PEDRO ITURRALDE (1929-2020)

Pequeña Czárdás for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra (1949)

Notes by Michael-Thomas Foumai

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Pedro Iturralde (1929-2020) was a great innovator in his fusion of jazz and flamenco styles, including folk and classical references comparable to the work of Astor Piazzolla. The 8-minute Pequeña Czárdás (1949) (Little Dance) blends Spanish Jazz with the Hungarian Czárdás. Improvisatory and seductive in the slow dance, the second faster dance unleashes the spirited vigor of Spain and Hungary.