.The Jazz Hot Spot Music
Episodes
  • John Coltrane`s Sheets of Sound
    Feb 18 2026

    An introduction into Sheets Of Sound. The technique used by John Coltrane.The term was coined in 1958 by DownBeat magazine jazz critic Ira Gitler.

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    16 mins
  • Barry Harris - 6th Diminished Harmonic System
    Feb 9 2026

    Starting from Barry Harris: Exploring the Diminished; Barry Harris Scales of Chords we will explore his system. While David Baker focuses on the Bebop Scale, Barry Harris offers a distinct, legendary harmonic approach that is essential to the bebop sound.

    Key Concepts discussed:

    The "Genealogy" of Chords: Harris's metaphor of the Chromatic scale as "God," the Whole Tone scales as "Man and Woman," and the Diminished chords as their "babies".

    The 6th Diminished Scale: Harris's view that chords come from scales, specifically the Major 6th Diminished and Minor 6th Diminished scales.

    Borrowed Notes: How to create movement ("motion") within a chord by borrowing notes from the related diminished chord,.

    The "Family" of Dominants: How four dominant 7th chords are derived from a single diminished chord.

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    14 mins
  • Jerry Coker – The Vocabulary of the Jazz Language
    Feb 3 2026

    Key Concepts:

    The "Bebop Lick": Defining the specific melodic phrase (often 1-flat7-natural 7-1) prevalent in the era.

    Enclosure: The technique of surrounding a target note with chromatic neighbors.

    The "3 to b9" Device: A specific harmonic generalization technique used over dominant chords.◦ CESH: Explain "Contrapuntal Elaboration of Static Harmony," a method of moving a single voice within a static chord (e.g., Root to Major 7 to b7 to 6).

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    15 mins
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