Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Take note, this book contains no lyrics, thankfully. Like many musicians I have owned a copy of the, "Real Book 5th Edition" for a long time. I use it at rehearsals, I take it to gigs, and over years of use it has received a lot a wear and tear. As you may know the, "Real Book 5th Edition" is a home made publication, it is not available to the general public it is sold by musicians to musicians. Consequently finding a copy is very difficult, and replacing a worn out copy is just as difficult. Despite its limited availability it is used by musicians all over the world and has become a standard piece of equipment any jazz gig. Hal-Leonard's "Real Book 6th Edition", at first glance, appears to a fully licensed duplicate of the, "Real Book 5th Edition" however, it is NOT. The cover is the same, the type set is the same, many of the songs are the same, and most of the keys match the, "Real Book 5th Edition." Unfortunately, many important songs are missing including: "Gentle Rain", "Pennsativa", "Green Dolphin St.", "Days of Wine & Roses", "Spain", "A Foggy Day", and all frank Zappa songs. Some great songs have been added including: "Whispering", "Nuage", "Topsy", "That's Amore", "Easter Parade", "When You Wish Upon a Star", and many more. A few songs appear in a different key than the, "5th Edition" including: "Windows" and "Here's That Rainy Day." There are also some corrections including: "Blue Train" changed from Cm blues to Eb blues; "Equinox" changed from Cm to C#m; the chords to "Four" have been 'corrected'; the bass lines of "So What" and "Maiden" have also been corrected. The result of Hal-Leonard's efforts gives us a great fake book which is easy to read and easy to buy. The song selection is great, but it is different form the, "5th Edition" this will present a problem when someone on a gig calls, "Conference of the Birds" or any other song not in this book. What made the, "Real Book 5th Edition" a standard for so many years was the fact that it was one of a kind. Each song had it's own page, the type set was large and clear, the chords were simple and to the point, the songs listed were ones that musicians played, and the arrangements were streamlined (but accurate), for years this was the only book that used this style. Today, however, many fake books published by Warner Brother, Sher Music, and Hal-Leonard use this style. Consequently great music and quality arrangements are easily accessible to all musicians. There is no longer a need for the, "Real Book 5th Edition" it has been replaced by fully legal and more accurate publications. Hal-Leonard's, "Real Book 6th Edition" is another one of the new generation fake books. I hope all the songs missing from the, "Sixth Edition" appear in books 2 or 3 which are due out soon.