The Christopher Norton Latin Preludes Collection (w/CD).(Book review)

[website] The Christopher Norton Latin Preludes Collection (w/CD), by Christopher Norton. Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd./Hal Leonard Corp., (7777 W. Bluemound Rd., P.O. Box 13819, Milwaukee, WI 53213), 2005. 46 pp.

Four years ago, I wanted an early-advanced piece for a high school sophomore; a piece with a sophisticated jazz sound, rich interpretive options, rhythmic challenges and maybe even an optional play-along CD--The Christopher Norton Latin Preludes Collection would have been perfect. Composer Christopher Norton has combined his Latin Preludes and Latin Preludes II, both published in 1990, into this 14-piece collection and added a play-along CD. Drawing on Latin American harmonies, rhythms and popular music, Norton creates 2-4 page light jazz sambas, beguines, bossa novas, rumbas and a mambo.

The preludes range from late-intermediate to advanced. He includes straightforward ballades with only an occasional triplet, as well as relentless ostinati (a la "Linus and Lucy"), shifting Latin rhythms, hemiolic passages and some more challenging keys (b-flat minor, D-flat major). In particular, I was drawn to "Samba II" (great melody, interesting texture changes, fast rhythmic appeal); "Beguine" (an improvisational adventure, accelerandi and quarter note triplets); "Mambo" (an easier fast piece with a catchy hook); and ...