Every epoch has had its group dances, and they have always been\na source of inspiration to composers. In the interwar period, the\nBlues and Charleston meant as much to composers as the Sarabande\nand Gigue did to Johann Sebastian Bach and the Polonaise and\nMazurka to Frédéric Chopin. The advent of American jazz and dance\nmusic in Europe was a gift from the gods for young composers hungry\nto find new paths and means of expression. Even though the word\njazz meant little more than syncopated march and dance music based\non ragtime, there was no stopping the rage. Jazz represented a\nradical break with the traditional, oldfashioned way of life of the\nnineteenth century, and made a wonderful match with the elated\nexpectations that had replaced wartime suffering. Within just a few\nyears, jazz fever swept across Europe. This CD bears witness.

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