Dan Stern Group 10th March @ Pizza Express Jazz Club, Dean Street. With Robert Mitchell (piano), Julian Siegel (reeds), Tom Mason (bass), and Asaf Sirkis (drums). Featuring new material for 2009, including music inspried by Chopin / Don Grolnick .

Book here

Chopin via Don Grolnick. This winter I have been taking some time to study Chopin's Ballades. I really didn't expect any of what I found to come out into my jazz writing, but it seems that there is a lot that I have found useful in developing ways to write for improvisers. Looking at Chopin's approach to form - the way he organised the flow of intense expression - and his development of tonal areas and material, has helped me to create structures for improvisers to work in that hopefully make sense in terms of narrative. What I have written does not sound like Chopin: if anything, I have used the soundworld of Don Grolnick, who I have always thought could make a tune sound simple and yet profound. So I have left Stravinsky for a little while, and am trying something else.....

Links/resources.

Polish jazz has a unique current of Chopin-inspired music. An excellent article on performers and their approach can be found here.

A tribute to Don Grolnick is here.