Ignasi Terraza, piano.

The history of jazz can be read through the stylistic evolution of its pianists. This is the case, for example, of swing, a genre that triumphed in the USA in the thirties and forties, with the consolidation of the big band as a jazz orchestra. He then emphasized the presence of melodic riffs and the importance of rhythmic pulsation, with the aim of creating dance music. In the case of the piano, the soloists became more refined, with faster, more virtuosic tempos and new harmonic, rhythmic and melodic textures. Some examples can be found in the style of Fats Waller, one of the greatest representatives of the swing era, and in his influence on Count Basie and Earl Hines, another of the great pianists of the time; or in Duke Ellington himself. In this monographic recital, premiered at the Fundación Juan March in Madrid, Ignasi Terraza, one of the great pianists of our jazz, performs a solo piano selection of the great works of the ‘swing era’, with repertoire from the aforementioned names. It also recalls the style of Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson, and adds pieces that were successful in musicals of the thirties: by Eubie Blake, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter and George Gershwin, among others. A real delight.