I’ve been fascinated by the New Orleans Classic Jazz style since I heard it on my first trip to the city in 2005. The combo of instruments with their different musical roles is very interesting to listen to, but I find the clarinet in particular, and the way it weaves improvised counterpoint around the melody to be truly remarkable. I’ve always felt the clarinet role to be “magical” in the sense of being able to generate spontaneous harmonic lines. I’ve been trying to learn the style on cello this past year, and while I’ve by no means mastered it, I think I’m making progress! Here’s a little excerpt. Big thank you to Chloe Feoranzo for the clarinet lesson and super helpful practice tips, and jazz violinist Nora Germain for the encouragement!