Play Jazztime Clarinet: Clarinet & Piano Book

These arrangements transport you into smoky jazz clubs and glittering ballrooms where syncopation was revolutionary and melody always came first. The music swings with genuine period charm: sometimes effervescent and playful (Charleston), sometimes tender and introspective (Someone to Watch over Me), always rooted in the irrepressible spirit that made this era unforgettable.

Clarinet students and young adult players with solid fundamentals who are ready to venture into jazz repertoire but benefit from guided arrangements that preserve the character of genuine 1920s-1930s material. Duet pianists teaching jazz history through performance will find these pieces stylistically authentic yet accessible.

• Work the swing eighth notes slowly before bringing the tempo up; let the clarinet learn the shuffle feel independent of the piano first
• Listen to era-appropriate recordings of these standards to absorb the articulation style and melodic liberties that distinguish jazz phrasing from classical legit playing
• Shape dynamic curves across phrases rather than treating each measure as an isolated unit; jazz melodies breathe and swell in ways that require forward harmonic thinking
• Coordinate with your pianist on punctuation and breath points, especially in the ballads where clarinet lines sit over walking bass patterns

Program one or two selections as a pops or variety concert segment, or build a full first-half around a 1920s-1930s theme that includes these standards alongside period-appropriate swing arrangements for other instruments. These pieces also serve beautifully as demonstration material in jazz history units, helping students understand how composition and arrangement shaped the era's sound.

• Jazz articulation and syncopation in a melodic context
• Swing eighth-note feel and triplet subdivision
• Phrasing and dynamic shaping over harmonic progression
• Communication and coordination with a jazz accompanist
• Interpretation of idiom-specific ornamentation and inflection