Posted by Elisse Lorenc on Wed, Feb 27, 2013 @ 09:36 AM
The Bloom School will be opening its new downtown location in March.
226 South Wabash7th FloorChicago, IL 60604
The new location is close to the L Train and CTA Bus stops. There will be discounted parking.
The school will also be offering courses in Evanston this March.
New Scat and Improv classes will begin downtown this March.
New Improv classes will begin in Evanston this March.
Posted by Phil Bruni on Fri, Jan 18, 2013 @ 09:02 PM
The Bloom School of Jazz is happy to attend the 36th Annual North Shore Jazz Festival. We look forward to hearing the young musical voices of up-and-coming jazz musicians. I'm optimistic that jazz will continue it's tradition long into the future. I look forward to the Bloom School of Jazz helping new students find their own personal voice in jazz or any form of self-expression.
-David Bloom
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Showcasing some of the finest young jazz musicians and guest performers. Be a part of this fun day, whether you are participating as a performer or just coming to enjoy the great music.
Date: Saturday January 19,2013
Location: Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois
- Jazz Fest Hours: 7:50 am to 6:15 pm
- United States Marine Corp Jazz Combo Performance: Noon
- Evening Concert by Western Illinois University Jazz Band and Special Guest Chris Vadala
- Awards Ceremony: 7:15 pm in the GBS Auditorium
Posted by David Bloom on Mon, Dec 17, 2012 @ 09:26 PM
Basic Theory from Zero
Time: Saturday 9am-12pm
Date: January 12th, 2013
Cost: $95
Learn More...
Jazz Combo
Time: Sundays 2pm-4pm (beginner) and 4pm-6pm (advanced)
Start Date: January 12th, 2013 (8 weeks)
Cost: $750
Learn More...
Jazz Vocal Class
Time: Saturdays 12pm-2pm, Mondays 6:30pm-8:30pm
Start Dates: January 19th, 21st (8 weeks)
Cost: $495
Learn More...
Perfect Set Recording Project
Time: Saturdays 2:30-5pm
Start Dates: January 19th (40 weeks)
Cost: $7,900 ($7,500 before start)
Learn More...
Private Lessons
Learn More...
Posted by David Bloom on Fri, Nov 30, 2012 @ 12:05 AM
It's important to first determine what kind of session it will be. A live jazz session is
different than a pop session and is recorded differently. But to start with I will be
talking about rock or pop sessions.
1. Unless you're rich, do not go to the recording studio until you are well-
rehearsed and ready to play. The studio is not a place to get stuff together.
It’s a place to document music ready to be recorded. If you're very rich and
you want to go in the studio with a bunch of new players that you've never
played with before and just see what happens, by all means try it, but I don't
recommend that for getting anywhere close to a professional result.
With the tech stuff available today you can get a clean recording in your
living room just to show you if your music is on the right track, so to speak.
2. If you are doing a pop recording the 1st recording should be laying down the
bottom of the music, the rhythm section. As it is being recorded it’s important
to have the vocalist sing a scratch track vocal so the musicians can respond
appropriately. It may be just an upright bass and maybe bass, drums and
piano or whatever. But this is the foundation of what your song is going to
be and without it anything that you put on top of it won't work. The bottom
must be solid in everyway; timing, tuning and groove. Now if you have a
problem with one of the instruments, you can overdub even one note, if you
need to, provided you have discrete tracks for each instrument.
3. Do not use friends who aren’t good musicians. Many groups sacrifice a
professional outcome for friendship. It’s great to have friends and I wholly
recommend it but just because someone is your friend it doesn’t mean they
can play. If it’s okay to not sound good than by all means use players that
can’t play well.
4. If a player has a performance problem that lasts more than ten minutes move on and come back. It’s very important to keep the spirit right in a session.
5. If a click (metronome sound in your headset) is necessary, okay. If it’s a jazz
session, I recommend not using it. Most jazz music tends to accelerate. So to
have it artificially held back can have a bad effect on the natural building of
the music.
6. Make sure to plan double the time it took to rehearse the song correctly, in
your studio session.
More soon db
Posted by David Bloom on Tue, Feb 21, 2012 @ 10:55 PM
Rock musicians sometimes carry this ethos around that they don't need to know their craft, just bang it out. "All you need are three chords and some balls" as the saying goes. Or when you're tuning up "close enough for rock n roll". But realistically that gets pretty boring, pretty damn fast. And so you're left with the same old slog of rock that is as worn out as 12 bar blues in a south side Chicago bar on a Tuesday "jam" night. In my opinion musicians should always strive to understand and integrate other forms of music genres and bring what you learn back to your plate. In Jazz music, I feel that you find the widest range of palate, color and nuance. You can hear how jazz was brought back to blues and rock and funk and so much more. From Gershwin’s to Kenny Burrell, BB king to Les Paul, Duke Ellington to Stevie Wonder and so much more. Jazz in its purest form is like surfing to me. And it’s almost as dangerous because if you crash and burn riding the B locrian mode it can be as ugly as a wave spanking your ass on ocean beach. But I digress. The thing I've learned when working primarily in rock n roll as a genre, is that even if you are only using three chords, you can make them more interesting. Play inside of them, depending on which mode your in, and when you start to take that risk, you're stepping squarely into a space that is greatly informed by some flavor of jazz.
My music coach and teacher Dave Bloom (Bloom School of Jazz) was a huge help in giving me new colors for my musical palate. While I was in various studios in Chicago, LA, NYC and Vegas last year finishing my new band's debut recording, (The Ex Senators on HeatShield Records Ltd, release June 2012), I would go through these exercises from Dave that leverage so much of the soul food found in jazz music. Some of them were difficult, forcing you to rethink how you play, and think about music; writing the same song in every mode and every key, playing solos against changes that shifted through modes and around the circle of 5ths; breaking down chord structures, and hearing the subtle shift in sub5, melodic or harmonic minor. And then being back in with my band working on a new song, I'd find these colors on the palate that weren't there before. Hearing changes that could slide and slither and still rock but giving more twists for a guitar lead or a vocal melody. Kyle Woodring was a world class drummer who took also took lessons from Bloom School many years ago and had worked with everyone from John Mellencamp, Dennis DeYoung and Styx to George Jones, Deanna Carter and WIllie Nelson. He was also my best friend and taught me one huge lesson about music. You're never done learning. Whatever you're listening to there's something to learn from it. Something you can pack up and take with you. Its a gift to play music for a living or for your own enjoyment and each time you listen to someone or learn something, it grows and becomes something brand new. Once you've learned it and its time to play, then play with reckless abandon. Cause THAT is ROCK AND ROLL!
Dmac
The Ex Senators
February 21, 2012, Chicago
Posted by Phil Bruni on Fri, Dec 16, 2011 @ 08:29 PM
Here's to Life! This celebration of music showcases some of the school's talented vocalists, in an enjoyable atmosphere with food, drink, and friends. The songs reflect the depth of the human spirit and the journey through this gift of life, that we all make it through, one way or another! Come out on this brisk Sunday afternoon, join in the festivities, and toast... Here's to Life!
WHEN: Sunday, January 8th 2012 3:00 PM DOORS - 4:00 PM START
WHERE: Mayne Stage, Chicago IL 1328 Morse Ave. Chicago, IL 60626
773.381.4551 (phone)
The Band:
Geoffrey Lowe - Bass
Sam Pincich - Drums
Jim Sellers - Piano
Vocalists:
Tracye Smith
Al Colley Jr
Jerry Johnson
Ingrid Oscarsen
Cameron Heinz
Toni Callahan
Tyler Callahan
Jim Grant
Max Hornung
Instructor/ Host: Spider Saloff
Instructor: Jim Sellers
Instructor/producer: David Bloom
TICKETS: BUY TICKETS HERE
The mission of the Bloom School of Jazz is to stimulate and nurture expression, imagination and individuality through music.
Posted by David Bloom on Wed, Nov 23, 2011 @ 01:32 PM
One problem you may be noticing during live performances is a lack of respect for the show. Each tune should be considered a chapter in a suspense novel, not a series of short stories with no cohesiveness. With my 40+ years of intensely studying the greatest jazz performers of the last century, I've discovered core values and practices that make the live experience of jazz infinitely more interesting and exciting for the audience.
It is my strong recommendation that each show you play be set with these rules in mind, for yourself and more importantly, for the people offering their time and money to be entertained by YOU.
Bloom's Laws
1. No fewer than eight tunes per one-hour set.
2. No duplication of tempo, mood, or groove per set.
3. A ballad should never be more than three choruses long.
4. Do not repeat the order of the soloists.
5. Everyone should not solo on every tune.
6. Every tune should be arranged.
7. No tune should last more than ten minutes.
8. Do not duplicate arrangements.
9. Do not repeat tunes.
10. Vary the intensity from chorus to chorus.
11. Neither ego nor machismo should override musical sense.
12. Not every tune has to include improvisation.
13. No sheet music on the bandstand.
Posted by Phil Bruni on Wed, Oct 26, 2011 @ 11:33 AM
The Bloom School of Jazz is happy to present David Liebman... Musicianship and Beyond. Mr. Liebman will discuss music, life, musicianship, mastery, and much more.
Don't miss out on this golden opportunity to be inspired, ask questions, and intimately listen to a veteran jazz master.
David Liebman is considered a renaissance man in contemporary music with a career stretching over forty years. He has played with many of the ma
sters including Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, McCoy Tyner and others; authored books and instructional DVDs which are acknowledged as classics in the jazz field; recorded as a leader in styles ranging from classical to rock to free jazz; founded the International Association of Schools of Jazz; a multiple Grammy nominee; an inductee into the International Association of Jazz Educator's Hall of Fame; the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, as well as the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government. He has consistently placed among the top finalists in the Soprano Saxophone category in the Downbeat Critics Poll since 1973 and has to his credit over 100 recordings as a leader/co-leader including several hundred original compositions.
Space is limited for this clinic. All are welcome to attend. If you have a group, please RSVP.
Admission: $20.00 at the door
Date: Saturday, October 29th
Time: 10:00am-12:00pm
Location:
The Bloom School of Jazz
417 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
The building is located on the SE corner of Ashland Ave. and Hubbard St. The entrance is in the first alley off Hubbard St. through the blue door.
See you soon!
David Bloom
Posted by Phil Bruni on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 @ 03:01 PM
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"I came to the Bloom School trained in the very different tradition of Indian classical music. I wanted to understand various elements of jazz, from the basics of harmony and rhythm, to nuances of improvisation within the context, subtleties in composition and expression, to building a deeper appreciation of what I listen to. All of the with no training in Western music and armed only with a keen ear. David works with me within my framework of musical understanding. He never imposes a canned method or rigid way of thinking, giving me only the mantra of aiming to produce the highest level of aesthetic as I express who I am. Within a short period of time on this journey at the Bloom School, I have picked up skills and knowledge in the jazz language and have surprised myself. There is a genuine interest in the students growth... that's a rare gift in a teacher."
-Satya Gummuluri
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Posted by Phil Bruni on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 @ 11:30 AM
Our new recording project course is filled with some VERY talented individuals and I'm excited to showcase the Jazz Vocals talent with a full rhythm section this Saturday at the school. The concert is free.
RSVP if you can by Friday evening. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in attending the school for any course to visit the school and see what the results look like.
See you Saturday!
All the best,
David Bloom
Perfect Set Jazz Vocals Concert! 
The Perfect Set Recording Project has been developed for serious instrumentalist to elevate their music to a professional performance and recording level. In this one-year course students learn how to: choose or compose appropriate repertoire (10 tunes), arrange or collaborate on the arrangements, improvise, rehearse the band, record the band, and are involved in the mixing session. At completion of the course each musician will have a one-hour set of music that is fully arranged, notated (books for each instrument), rehearsed, and professionally recorded, ready to be performed anywhere. This experience will take students to a professional level of insight, preparation, musical judgment and performance. This procedure will become the model for the way that all subsequent sets and recordings will be produced.
read more
Concert Details
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17th @ Bloom School of Jazz
FIRST SET: 12:00pm - 1:30pm
SECOND SET: 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Bloom School of Jazz 417 N Ashland Ave
Chicago IL 60622
Note: The building is on the SE corner of Ashland Ave and Hubbard St. The entrance is in the first alley off Hubbard St through the blue door.