Description
Cooper’s Capers-Clarinet
About “Cooper’s Capers”
(5th-6th Grade Exam Level)
This piece was written for and is dedicated to my dear friend and UK jazz legend, Andy cooper.
It was composed in 1994 during a visit to London where I met up with Andy and was honoured to be asked to be a guest artist at a Kenny Ball and his Jazz Band gig.
I first met Andy Cooper in 1986 when the Kenny Ball band performed near my home town of Port Augusta, in country South Australia. We both share a deep love of the clarinet and in particular Dixieland and Benny Goodman’s small group jazz style. Andy is one of the UK’s foremost jazz clarinetists and a talented artist and voice-over artist.
Cooper’s Capers was composed in the Benny Goodman small group of the 1930’s to late 1940’s mode and features an active arpeggio-based clarinet melody scored in close position harmony with the piano. Goodman’s small group sound typically consisted of clarinet, vibraphone, guitar and piano but I have been limited to the use of only a piano for this arrangement practical and logistical reasons. The solo part features short written jazz clarinet solos interspersed with tight rhythmic ensemble passages that are indicative of the big band style of this era.
This product comes with Sheet music for clarinet soloist, Piano part with chord changes as well as a Clarinet performance and backing track
Benny Goodman Small Group
Andy Firth’s Music Featuring Jazz Clarinet: 46 Authentic Jazz Studies for Clarinet
