This book is an absolute gem. What a great concept – take some famous classical tunes and jazz them up! Lee Evans has put together a wonderfully varied selection of classical favourites, ranging from themes from piano sonatas by Beethoven and Mozart through to themes from Dvorak’s New World Symphony. Each arrangement is dripping with intricate jazz harmony and will make you sound like a sophisticated cocktail pianist.

Whilst the tempos are mostly slow and there are no chord or octave passages that small hands couldn’t handle, some of the keys are quite challenging and there are many accidentals at every turn, which puts the difficulty level a little higher, probably around Grade 6-8.

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27 classical masterpieces arranged in a unique and accessible jazz style. Mr Evans also provides an audio recording of each piece. Titles include: Air from Suite No. 3 (Bach) • Barcarolle “June” (Tchaikovsky) • Largo from Symphony No. 9 (Dvorak) • Meditation from Thais (Massenet) • Panis Angelicus (Franck) • Pavane (Faure) • Piano Sonata No. 8 “Pathetique” (Beethoven) • Reverie (Debussy) • The Swan (Saint-Saens) • To a Wild Rose – Theme and Variations (MacDowell) • and more.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves jazz and appreciates good arrangements! Lee Evans has advised he’s currently working on a second volume also!