Timeless Jazz Standards (Paul Tobey Transcriptions) Music Book

Timeless Jazz Standards: Paul Tobey Transcriptions is a premium music book designed for intermediate to advanced jazz pianists who wish to deepen their mastery of jazz improvisation. This exclusive collection features seven meticulously transcribed jazz piano solos by acclaimed pianist Paul Tobey, each recorded live in his home studio in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, or captured during intimate Saturday morning masterclasses on the Jazzmentl YouTube channel. The transcriptions, all performed within the last two years on a 7’ Ibach Grand piano, showcase Paul’s unique ability to blend timeless tradition with bold, expressive exploration.

The book includes seven iconic standards: Over the Rainbow, The Shadow of Your Smile, The Nearness of You, Georgia on My Mind, Body and Soul, Have You Met Miss Jones, and What Is This Thing Called Love. Each transcription is a profound study in jazz language, filled with reharmonized turnarounds, tritone substitutions, locked-hand voicings, drop-2 voicings, virtuosic ii-V-I progressions, chromatic modulations, and soulful blues licks. From the daring b5m7b5 opening of Over the Rainbow to the bebop-driven precision of What Is This Thing Called Love, these arrangements reimagine classic standards with a rich and inventive harmonic vocabulary.

Paul draws inspiration from jazz legends such as Oscar Peterson and Ray Charles, channeling their spirit into his own performances. The Shadow of Your Smile challenges with intricate drop-2 voicings, while Georgia on My Mind captures Ray Charles’ raw, bluesy essence. Have You Met Miss Jones bursts with electrifying ii-V-I progressions, and Body and Soul unfolds over seven minutes of lush, rubato storytelling. The Nearness of You invites delicate inner voices and nuanced phrasing.

This collection is far more than a set of charts; it is a journey through the expressive possibilities of jazz improvisation. Each piece demands dedication—whether mastering walking bass lines, navigating chromatic modulations, or capturing soulful phrasing—but the rewards are immense, offering deeper insights into harmonic finesse and improvisational fluency. Paul encourages readers to pair each transcription with the original recordings (linked in the book) to fully absorb their soulful essence.

The printed version is done in premium black and white on 80# coated white paper with a glossy cover and durable coil binding, the book is formatted in US Letter size (8.5″ × 11″) and contains 62 total pages (31 double-sided interior sheets plus foreword and cover).

Order now and begin exploring jazz piano with one of Canada’s most inspiring voices.