Sonny Dunham’s “Advanced Course in Swing Rhythms for the Trumpet” is a wonderful collection of jazz etudes from one of the most well respected (if lesser known) jazz musician’s of the 20th century. The entire book is focused on the thesis that a strong focus on rhythm and swing is where the heart of good jazz playing is. The etudes begin at an intermediate level and move up from there, never demanding an extreme upper register, but always demanding a keen sense of rhythm and time to negotiate the progressively intense patterns.

If you know Sonny Dunham, you know you gotta try this book out, and if you don’t know him, you get the joy of experiencing his genius for the first time. Check out the first few studies in the samples to the left, then grab an immediate PDF download above.