9 Ryan Devlin Solo Transcriptions

Foreword -

I first discovered Ryan Devlin on Instagram during those bleak Pandemic

months. Musicians everywhere were struggling to stay motivated in what seemed to be

a perpetual groundhog day of lockdown. However, Ryan was very motivated! His posts

were always so impressive and inspiring. As one of a generation who grew up inspired

by many of Coltrane’s disciples, including the great Steve Grossman, it was great to

see a young and hungry tenor player taking up that mantle and moving it forward.

Ryan has developed his tone, time, and technique at an incredibly high level and is

comfortable in the tradition as well as the fringes of the jazz harmony continuum.

I am humbled and honored to have Ryan ask me to be part of this book project.

If you’ve parted with your hard earned money to buy this book, I’d like to say thank

you! You will not be disappointed. I’d also like to encourage you to be deeply immersed

in the recordings from which these solos come. Improvisation is not less, but is so

much more than just right notes…(or #wrongnotes!). There is an incredible amount of

subtlety in Ryan’s playing (e.g. Soultrane & Moon Dance) that goes far beyond the

written page. This can only be learned through focused listening and imitation.

However, the pages that follow will get you most of the way there. And I guarantee the

listening will be well worth it! It has been for me.

- Luis Hernandez