If you're interested, please take a listen to my latest effort - a jazz-blues piece for solo piano at about Grade 4+ difficulty. I took two different ideas which happened to have a similar LH pattern, and decided to splice them together to make a single, longer repertoire piece.

The Way Down Blues

Comments welcome

I like it Ben. Good playing.

I don't like to comment on anyone's playing, but since you asked,
here goes. This is very good, very competent, but in my view,
that's the problem with it. It's "too good," too competent and
correct. What distinguishes this from other people's work in
this style? It sounds too much like everyone else's jazz playing.

You obviously have a lot of talent, and I think that someone
like you should aim higher, not just play to the status quo.
For starters, every one of the chords in this should be changed
to something different, not just by some textbook formula
for chord substitution, but by ear to something completely off
the wall. That's what jazz was originally about, creating something
different from everyone else's playing.

Sounds nice, Ben. BTW, if it is your own composition, by that very nature it is 100% perfect.

Thanks for the feedback, Gyro - I fully appreciate what you're saying

What I'm trying to do, first and foremost, is to write pieces for students to learn. Primarily, I'm a classical pianist and teacher, and many of my students enjoy learning 'jazzy' pieces to supplement their classical repertoire. It is also the case now, since a couple of decades, that the ABRSM include short, jazzy pieces in their exam selection at most grades, so it is pretty much expected nowadays that classical students explore repertoire that employs various forms of swing and syncopation. These compositions are part of my contribution to this rather specific genre.

So, if you're saying that they sound authentic in the style I'm going for, then I take that as a big compliment! My whole objective here is not so much to create something that a jazz aficionado would listen to, but rather something that a piano student can enjoy learning and playing, and feel like they're playing something really cool, and that sounds like a piece of music - not just an exercise.

I do hope to be able to play/compose 'proper' jazz one day - but I fully admit that I find many of the prerequisite skills come very slowly to me, so it will be a while before that happens

Excellent work, Ben.

I am sure your students will enjoy learning/performing this piece.

I think your compositions sound pretty good and I can tell you feel competent as for what and how you play them. I think it's time for you to take it to the next level. I think you have pretty much mastered and exhasted that modal " blues scale" throughout your progressions so.....it's time to start playing and improvising againest the "changes" instead of exclusively improvising modally. It will open up your solo creativity tremendously. Maybe improvise a bit differently as for rythumic variations. That regimented "blues scale" will stifle your improvisation so.... it's time to move on.
It's Ok to not take me serious,nobody else does. I'm far from the expert.

I like it, you've done a really great arrangement.