I've always wondered what people think of the Jazz songs which they put in the classical grades...

I'm really mixed...for instance, there's Bill Evans - Time remembered on the 07/08 Grade 7 list, which is fantastic...but sometimes there isn't any 'real' jazz there. Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, what do you think?

Pianoboe

I think it's agreat idea to have a wide range of pieces in the C list. And great that there's normally something vaguely Jazzy

I'll probably always choose the Jazzy option if its there ... I'm doing the Bill Evans piece for Grade 7 in November and learned one for Grade 5 (Espagnol - Mike Cornick) although I didn't take the exam ... plus 4 Calling Birds for Grade 6, although I'm not sure that really qualifies as Jazz ...

I guess the big difference between the Jazz in the 'classical' syllabus and the proper Jazz syllabus is the lack of improvisation. I could quite happily improvise some of this piece (sometimes I do by accident ...), but I'm not sure they'd be too happy with it.

So basically, the approach to it is very different - it's a piece to learn rather than improvise.

How are you getting on with Time Remembered? I can get through it now, but I reckon the key to it is in the phrasing, which will take a while until I'm happy with.

Dave.

ps. For Grade 8 next year it might well have to be 'The man I love', although there are some other lovely pieces.

I was also very pleased to see 'Time Remembered' in the Grade 7 list, and the Aaron Copland and Gershwin pieces in the Grade 8 C list.

The classical syllabus has "Jazzy" pieces but these have to be written out in full and there's no scope for improvising, unlike the jazz syllabus where it's an integral part (ahh - iamdjoc has just made this point .

Notice that in the syllabus it often says "this arrangement only" which precludes changing the existing arrangement or improvising. At least in the exam room

The new piano syllabus has pieces by Oscar Peterson, Fats Waller, Eric Clapton and a great arrangement of Top Cat! by Nick Burt (Hi Nick!). So there is some choice.

iamdjoc - I really like Four Calling Birds - anything by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett is worth looking at.

iamdjoc, I'm not actually playing Time Remembered (yet!) and I also have to say, I hate strongly dislike (!) Calling Birds! Sorry cbpiano. When I did G5, there was a piece of his on the C list...don't remember the name and that was good!

Improvisation is definitely a huge difference, and it's so hard to not improvise in some of the pieces. For my G5 I did do 'New Orleans Nightfall' -? which was a great piece! I remember getting lost in improvising with that. My old teacher was a great 'jazzer'. I had fun with that piece

cbpiano, the new syllabus sounds fantastic! I can't wait! Though I'll be sorry if I miss out on doing the Grade 7 - the pieces are so good!

Sometimes I wonder if it's a bad thing that's there's often no room for musical 'interpretation' in the jazz pieces, if you know what I mean. Maybe I missed out by not doing jazz exams.

Pianoboe

I did "Skedaddle" in grade 1 piano. Have done" Garage Sale" in Grade 2, and will do "Top Cat" in Grade 3. I like the jazzier numbers, but often want to change them a little.
Bev.