Improvisation is at the heart of jazz.

And although Groton saxophonist Kirk Edwards is a superb artist who played in the United States Coast Guard Band for over two decades before retiring to focus on his own music, his improvisational skills have become more and more refined in recent years.

As a result, Edwards recently released a 10-song CD called "The AKA Project." The album is based on the musical construct known as contrafact composition — the idea of providing new melodies over well-known chord progressions from established material.

On "The AKA Project," for example, Edwards's "Silouhette" melody is based on the architectural blueprint of "I'm Old Fashioned" by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer while "La Graza" soars over chords from Sonny Rollins's "Oleo." Edwards's contributions are wonderful — lovely, searing, adventurous and cunning as called for. (See sidebar for the complete track list and source material.)

Clearly, this structural approach called for plenty of musical improvisation — and yet the biggest example of spontaneity associated with the project might be that contrafact was NOT what Edwards originally planned.

More than one kind of improv

In fact, "AKA" would not have happened except Edwards engaged in a different, behavioral sort of improv.

Three years ago, Edwards went to Old Lyme's Side Door Jazz Club to see a performance by saxophonist Jimmie Green and his trio. The whole ensemble was exceptional, Edwards says, but he was particularly inspired by pianist Donald Vega's improvisational chops — and impulsively did something completely out of character.

"I reached out to Donald and asked if I could take improv lessons from him," the soft-spoken Edwards laughs. "I'm naturally pretty shy about stuff like that, but it's a little easier when you can just send someone a message on social media. I Googled Donald and contacted him and, to my surprise and delight, he got back to me very quickly and positively."

As a result, whenever Vega's schedule allowed — he travels internationally and records with the elite Ron Carter Golden Striker Trio and is also a professor at the Juilliard School — Edwards would commute to the pianist's Harlem apartment for lessons.

It might seem curious that a musician of Edwards's experience — he's also a fluent clarinetist who's worked with the Nitecaps Jazz Band, the Coalition Jazz Band and the Occam Woods Trio — would seek further instruction this far along in his career. But like most artists, Edwards says he's always striving to get better and specifically felt the need for improvement in the area of improvisation.

"Donald isn't helping me with technique," Edwards explains. "He's showing me the theoretical approach to jazz improvisation. That's very interesting to someone with my experience because, in the Coast Guard Band, with a lot of classical or show repertoire, it's emphasized to be very literate and read (the notated music) for everything you're playing. Now that I'm exploring jazz, which I've loved since I was young, this is my focus."

Over the course of the pair's teacher/student dynamic, a friendship developed, and Edwards gradually began bringing some original compositions to lessons for Vega's review.

"Donald would play through them with me and, if he had suggestions, he'd offer them," Edwards says. "He always took it very seriously, which impressed me a lot and gave me a bit of confidence."

Get it on tape

But Edwards was stunned when, after sharing several of his pieces, Vega announced it was time for Edwards to start thinking about entering the studio to record, and that he would play on the session.

"I was excited and flattered, but part of me didn't really think it would ever happen. But Donald is not the kind of guy to just say something like that and not mean it," Edwards says.

"Then I showed him a composition of mine for big band and Donald picked up the phone and called the leader of the Village Vanguard band to see if they accepted submissions," Edwards says. "It turns out they didn't, but that showed me Donald was serious about it and believed in me."

It was then Vega came up with the contrafact idea — meaning that Edwards would have to compose entirely new melodies rather than rely on material he'd already written. In addition, he'd be challenged by working on timeless and historical musical territory. He says he tried to maintain some of the spirit of the original material but let his own melodic instincts take over as well.

By email from Europe, where he's on tour with Carter, Vega says, "Kirk is a wonderful composer, musician and beautiful human being. I challenged him to compose tunes based on jazz standards repertoire and to use the tools of improvisation and composition learned in our lessons ... I told him that once all the tunes were done and ready to record I would play piano on the project."

"At first, I felt a little sad about leaving behind the songs I'd written," Edwards says. "But they'll always be there, and I hope to do plenty more recording. Instead, I was thrilled and a little nervous to have to come up with these new melodies. But I did it."

For the date, Vega arranged to record in New Jersey's Rudy Van Gelder Studios, a facility renowned in the jazz world. Hundreds of albums have been tracked there by artists including John Coltrane, Stanley Turrentine, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddy Hubbard, Red Garland, Count Basie and more.

In addition, Vega, who produced, arranger and music director for the recording, reached out to a pair of his Julliard colleagues, bassist/Hartford native Dave Baron and drummer Pete Van Nostrand — both highly sought-after sidemen in the New York jazz scene — to serve as the rhythm section for the session. As with many jazz albums, and distinct from the often-protracted process of recording rock or pop, "The AKA Project" was done in a single four-and-a-half-hour session.

Edwards says it was almost spooky to be in a studio where so many of his musical idols and landmark albums had been recorded. He says, "I kept thinking stuff like, 'Miles Davis and Coltrane were in this room.' That alone was amazing."

As a proper host, Edwards arranged for food for the session, and says Van Nostrand and Baron were so friendly and casual he felt as though he'd known them for years.

"Everyone made it so easy on me. And they're all so good. We'd be playing, and I realized it was all really happening — and sounded so good." Edwards takes a deep breath and exhales. "I look back and think, 'Whew! THAT was challenging but fun — and very interesting,'" Edwards says. "We recorded live — one or two takes and it was on to the next tune. Suddenly, I couldn't believe it was over."

"I was really happy with the results," Vega says. "Kirk did a wonderful job and worked very hard, and everything went well."

It also took some effort, but Edwards has arranged for Vega, Van Nostrand and Baron to be on hand for a performance of "The AKA Project" at a CD release party in Madry Temple Church in New London on April 24.

"I'll be a bit nervous for THAT, too," Edwards says. "But inspiration and the opportunity to play these songs live with musicians of this caliber trumps any anxiety." He laughs. "I'll improvise."

To see and hear

Who: Saxophonist Kirk Edwards

What: Releases "The AKA Project" CD

How much: $14.95 at CD Baby or directly from Edwards (kedwards234@comcast.net)

Release party: 3 p.m. April 24, Madry Temple Church, 25 Manwaring St., New London, more details to follow

Album's titles and chord sources

For his new "The AKA Project," utilizing the contrafact approach to composition, saxophonist Kirk Edwards fitted existing song structures from the jazz repertoire with all new melodies. Here's a list of the album's titles with the original chord sources in parentheses. And, yes, it's fun to compare and contrast. Edwards more than holds his own.

1. "Cloud Ten" — minor blues pattern

2. "El Corredor" — "Spain" Chick Corea

3. "Graciela" — "Emily" by Mandel and Mercer

4. "Here We Go Again" — "Ceora" by Lee Morgan

5. "Hojaldas y Patacones" — "Nica's Dream" by Horace Silver.

6. "I Thought About You" by Johnny Mercer and Jimmy Van Heusen (recorded as written)

7. "Incognito" — "Stella By Starlight" by Victor Young

8. "La Graza" — "Oleo" by Sonny Rollins

9. "Silouhette" — "I'm Old Fashioned" by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer

10. "AKA" — "Speak Low" by Kurt Weill