¡Ole!: Intermediate/Late Intermediate Piano Book

Evans gives intermediate pianists genuine Latin jazz grooves without dumbing down the rhythmic or harmonic content. The collection spans multiple dance forms, so students encounter real stylistic variety rather than variations on a single idea. You'll hear genuine enthusiasm from the room when they realize they can play actual conga and merengue rhythms that sound right.

Energetic, rhythmically alive, and full of color. The arrangements crackle with the percussive vitality of Latin dance music while maintaining the sophistication of jazz voicings and phrasing. You'll feel the heat of street celebration translated into solo piano.

Intermediate and late-intermediate pianists ready to engage with jazz harmony and syncopated rhythms across multiple styles. This is ideal for students who have solid technique but need exposure to authentic Latin jazz idioms and want to expand beyond classical repertoire.

• Lock into the clave pattern first. Understand where it sits underneath each style before worrying about your own part; the rhythm section needs to be unified.
• Listen to recordings of traditional Latin dance bands if you can. The articulation, swing, and percussion inflection in these arrangements assumes students know what a real rhumba or paso doble feels like.
• Separate the bass line from the melodic movement. In jazz-inflected Latin pieces, the left hand often carries harmonic information that supports but doesn't echo the melody.
• Respect the syncopation on paper, but let it breathe. These rhythms are meant to sit slightly behind or ahead of the beat; counting mechanically will make them sound stiff.

Slot individual pieces into jazz or contemporary music recitals throughout the year, or program them back-to-back as a mini Latin suite for a spring concert. They also work beautifully as motivational repertoire for intermediate students who feel stuck in classical or show-tune cycles.

• Recognizing and performing clave-based rhythmic structures
• Reading and executing syncopated Latin jazz rhythms (conga, rhumba, merengue, paso doble)
• Voicing jazz chords and understanding jazz harmony in a Latin context
• Coordinating independent rhythmic patterns between hands
• Articulation and touch appropriate to Latin dance styles
• Building comfort with jazz phrasing and swing feel