In an effort to fill some of the holes in my knowledge of music theory and broaden my playing, I enrolled in Jamey Aebersold's Summer Jazz Seminar. I'm a self taught blues player, and hoped that the five day clinic would give me a chance to do some in-depth work with more formally educated jazz players. Promotional materials promised that a combination of theory classes, instrumental master classes, ear training, combo work, and faculty concerts would improve my understanding of jazz and make me a better player.
It worked - BUT (you knew there was a "but" didn't you) it was strictly a qualified success. I'm afraid that while I wholeheartedly endorse Aebersold's play along CDs as a practice method, I can only endorse his camps with some serious caveats.
There are a number of things Aebersold does right. In particular, his staff is outstanding. Composed of a variety of well known professionals (Slide Hampton, Todd Coolman, et al), graduate students, and veteran music educators, the faculty proved to be equally adept at performance and instruction. The faculty concerts could easily hold their own as a small scale jazz festival, with up to 4 combos performing each evening, Sunday through Thursday. In particular, Slide Hampton's performance brought the house down, and his lightspeed rendition of Giant Steps set a new benchmark for excellence. Additionally, Todd Coolman, Harry Pickens, and Don Braden all turned in performances during the week that transcended even extraordinary levels.
The Aebersold approach is also sound: immerse students in scales, chords, and substitutions and give them opportunities to play with and in front of seasoned players. Good solid technique and working knowledge of theory are expected and honed.
Unfortunately, a few problems dampened my enthusiasm for the week. All players are auditioned for placement in master classes and combos. A fine idea in theory, the idea fell apart in practice. Auditions consist of playing a few scales in front of an instructor and sight reading a piece. While this may be the accepted method of conducting saxophone contests in the academic world, it produced wildly uneven results. It was not uncommon to see 9th graders, retired big band players, and gigging musicians in the same master class or combo. While there's an argument to be made for mixed groups as an asset to the less experienced players, this situation shortchanges experienced players who find themselves listening to advise in dealing with your band director when you get home.
Another problem was Jamey Aebersold's incessant sales pitches. Although I wholeheartedly endorse Aebersold playalong CDs as practice tools, I didn't pay several hundred dollars to have Jamey Aebersold tell me how wonderful they are, or to practice with them at camp. Several theory classes, master classes, and ear training sessions consisted in large part of sales pitches for the CDs or simply playing along with the CDs. Indeed, because of an overabundance of horn players, many of the combos (including mine) consisted o 4 or 5 horn players and a CD player. Hardly what I had in mind when I paid my tuition.
A final problem worth noting was a noted bias against non-mainstream jazz perspectives. Players whose interests lay in trad jazz, big band, blues, or some other related vein were left with no doubt that their approach and interest was less worthy than that of the small combo mainstream players.
The Aebersold clinic is probably excellent training for advancing high school players, or music students struggling with improvisation. For these students, I'd give the program an endorsement, with a note of the criticisms above.
However, for self-taught players, seasoned improvisers from other genres looking to better understand jazz, or intermediate players with teachers and resources near home, I can't recommend the experience. As a self-taught blues player with two decades of playing experience, I found the camp to be an excercise in frustration. Although I did come out of the camp with a better grasp of music theory, I can't say that I came out a better saxophonist or more versatile player.