After completing his study of composition as a prize-winning student of John Tavener's at Trinity College of Music in London, Mike Cornick taught music in Primary, Middle and Secondary schools which included twenty years as Head of Music at an inner London comprehensive. He has also taught for the Richmond Music Trust and at secondary schools in the area while pursuing his composing career. He is best known for his more than sixty piano compositions, many of which are valued as teaching material, particularly to introduce and develop jazz idioms. As its title suggests, jazz is the essence of 'November Blues' which is one of the half dozen or so of Mike Cornick's publications for clarinet, solo with piano accompaniment and ensemble. The first of the six pieces - 'November Woods' is built around a triplet rhythm, sometimes syncopated and marked 'Slow and Bluesy'. 'Definitely!' marked 'Medium swing tempo' gets its swing from paired quavers while No.3 'Aria' is a lyrical ballad. Except the lyrical No.6 which introduces 5/4, all the pieces are in 4/4 time and depend on off beat entries in the clarinet part for their jazzy feel.
