Book excerpt: Jazz Fiddle Wizard is a book/CD set tailored for advanced violinists who want to learn to improvise in the jazz tradition. the book contains practical theory lessons, presenting rhythms and scales that are immediately put to use. Concepts are introduced progressively, requiring comprehension of previously introduced techniques and terminology. Each lesson includes a theory section and an exercise or performance section.The book's companion play-along CD provides professional full rhythm section accompaniment for each exercise and tune. As the method was designed for college students and advanced players, no violin tracks are included on the CD. the Stuff Smith solo from "Knock, Knock- Who's There?" transcribed at the onset of the book is readily available at http://www.rhapsody.com/stuffsmith/tracks.htmlThis method assumes that the reader/player has a basic technical command of the instrument and reads standard music notation at an elementary level or higher. Jazz Fiddle Wizard is the most challenging of Martin Norgaard's fiddle improv books. If you are a novice jazz player, the author recommends beginning with Jazz Fiddle Wizard Junior, Books 1 & 2 followed by Getting Into Gypsy Jazz Violin, all of which include violin tracks on their respective companion CDs.Jazz Fiddle Wizard works in conjunction with the www.jazzfiddlewizard.com website, offering a unique interactive experience in which the reader is invited to pose questions directly to the author. This method has been field-tested with college students and other players from different musical backgrounds and at various levels of technical proficiency. the bottom line on this product is that IT WORKS!