Testimonials
The best way to truly learn to improvise is to study with someone who is a master of improvisation. Charlie Shoemake is a world class improvisor. He also clearly articulates all the knowledge you need to know to become a great improvisor yourself. I was fortunate to study with him in my early 20s. Charlie’s practical approach put me on the same path that jazz legends like Clifford Brown, Sonny Rollins and Chick Corea took. Because of my studies with Charlie, my ability as an improvisor improved dramatically, and many musical doors opened to me. If you are serious about learning to improvise, I highly recommend studying with Charlie!
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Jeff Bunnell
LA studio trumpeter. Formerly with Horace Silver and Ray Charles.
My studies with Charlie Shoemake (over three years) were truly invaluable. My soloing and knowledge of chord changes (jazz harmony) went up a thousand percent because of his teaching. Charlie is one of our country’s leading jazz vibraphone players but unlike many other top jazz players he is able to articulate and communicate his skills to other people. I owe him a lot and so do many other musicians on the west coast.
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Andy Martin
Top jazz trombone recording artist
I studied with Charlie Shoemake for several years in my early twenties. In addition to being a renowned jazz artist, I found him to be a most knowledgeable and inspiring teacher. His understanding of jazz music and education is nothing short of remarkable. I credit much of my success as an artist to my studies with Charlie and feel fortunate to have had him as a teacher and mentor. His collection of transcribed solos of the jazz greats is extensive and impeccably accurate. In contrast to many “jazz theory” texts, Charlie’s explanation of jazz harmony is straightforward and based on the actual performances of the jazz legends. Anyone who is serious about becoming a jazz artist, or just looking to improve their skills, would be very lucky to study with Charlie Shoemake.
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Kye Palmer
Trumpeter with the “Tonight Show Orchestra” and formerly with Woody Herman and Poncho Sanchez
Charlie Shoemake was my teacher for three years, from age fourteen to seventeen. When I began lessons I could hardly play. Three years later, not only could I play, but I was working professionally with many groups, including Lionel Hampton, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and even Charlie’s own quintet. I owe this mainly to these important lessons (and hard work). Charlie was the ONLY teacher in Los Angeles with a method of teaching jazz improvisation that actually worked. It has been said that it is impossible to teach jazz, but not only did Charlie disprove this theory, but helped hundreds of students of all ages to become better jazz soloists. Later, when Charlie retired from teaching he began a successful concert series in Cambria, California. I have played there many times over the years for this wonderful series. This has become an important venue for some of the greatest musicians all over the world. As performer, teacher and presenter, Charlie Shoemake is one of jazz’s most important assets.
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Ted Nash
Lincoln Center Orchestra
At my first lesson Charlie Shoemake asked me, What would you like to learn?” I answered “ I want to be able to play long flowing lines”. Charlie dropped the needle on a Sonny Rollins LP and answered, “Something like this ?” I said “Exactly like that”. Then he asked me, “What do you play on a Eminor 7 b5 chord ?” I replied, “I don’t know”. Charlie said, OK, fine, we know where to start.”
So, within 10 minutes Charlie knew precisely what I was looking for, and started giving me the tools I needed to get me there. I studied with him for three years while in college and he introduced me to the language of jazz, as played by the masters, and helped me begin to speak it.
That’s already amazing, but what sets Charlie apart is that he also knows when to
give you a push, when to let you find your own pace, and when to pick up his mallets and blow your mind with his own mastery of the tradition.
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Charlie is not just a keeper of the flame, He has singlehandedly nurtured the growth of the flame as a guide and a forward-looking artist.
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Tim Armacost
NYC based Saxophonist, Composer, Author
and Recording Artist.
The three years I spent studying music with Charlie were the most important of my life. I came to him with an open mind, knowing nothing of the great masters of 20th-century music, let alone the music itself. I left with a profound appreciation and love for Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Wynton Kelly, to name a few. Just as importantly, Charlie gave me the tools to develop my own voice, as well as a work ethic that I maintain to this day.
Now, as an educator myself, I realize that imparting this knowledge is a skill in itself and not to be taken lightly. I have checked out many jazz method books, but none of them have the clarity, passion, and wisdom that I absorbed during my three years with Charlie.
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He is one in a million.
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Keith Saunders
Professor of jazz piano studies San Francisco Conservatory Of Music and recording artist
