Books

Udden is currently developing two texts for Gazong Press, based on his experience as a player and educator.

Playgroup is a practical exercise book for the improvising jazz ensemble, featuring improvisation games that expand creativity while improving the collective time-feel and harmonic and melodic awareness.  An introduction and sample exercise from the book can be found here.

Roots Etudes is a collection of etudes for solo saxophone, based on the picking style of roots guitarists such as Mississippi John Hurt and Bob Dylan. These engaging arpeggiated etudes improve one's sense of swing while evening out finger technique, with the added benefit of absorbing blues and "roots" melodic material.  A sample etude can be found here.  

Transcriptions:


Many more to come, but to start here are a couple of perfect Lester Young blues choruses that are good for students (or anyone!).

Lester Young: Countless Blues  Bb   Eb  C  youtube (starts at 1:10)

Lester Young: Boogie Woogie  Bb   Eb  C  youtube (starts at 1:39)

Etudes:


Here is one of a book of Etudes I am working on.  The concept is to emulate guitaristic arpeggios in the style of blues/country artists like Mississippi John Hurt, Bob Hadley, and Bob Dylan, and apply these shapes to monophonic saxophone lines.

Etude 1

Clinics

Udden is an skilled educator who is passionate about sharing the experience of musical creation with musicians and fans of all levels of ability.  He has given clinics at McGill University, University of Nevada, the Yared Music School (Ethiopia), New England Conservatory of Music, Queens College, Packer Collegiate Institute and Foxborough High School among many other institutions.  

In 2012, with the help of a grant from Chamber Music America, his Plainville project produced a series of workshops combining visual art and jazz improvisation for young people in Massachusetts public schools.  

Udden is available for workshops in a number of different formats and topics.