This volume contains a wide selection of famous musical themes from Bach to Carl Orff. Some of them were originally written for the piano. most have had their scores carefully arranged to make them easy to play on the piano. Each piece is followed with a jazz interpretation, which can either be played alone or alongside the 'original' version. Perhaps this will show that the 'classics' are not all that far removed from jazz, and that music of earlier periods contains many of the essential characteristics of jazz. Doesn't Lully's 'Gavotte', for instance, contain one of the most famous jazz themes ever? The 'Blue Gavotte' may make this clearer. The theme from Mozart's Sonata in A major (K 331) doesn't require many rhythmic changes to give it a blues flavour ('Mozart Goes Blues'). The driving rhythm of the ostinato bass in Carl Orff's 'O Fortuna' would suit modern jazz-rock performers well, with a few small changes ('A Fortune for a Tune'). What do Bizet's 'Habanera', Brahms' 'Hungarian Dance No. 5' and Paganini's 'Caprice No. 24' have in common? Why have they been turned into salsa music ('Habanera con Cigarro', 'Hungarian Salsa No. 5', 'Capriccio Latino')? Much of this is up to the individual: if you want to discover similarities, they are easy to find.

This book Modern Piano contains 90 easy original pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries. The pieces selected display a great variety of styles including New Music, neoclassicism, modern dances, jazz, blues, pop, rock, musical studies, meditative music, New Age music and more besides: a colourful range of different styles, sometimes blurring the distinction between classical and popular music in 'crossover' pieces that bridge the gap between different musical worlds.

The little pieces selected invite us to go on a musical journey of discovery, introducing new experiences using modern sounds and rhythms. All these pieces are suitable for tuition purposes, auditions, examinations and school music competitions - or just as stimulating repertoire for pianists interested in music.