From 1991 to 1993 I was blessed to have studied with the great guitarist Ted Dunbar. Ted had a very organized curriculum for his students which included scales, arpeggios, intense training in harmony and a method book that took one tune through all 12 keys and explored all of the intervallic concepts and chord/scale relationships for improvisation. It was intense and it took no less than several hours a day to even scratch the surface of what Ted was teaching us. He had the perfect combination of strict discipline and compassion; he cared deeply about his students and wanted the best for all of us. It was one of the best experiences of my life and one that informs my playing every time I pick up the guitar.

In addition to the above studies, Ted had all of his students learn 38 bebop heads, a list he compiled himself and played every night before bedtime. (I play them every morning before breakfast.) In his Jazz Improvisation class, every musician was required to learn all 38 of these bebop heads – drummers would have to play them on either piano or vibraphone – in one semester’s time.

Here’s the list. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Technology being what it is today, it’s nice to make a playlist of all of these tunes to have them all in one spot, then play along.

1. Airegin
2. Anthropology
3. Au Privave
4. Bebop
5. Budo
6. Ceora
7. Cheryl
8. Con Alma (as a chord melody)
9. Confirmation
10. Cookin’ at the Continental
11. Daahoud
12. Dat Dere
13. Dewey Square
14. Dig
15. Donna Lee
16. Four
17. Freedom Jazz Dance
18. Giant Steps (as a chord melody)
19. Gingerbread Boy
20. Groovin’ High
21. Half Nelson
22. Jordu
23. Joy Spring
24. Little Willie Leaps
25. Milestones (old)
26. Moment’s Notice (as a chord melody)
27. Oleo
28. Opus de Funk
29. Ornithology
30. Parisian Thoroughfare
31. Prince Albert
32. Quicksilver
33. Room 608
34. Scrapple from the Apple
35. Sippin’ at Bell’s
36. Trichotism
37. Vierd Blues
38. Yardbird Suite

Yesterday around 6:30 p.m. I was walking home from the subway after a successful day of teaching and a trip to Staples for printer toner, all ready to go home and do some serious work, when I ran into my neighbor, Drew, in front of Kitty and Dog Lounge (our local pet store). Next thing I know, Louie walks out of the store with his dog, Dexter, and we all walk down the street towards our block (yes, we all live on the same block). We pass El Ay Si, the newish comfort food place, and the fabulous photographer (and another neighbor) Jesse Winter is sitting at the bar with his friend/next-door neighbor, Morgan. We talk and next thing we know, Dexter is tied to a parking meter and we’re at the bar having a drink. Dexter doesn’t like this, so Louie brings him home. While Louie’s bringing Dexter home, my husband Andrey walks by, sits down and starts drinking Louie’s beer. (Louie shows up about 15 minutes later and orders another beer and then drinks some of Andrey’s beer later on.) Then our next-door neighbor Nick comes by and orders a beer, then our other next-door neighbor Anthony walks by (but doesn’t stay), then I get a text from Christian Coleman (great drummer, also a neighbor)…next thing I know, it’s three and a half hours later and I have to go back into town to hear Brenda Earle’s band at Cornelia Street Cafe.  After the gig I come home at 11:30 to find Andrey asleep in bed; he says that he didn’t come home until 11, that several more neighbors came by, and that he ended up having a burger at El Ay Si.

So much for getting work done, or going home before the gig, but the fact that I live in a city as big as New York and things like this happen makes me really happy.