35 Jazz Arrangements for Solo Piano

A collection of 35 popular jazz standard arrangements for solo piano. Each arrangement is introduced with a short introduction, providing brief technical and theoretical guidance for how the piece should be considered and performed. These arrangements are of varying difficulty levels and well suited for solo performance, auditioning, and study. They explore a variety of jazz piano performance techniques and playing styles.

“Dick Odgren’s book is exactly what I wished for when I was playing piano in high school, trying to figure out how to play jazz standards. I struggled with outdated sheet music with only limited harmony information, let alone no idea about how to create nice voicings and interpretation. I had no idea how to get from a basic lead sheet to a performance-ready rendition of the songs I wanted so much to play. This book will be a godsend for so many players who are figuring things out on their own or even while studying with a teacher. For any aspiring jazz pianist, Dick’s book is the real deal.”

—Gary Burton, Multi GRAMMY-Award Winning Musician

“Masterfully crafted jazz arrangements of tunes from the Great American Songbook, and more. Mr. Odgren’s decades of experience as a performer and educator shine through here with vibrant clarity and harmonic logic. The musicality, accessible notation, and the conveyance of the harmonic concepts utilized, especially in the voicings and movement of the inner voices, stand out strongly among similar works. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in jazz arrangements of contemporary songs. It will have a prominent place in the Berklee Piano Department library for faculty and student use.”

—Dave Limina, Chair of the Piano Department, Berklee College of Music

“As a college student, I was introduced to the concept of orchestrating for the vibes and the piano of the vast harmonic vocabulary found in the Great American songbook and in contemporary jazz. Dick Odgren’s book captures the elegance and beauty of the style applied to the piano with these tunes; this is the ‘meat and potatoes!’ This wonderful collection of relevant songs is very tastefully arranged for anyone wanting to expand their repertoire, understand harmonic clarity, and play for pure enjoyment. Additionally, analyzing the chord structure, orchestration of the melody, and movement of the accompaniment, provides the student with a deeper understanding of the genre.

“When I shared the arrangements with my wife, Maria Jesus Elena Blas, a highly respected classical pianist and teacher at a Valencia Conservatory in Spain, she exclaimed, “Es perfecto!” It’s what we need for our intermediate classical pianists to expand their musical palette and minds!

“Nothing like having the answers in your hands!”

—Victor Mendoza, Vibraphonist, Composer, Producer

“Dick Odgren’s 35 Jazz Arrangements for Solo Piano is an inspired compilation of teachable takes on familiar jazz repertoire. In addition to such staples as ‘Days of Wine and Roses’ and ‘On a Clear Day,’ ‘I Remember You’ arranged in 5/4 brings a new feel to a timeless jazz standard.

“Dick is a widely respected pianist, educator, and composer. His expert touch is joyfully evident throughout this outstanding collection.”

—Mike Metheny, Jazz Trumpet/Flugelhorn/EVI

“Dick Odgren was my first jazz piano teacher. I studied with him from when I was twelve years old until I was seventeen, and boy was I lucky! From Dick I got nothing but the truth about music: vital lessons that continue to propel me as a professional today. Now, in these pages, Dick’s wisdom is available to everyone in the world. I remember working on several of these arrangements during our lessons, and I’m immediately inspired seeing them again. The subtlety in the harmony, the depth of understanding of the tunes, and the pure joy of the music are just some of the qualities that jump off of these pages. This book is simply a must-have for music lovers and jazz pianists everywhere.”

—Glenn Zaleski, Jazz Pianist, Composer, Arranger

Included selections: