Programme Note
Derivations for Solo Clarinet and Dance Band was written in 1955 for Benny Goodman. Subsequently it was recorded on a Columbia album, Meeting at the Summit, with Benny Goodman as soloist and Morton Gould conducting. It was staged as a ballet by George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet under the title Clarinade, and by Elliot Feld and the Joffrey Ballet under the title Jive. The work is a highly stylized and structured piece using the jazz vernacular. It is in four self-explanatory movements: Warm-up, Contrapuntal Blues, Rag and Rideout. It is scored for a dance or stage band, consisting of four saxophones, three trumpets and three trombones, string bass, piano and two percussion. There is also an alternate version with woodwinds substituting for saxophones. The playing time is about 17 minutes.
--Morton Gould