This tune is a fusion of both bluegrass and jazz styles. The half-time feel in the clarinet solo only developed in rehearsal, which just shows you can't think of everything ahead of time! I also have to mention that Fred's VERY long note at the end of his solo was played live, with no engineering trickery whatsoever - he's truly a master of circular breathing.

This suite was written several years ago, soon after the formation of Ebony & Ivory. In the first part, Lírico, I tried to capture the feel of a classic Leroy Anderson tune: melodic, with a Latin touch. Although it was originally composed for clarinet and piano only, bass and drums give the piece added energy.

The second part of the suite, Brisa, was simply the most beautiful melody I could think of at the time. The (mostly) slow tempo provides a marked contrast to the final part of the suite.

The title pretty much sums it up. As I always say when performing this one live, "You'll feel like you're running with the bulls in spain!"

In the early part of the 20th century, contemporary Jewish composers wrote many art songs, operettas, and classical works. This American Klezmer piece is reminiscent of a large body of Jewish music lost in the Second World War.

One of the best-known popular pianists of the 1940s and '50s, Cy Walter had a gift for taking songs of the era and recreating them as solo piano pieces. Long out of print and difficult to find, his unique arrangements breathe new life into many famous songs. Heart and Soul is one of my favourites: satisfying to play and lovely to listen to. This is truly the sound of a time gone by.

Minority was a challenge both musically (it's written in 11/8 time) and technically (it was recorded at three different studios!) I wrote the piece in 1996, and was very happy to finally record it, especially with guest artists Victor Wooten, Cliff Almond and Ted Quinlan. Thanks to everyone who navigated my crazy time signatures and made this tune happen!

Written in just a few minutes by English composer Dave McGarry, Dreams of You is destined to become a modern jazz classic. With Fred on alto sax and me on electric piano, our intention was to create a late-night, smooth jazz feel.

No matter how many times it's heard, the music from Bernstein's "West Side Story" never loses its charm. America was one of the first arrangements I wrote for Ebony & Ivory, and remains among the most difficult.

While not technically a rag, (Joplin called it a "Mexican Serenade,") Solace is one of the ragtime master's most beautiful and poignant pieces.

Written especially for this CD, Red Hot contrasts a rhythmically complex opening with a country-flavoured B section. My favourite effect is in this second part, where Fred's soprano sax melody soars over a busy piano accompaniment. The presence of guest artist Dave Weckl, renowned jazz fusion drummer, made this track especially exciting to record!

This is the middle movement from Joseph Horovitz's Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano. Although the Sonatina is technically a contemporary classical piece, you wouldn't know it to listen to this excerpt, which has more the feel of a modern jazz ballad.

When I was eight years old, I heard my father playing ragtime on the piano. I hadn't played the piano before, but I loved the sound of that style of music, so I attempted to play one of the rags. After six months, I could more or less get the notes. I have played many different styles of music in the years since, but ragtime remains one of the most satisfying. This particular piece is one of Scott Joplin's best known compositions.

One of Fred's many talents (I can say this and not be accused of bragging!) is his ability to coax a different sound from the clarinet for each piece that he performs. When you hear those signature high notes, virtuosic improvisation, and classic vibrato, you'll swear the King of Swing himself is playing!

This is another Benny Goodman classic, but with a much gentler feel. Wilson, our drummer, took a break for this track, and I moved over to vibraphone (played on my Korg Triton keyboard.)

The final piece in our Benny set, Benjie's Bubble, is not so well known as Air Mail Special, but it's every bit as exciting. I returned to the piano for this one, and Wilson was back to provide much-needed rhythm!

The title of this piece (pronounced "eyes suh-dye") was taken from Robert Jordan's New York Times bestselling series of fantasy novels, "The Wheel of Time." In the books, the "aes sedai" are wise women (witches, to their enemies.) They have many qualities, not the least of which is patience, and some have great power.

Tico was the first arrangement I did for Ebony & Ivory, and it's still an audience favourite. Whenever we play this tune, I'm reminded of Carmen Miranda singing it in the old Groucho Marx movie, "Copacabana." Fred and I haven't had the nerve to wear our fruit hats yet, though.

After all the excitement, we end quietly with a Gershwin classic. We often use this as en encore piece in our performances, so we're kind of assuming you got up and clapped after Tico Tico!