Lucio Franco Amanti

Jazz Suite

'The idea of writing a 'Jazz Suite for cello solo' came out when I tried to imagine how it would have sounded like if one of the baroque masters (Gabrielli, Buxtehude, Bach) had lived in our time and wanted to write a suite of dances. I thought it would probably still keep some of the conventions of the traditional form, like maybe the use of a Prelude to establish the key and the alternation of slow with fast movements. But some things would have definitely been different: the harmonies, for example would probably have been more complex and not always tonal. Also the popular dances used as a workbench for the suite would have been not gigues or Bourees but perhaps latin american or Jazz standards.Well, since the great masters are unfortunately not able at the moment to accept my challenge, I had to write it myself. I hope you will enjoy it. The famous cello player Janos Starker says: Lucio Amanti is a very fine cellist and imaginative composer. His Jazz Suite is an enjoyable mix of jazz and classicism. I much appreciate his work.' (Janos Starker)