Jazz improvisation is one of the most difficult arts to teach, given the fleeting nature of its one-of-a-kind realizations, exemplified by the musical intuitions of geniuses such as John Coltrane or Thelonious Monk. Studying such masters’ musical recordings is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the subtle techniques of real-time innovative melodies and harmonic “standards” blending, which is required to become a proficient jazzman.

ImproViz is a computer-based tool that seeks to make this confrontation with jazz masters more illuminating to apprentices. When the tool is fully implemented (the paper presents a prototype specification, with screen shots created using Adobe Illustrator), users will be able to compare the melodic landscapes and harmonic palettes of the improvisations of a given jazz standard by multiple artists. Displaying the pitches of a given improvised melody as a continuous line of varying height corresponds to a melodic landscape, while gathering all notes of the harmonic bass used during one music bar is a harmonic palette. Based on these ideas, the paper compares Miles Davis’, Julian Adderley’s, and John Coltrane’s realizations of the “All Blues” standard.

This easy-to-read paper provides an interesting yet admittedly quite simple idea to help musicians grasp the stylistic differences of jazz improvisation players. It could be used, once implemented, as a useful educational tool by music teachers.