Hearing the music in this bare format enables us to trace the structurethe sonic bones. Clarinetist Jon Manasse and pianist Jon Nakamatsu perform a variety of compositions from places where early 20th century jazz meets classical music. Some pieces date from that era, including Gershwin’s familiar “I Got Rhythm” as well as one of is early forays into “serious” music, Three Preludes (1926). Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano was an obvious choice for the duo. The real surprise is a work by a young contemporary composer, John Novacek. His Four Rags for Two Jons returns to the ambitions of Scott Joplin, who hoped to combine European and African-American influences into new music for the New World.
Jon Manasse & Jon Nakamatsu
American Music for Clarinet & Piano (Harmonia Mundi)
