This week on Ether Game's Weekly Podcast, the Brain Trust explores jazz's influence on classical music in a show we're calling "All That Jazz!" Which leads to our question, can you name this tune...and all that jazz? Remember to keep your ears out for a portion of Tuesday night's Teaser selection. And don't forget to tune into the full show on Tuesday, November 14th at 8:00pm for a chance to win a prize!

Claude Debussy (1862–1918) CHILDREN'S CORNER: Golliwogg's Cake-walk

Helen Huang, piano. For Children (Teldec)

The French were especially fascinated with the new American style called "jazz" in the early twentieth century. And it's easy to find French music of that time that includes at least some elements of early jazz. This piece, "Golliwog's Cakewalk", is based on the cakewalk, which was an early twentieth century African-American dance closely related to ragtime. The cakewalk usually had jumpy rhythms, catchy melodies, and even a blue note or two. Debussy's influences don't stop with African-American music, though. In the middle section of this piece, among the elements of the cakewalk theme, he quotes the opening prelude from Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. Debussy obviously knew how to have a little fun by parodying a very serious work in the middle of an otherwise a light-hearted work for children!