16 Miniatures for Flute and Piano

Includes CD

This beautifully presented book is so good! Here are sixteen jazz gems which have been pitched initially at the developing player but can be appreciated by anyone who loves this genre. The accompaniments are of a moderate difficulty too which will obviously be very useful.  The excellent  CD has been recorded by Dehnhard himself with the wonderful Wolfgang Kohler so you can either simply sit back and enjoy the music or play along with the accompaniment only tracks. Ranging from the simplicity of Helium Dream with flowing arpeggios supporting a  syncopated low register melody, to the more upbeat  and rhythmic Do Your Dance, there is something here for everyone. The bluesy Turquoise Turtle is wonderful! This is Dehnhard with his jazz hat firmly in place and hardly a contemporary technique in sight!

These new short jazz pieces are a fabulous addition to the repertoire.  They range from about Grade 3 standard for the easier pieces to Grade 5-6 for the more complex, but even the simpler ones are a delight to play for more advanced flautists.  As well as the piano accompaniment and chords, the book comes with  CD so you can hear performances of the pieces - particularly useful if you're less familiar with jazz rhythms - and play along with the accompaniment tracks.  All the pieces stay within the first two octaves, including some moody low Cs.  They would be an excellent introduction to jazz styles, or a step up for players who've maybe encountered jazzy pieces in early grades or the likes of the Microjazz books.  As with Dehnhard's other Universal Edition books, the printing is beautifully clear to read ad pages well laid-out.

The titles of the pieces evoke sparkling images - from the seasidey Salt and  Sand and First Boat Home to the shiny Oval Opal and Tiny Topaz and the airy I See Kites and Bright Delight, which reflect the light, luminous nature of the music.

I enjoyed all of these pieces, but stand-outs for me included the glorious bluesy Turquoise Turtle and and lively Do Your Dance, Blue Pearl opens and closes with atmospheric timbral trills, giving an accessible dip into contemporary technique (the only one in this book).  There's little in the way of dynamic markings, giving the player room to play around with expression and consider how to portray the character of the pieces.  Playing through these left me with a smile on my face!