Shifty-Eyed Blues and More Contemporary Character Pieces.

Shifty-Eyed Blues is a collection of five distinctive pieces sure to excite even the most jaded student. These pieces are so quirky and addictive that I found myself drawn to the piano while the book sat on the stand. With their emphatic rhythms and contemporary harmonies, these pieces are really fun to play.

This book is a new addition to Hal Leonard's Composer Showcase series and the third for Phillip Keveren. Based on Shifty-Eyed Blues, I'm ordering his Mouse on a Mirror & Other Contemporary Character Pieces and Tex-Mex Rex.

Keveren's newest book is labeled "Late Elementary" but I would stretch that label to include early intermediate. There's so much character in each piece that I would want a student to get every detail nailed. They all are nearly the same difficulty level and feature similar issues.

Articulation is critical the pianist must observe and execute staccato notes and slurs with real style, or the piece will fall flat. "Tadpole Tag" demands strict attention to contrasting figures as part of the game of tag. The titles, in fact, encourage appropriate playing.

The title piece is my favorite. "Shifty-Eyed Blues" is a genuinely smooth take on the blues for early students. The repeating pattern in the left hand fits the hand easily and makes the pianist care about how it is played. The right hand punctuates its melody by switching octaves and dynamics. Your student even gets to polish up on his finger snaps!

"Round Up" is a swaggering cowboy piece--the tempo marking is actually "Ride 'em Cowboy!" Five-finger pat terns and fifths dominate this fun piece. "Rock Goes the Weasel" features rock rhythms (surprise) in the left hand with emphasis provided by the right hand while the listener searches for the "Weasel" theme.

So, four out of five pieces in ShiftyEyed Blues are rollicking crowd pleasers--what about the fifth one? "Prayer" is a shift in style that doesn't work for me. All the others are stimulating and inspiring to play. I worry that this one might be a little too subtle for less sophisticated hands.

With that slight caveat aside, I'm very anxious to use this new book with my students. We're all going to have fun! Reviewed by Sandra Bowen, Lafayette, California.