The nature of jazz has its roots in improvisation. The Jazz Sonata contains written-out pieces which correspond with improvised figures and formulae of jazz, while at the same time combining specific technical practice material with formal structures borrowed from 'art music'. With these features, the pieces are intended not only for practising jazz musicians but, perhaps even more-for pianists and teachers who, to complement their involvement with popular music, are looking for information and connections with jazz and its practice methods. The pieces are valid as individual pieces for teaching purposes or for use in a programme.

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.

The final movement of the Sonata in A major KV 331 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Rondo Alla Turca, is one of the most famous piano pieces of all time. Once only familiar to musical experts, later a universal piece for all piano pupils, its opening melody is now even omnipresent as an alienated sinus tone-like mobile phone ring tone.
Fazil Say\'s arrangement, originally created as an effective encore, follows on from this popularity. After the first eight bars have been presented in original form, typical elements of jazz superimposed on the still recognisable classical foundations can be discovered, such as syncopation of the top notes and ornamentation through chromatic blue notes, embedded in the at times frenzied chains of semiquavers. In the spirit of the work\'s improvisatory character, Say likes to perfom his Alla Turca Jazz in different combinations, for example accompanied by jazz singers of with orchestra.

It may appear strange that Fazil Say, who was born in Turkey and - when not on tour - is still resident in that country, does not bring back Mozart\'s interpretation of genuine Turkish music closer to its own roots, particularly as many of his compositions such as Black Earth or the Violin Sonata are characterised by a subtle amalgamation of the Classical-Romantic tradition, Turkish folk music and elements of jazz. In a further Mozart arrangement, the ballet music Patara premiered in Vienna in 2006, composed on the basis of the Rococo-like theme from the first movement of the same A-major Sonata (wich enjoys almost as great popularity as the Alla Turca theme), Say utilised the connection which was absent in Alla Turca, albeit in the opposite direction. In the ballet music, the piano symbolises Western culture and the Ney flute Oriental culture, communcated atmosperically by austere percussion instrumentation and soprano vocalisation.

The very popular piece was now arranged for harp by Ekaterina Afanasieva.