Tony DiPasquale authors book on jazz improv techniques

Belleville keyboardist Tony DiPasquale, who leads the band Groove Merchants and plays with saxophonist David Fatek and others, has published The Jazz Lictionary, a new instruction book on jazz improvisation techniques.

DiPasquale earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Millikin University and a master’s in jazz piano performance from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. He has worked for 13 years as director of bands for Belleville District #118 and has also served as an adjunct faculty member for the jazz studies program at McKendree University. In 1999 he founded the Sunday Night Jazz Workshop, a school for advanced junior and senior high school students to study jazz improvisation and performance practices.

According to the promotional copy, the book "teaches improvisers the jazz language, jazz style, and rhythmic feel all at the same time. Through characteristic jazz motives, The Jazz Lictionary finally demonstrates how to use scales to sound like the "Masters". Inside the pages of The Jazz Lictionary, students can transcribe, transpose, and transform themselves into great soloists." You can see sample pages and purchase the book at DiPasquale's website, http://thejazzlictionary.com/.