jazz idiom
English composer
Definition
Copland's assimilation of blues scales, syncopation, and jazz harmony into an art-music context — not imitation of jazz, but absorption of its rhythmic and harmonic character.
Interpretive Guidance
In the Piano Concerto and Four Piano Blues, the jazz idiom requires a relaxed rhythmic feel where the subdivision leans slightly back, not metronomic. In the Blues pieces, allow a gentle sway without losing pulse. The goal is the quality of improvisation within a composed frame.