Here is Part 1 of Artie Shaw's stunning Concerto for Clarinet, written by the great man himself. Following a big tutti opening comes a stylish Clarinet cadenza intro, with band backing and solo Piano infills. The Piano then picks up into 8-beat Boogie style with a 24 bar solo, answered by the Clarinet. Solos too for Trumpet, Trombone, Alto and Tenor with a final Clarinet solo flourish. This is Shaw's defining work for Solo Clarinet and big band, but be warned - you will need a very good Clarinet player to carry this off. At nearly 4 and a half minutes this is only the half of it. The second part of this Concerto, itself almost 5 minutes long and even more challenging for the Clarinettist, will be coming soon. The whole piece is scored for Clarinet, 2 Altos, 2 Tenors, 8 Brass and 4 Rhythm. All solos are fully written out, though naturally your players can improvise if they wish.
