The forgotten jazz concerto: A performance guide to Richard Rodney Bennett’s Concerto for Stan Getz

Richard Rodney Bennett’s Concerto for Stan Getz is an important example of crossover or hybrid jazz/concert repertoire for saxophone. Although this concerto uses elements of both classical and jazz style, the lengthy improvised sections are the highlights of the work. Some of these passages feature relatively complex chord changes and odd phrase lengths over floating / implied swing rhythmic textures. Since jazz saxophone inflection, and improvisation are central to this work, this document aims to explore related performance problems including chord changes, strategies for improvisation, articulation, phrasing, and rhythm. Sample solos and suggested vocabulary are provided for each movement.