Charlie Parker’s favourite composer was Igor Stravinsky and there has always been some cross-pollination between the worlds of jazz and classical music.

Some of our great jazz players have gone all the way, performing and recording classical works. Wynton Marsalis led the charge with his best-selling Haydn trumpet concerto, followed closely by his older brother Branford. Keith Jarrett has been steadily working his way through the Bach and Handel keyboard catelogues and several prominent classical pianists have at least one “jazz project” in their discographies. Read more »