12 Jazz Violin Duos composed by Ittzés Tamás

Those fortunate enough to have attended any of the Bohém Ragtime Jazz Festivals, presented annually in Hungary, or viewed its videos on YouTube, know that it features some of the best international performers in creating a world-class event. The festival is led by Tamás Ittzés  , himself an outstanding jazz pianist and violinist. Aside from the collection under review here, he has a few other publications: 16 Lightsome Pieces for Trumpet or Alto Saxophone with Piano Accompaniment (1999), and a couple of cadenzas for Mozart and Haydn violin concertos. Writing cadenzas for classical concertos might seem a departure from Ittzés’s usual jazz focus, but a connection lies with the improvisatory nature of cadenzas, sections in which the soloist muses upon and freely plays with themes already heard in the concerto. Whereas most classical concertos have cadenzas written by their composers, tradition allows the soloist to compose new cadenzas, either prior to performance or extemporaneously. When Mozart performed his piano concertos, he probably improvised his cadenzas. That Tamas Ittzés is equally at ease with both jazz and classical traditions demonstrates the wide breadth of his musical l
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Ed Berlin is author of King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era, now in its second edition, and many other writings on ragtime and various musical topics.

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