Jazzin' About: Fun Pieces for Clarinet / Tenor Sax: Clarinet and Piano Book

This collection opens an immediate pathway into contemporary idioms that students actually want to play. Rather than treating jazz and blues as afterthoughts to classical training, Wedgwood builds them as primary styles from the ground up, which means your clarinet students develop rhythmic confidence and stylistic awareness alongside standard technique.

Energetic and unpretentious. These pieces swing with genuine personality; they have the kind of accessible groove that makes a young musician feel like they're playing something real, not a training exercise. Blues runs sit alongside playful rhythmic figures, creating a collection that feels both confident and inviting.

Elementary clarinetists and tenor saxophonists who are ready to move beyond classical etudes but still building fundamental technique. This works especially well for students who respond to contemporary music and need a stylistic bridge between concert band and jazz ensemble.

• Lock into the swing feel from the first phrase; even in the blues pieces, the offbeat articulation defines the groove, so mark your syncopation clearly at rehearsal to establish where the backbeat lives.
• Work the recorded accompaniment or play through with a strong pianist early and often. These pieces breathe differently with rhythm support, and students need to hear the full harmonic context to nail the phrasing.
• Pay attention to dynamics marked around the riffs and comping sections. The funk and rock tunes rely on dynamic contrast to feel authentic, not just on tempo.

Slot these into a spring or pops concert where classical programming needs a refresh and energy boost. They also serve as ideal solo or small group contest pieces for elementary musicians who want to explore jazz without committing to a full jazz ensemble track.

• Syncopation and swing rhythm feel
• Blues scale and pentatonic scale application
• Reading and interpreting jazz articulation markings
• Dynamic shaping in short-form contemporary pieces
• Coordination with piano accompaniment across multiple styles