Instructional Material
All Fred's books have tablature unless otherwise noted. Most have music notation too.
Jazz Methods
Jazzing it Up
Teaches jazz chord substitution & improvising. Learn the "rules" of jazz chord substitution and chord construction; then learn how to apply them to 12 simple, 3-chord folk tunes and turn them into lush jazz chord solos. Plus a section on comping. Music, grids & a CD...no tab.
- Book & CD$16.95
Fretboard Roadmaps for Jazz Guitar
Learn jazz chord construction and jazz progressions. Learn chord and single note soloing, major, pentatonic, diminished, and augmented scales and more. Music, tab & CD.
- Book & CD$14.95
Playing & Understanding Jazz Guitar
A 75 minute lesson on chords, comping & standard progressions, plus single-note & chord solos to I Got Rhythm, Watch What Happens, HoneysuckleRose & tips on scale and chord-based improvisaion.
- DVD $29.95 w/book$29.95
Building a Jazz Chord Solo
Fred uses 4 jazz standards to show how to create your own chord/melody arrangement. Each tune is done four ways: a very easy version using 1st position chords, then w/moveable chords, then with lots of substiutions (with explanation of how they got there), then an improvisation that leaves the melody behind. Lots of theory!
- Book/CD$14.95
Jazz Transcriptions
Swing Guitar
Backup & solo transcriptions to 14 all-time hits like In the Mood, Jump Jive & Wail, String of Pearls, from the swing era & the 80s-90s revival. Notes on comping, chord embellishment and soloing ideas, plus history of the era. CD has full band w/guitar isolated.
- Book/CD$19.95
Roots of Jazz Guitar
6 pivotal jazz classics with the licks, styles, and techniques behind them. Including history and bios of pivotal pioneers. Eddie Lang (Dinah), Django (Rose Room), Charlie Christian (Honeysuckle Rose), Van Eps (I'll Remember April), Barney Kessel, and Wes Montgomery.
- Book & CD$14.95
Solos for Jazz Guitar
Transcriptions & analysis of solos by Django, George Benson, Les Paul,Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel, Larry Coryell, John McLaughlin. Music & chord grids, no tab.
- $12.00
Wes Montgomery
15 Wes originals like Bumpin' On Sunset, West Coast Blues, Road Song,Movin' Wes I & II, Four on Six, Mr. Walker. Analysis of his single-note,octave & chord soloing style. Music (no tab).
- $17.95
Jazz Arrangements
Fred Sokolow Plays & Sings Fats Waller
Fred sings and plays 21 guitar-driven arrangements of songs that Fats wrote - including many rare, never-heard before gems - with his jazz quartet (guitar, bass, sax or clarinet, and drums). Some solo guitar performances too. Ain't Misbehavin', The Joint Is Jumping, Jitterbug Waltz, Concentratin' On You, Old Yazoo, Honeysuckle Rose, Blue Turning Grey, Up Jumped You, I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling, Black & Blue, etc.
- CDlisten$15.00
Hoagy Carmichael DVD
Hoagy gave us immortal, soulful tunes like Georgia on my Mind, Stardust, Lazy River, Rockin' Chair, Skylark and Layzbones. They sound great on guitar! Fred teaches chord-style backup (for singing) and chord solos for the tunes, and slows them down on a split screen. You'll learn many of the rarely-heard verse-introductions. The book has tab, music & grids
- w/Book$29.95
Irving Berlin Songbook DVD
Learn chord-style backup & solos to Cheek to Cheek, How Deep is the Ocean, Say It Isn't So, Blue Skies, I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm and Change Partners. Fred plays them, gives you technical performance tips, then slows them down on a split screen. The book has tab, music & grids. Fred includes some of the rarely-heard verse-intros.
- w/Book$29.95
Fred Sokolow Jazz Quartet Performance DVD
Fred performs 11 tunes in this 30s-flavored set, mostly little known. He's joined by sax player Mike Rose, Bassist Jeff Faulkner, Drummer Matt Betton and guest stars JUNIOR BROWN, IAN WHITCOMB and LAURENCE JUBER. There are lots of extras, including a lesson from Fred on his chord-soloing style. It's a fun package with terrific sound.
- DVD Videolisten$24.95
Jazz Chord Solos for Beginners DVD
Learn 6 easy-to-play, timeless standards (backup & solos), slowed down on a split screen. Plus the book has tab, music & chord grids. Georgia, Summertime, Ain't Misbehavin, Wonderful World, Fly Me to the Moon, It Had to be You. Yes, you can play jazz.
- DVD & Book$29.95
Cole Porter Songbook
Learn backup & chord solos to Night & Day, Easy to Love, Let's Do It, At Long Last Love, All of You, You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To. Intermediate level, Fred plays them, then slows them down on a split screen. The book has tab, music & grids.
- DVD & Book$29.95
Gershwin Songbook DVD
Six great Fred-style chord solo arrangements. You'll learn backup and solos for They Can't Take That Away From Me, A Foggy Day, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Our Love is Here to Stay, Lady be Good, Someone to Watch Over Me. Fred includes many of the rarely-heard introductions. The book has tab, music & grids.
- DVD & book$29.95
Great Jazz Standards of Duke Ellington
11 beautiful chord solo arrangements of Ellington standards w/tab, music and chord grids: Satin Doll, Don't Get Around Much, Caravan, Mood Indigo, It Don't Mean a Thing, Sophisticated Lady, etc.
- Book & CD$19.95
Fred Sokolow Jazz Quartet
On his new CD, Fred plays & sings '40-ish jazz standards (some well-known, some rare) with his quartet: sax, bass, drums & his beautiful ES-175 jazz guitar. His unique fingerstyle guitar playing and smoky vocals are featured. You Brought A New Kind Of Love, Moonlight Serenade, No Strings, A Kiss To Build A Dream On & more.
- CDlisten$15.00
Sonds of Jobim, Chord Solos
Beautiful fingerstyle chord solos (tab and music) of 16 classic tunes like Girl From Ipanema, Wave, Desafinado, Corcovado (Quiet Nights), Meditation, One Note Samba.
- Book$17.95
Great Jazz Standards Anthology
14 great chord solos, tab, music & chord grids for all-time standards: Stardust, Take Five, Moonglow, Green Dolphin Street, ShadowOf Your Smile, more.
- book & CD $19.95