Jazz pianists face innumerable decisions when playing a song from the American Songbook. Every time we perform a song by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, or Duke Ellington, we address questions aboutkey (we are not obliged to play the tune in its original key);tempo (should it be slow, medium, fast, or free); rhythmic background (shall we try swi...

I recently performed a concert celebrating the arrival of spring with a program featuring songs with the word "Spring" in the title. It Might As Well Be Spring, Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, You Must Believe in Spring, and Joy Spring proved to be fun to play and provided me with many harmonic and rhythmic opportunities. Of ...

The sounds of jazz have always fascinated classical musicians. In the earliest years of the twentieth century composers such as Debussy, Hindemith, Milhaud, and Stravinsky were all drawn to the infectious rhythms of Ragtime.' As jazz harmonies and forms became more sophisticated, classical composers incorporated more diverse jazzy elements int...

from the series: It's Got That Swing: Jazz & Pop Tony Caramia, EditorGeorge Gershwin's rhythms, wonderful melodies, and unmistakable American harmonies continue to fascinate listeners and performers. Porgy and Bess is a mainstay of opera companies around the world. In a recent search, YouTube offered more than 500 videos of Rhapsody i...

by Pete Jutras, Editor-in-Chief If your students are anything like the ones I've had over the years, they love to play jazz and pop repertoire. As time marches forward, it is evident that the jazz and pop genres will stand as important musical contributions of the 20th century. With that in mind, we have decided to add a regular depa...