Jacques Loussier Plays Bach – The 50th Anniversary Recording – Telarc CD-83693, [Distr. By Concord] 53:00 ****:
(Jacques Loussier, piano; Vincent Charbonnier, bass; Andrew Arpino, drums)
It’s hard for some of us to believe, but it was back in 1959 that the Play Bach Trio was launched by classical pianist Loussier. Musicians in Europe have been incorporating Bach and other classical themes into their jazz, pop and rock music for a long time, but generally this mix of genres doesn’t do well in the U.S. The Jacques Loussier Trio proved an exception, and some of us still have their recordings from the 60s for Philips. They even had some 45rpm audiophile releases.
In 1979 Loussier moved from Paris to the Provence area and disbanded his original trio. But in 1985, as part of the Bach tercentenary, the trio was relaunched, and these tracks – recorded during live concerts in Japan, France and England – come from that period. Loussier feels it is the best trio he has ever had. They take the Bach originals farther than the original trio had done. Back then it was usually Loussier jazzing up the original keyboard part, supported by the drummer, while the bassist stuck mostly to the “basso continuo” line of Bach’s originals. Loussier’s new drummer Arpino extends his dynamic and timbral range, creating new possibilities and a more varied rhythmic pulse than the early Bach improvisations had.
The tenth of the 11 tracks is a thoroughly arranged and re-imagined version of Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy. It is followed by the bonus and longest track on the disc – a lovely 8 1/2 minute version of Bach’s Sleepers Awake chorale. Bach’s music has long responded well to being transcribed and brought into other genres. It just seems indestructible. But Loussier is doing something quite brilliant here and not just rehashing his achievements of 50 years ago. By the way, the pianist will be 75 this fall.
TrackList: Partita in E Major, Invention for Two Voices No. 8, Siciliana in G minor, Vivace from Concerto in C minor, Toccata & Fugue in C Major: Overture/Adagio/Fugue, Minuet in G Major, Prelude No. 2 in C minor, Chromatic Fantasy, Chorale No. 1 “Sleepers Awake”
– John Henry
