Eight Original Jazz Duos for 2 Clarinets: 2 Clarinets Book

These pieces radiate warmth and wit. You'll hear the swing and blues ancestry threading through accessible, singable melodies that sit comfortably under the hands. The overall mood swings from playful and irreverent to introspective and wistful, with enough rhythmic snap to keep the energy alive throughout the collection.

Clarinet students at the upper-intermediate through advanced level and private studio teachers seeking engaging duet literature beyond standard classical fare. Advanced middle school clarinetists with solid rhythmic foundation and secure articulation will also find much to enjoy here.

• Attend carefully to dynamics and phrasing; the bluesy vocabulary rewards subtle shadings that might otherwise disappear in duet texture.
• Balance the lines by ear rather than assuming the first clarinet always leads. Curtis often distributes melodic interest, and trading phrases requires both players to listen actively.
• Establish a steady groove in the swing-oriented pieces by locking into the rhythmic feel early in rehearsal, then layer in the rubato and blues inflections.
• Treat the collection as an arc rather than eight isolated pieces. Consider how tempos and moods flow from one piece to the next if programming them as a suite.

Program one piece or several as a suite at a student recital, pairing them with contrasting classical or contemporary repertoire to showcase the clarinetist's stylistic range. They also work well as encores or lighter set closers in a jazz or chamber music concert, and instructors often use them to introduce intermediate players to jazz language and comping techniques without overwhelming difficulty.

• Swing articulation and jazz phrasing
• Active listening and balance in ensemble context
• Blues harmonic language and chord changes
• Leading and accompanying within a duet texture
• Rhythmic flexibility and rubato interpretation