The David Leonhardt Trio – Bach to the Blues (Improvisations on Classical Themes) – Big Bang Records BBR 9584 [www.davidjazz.com] ****½:
(David Leonhardt, piano; Matthew Parrish, doublebass; Alvester Garnett, drums)
It seems that jazz treatments of classical themes are coming back into the jazz mainstream as they had in the 1930s and 40s. Many recent CDs have had a track that is an improvisation of a classical tune. Pianist David Leonhardt has decided to do an entire album on this idea. There are 11 pieces from eight different classical composers – each one given a relaxed and gentle jazzing-up that on the three Bach selections especially may remind listeners of the work of Jacque Loussier’s Trio.
Leonhardt comes from a 38-year professional jazz background and has played a variety of music and with a variety of top performers. Among other things, he was music director for jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks. He began to include some improvisations on classical themes as part of his live concerts and gigs, and they finally made their way to the recording studio for this album. Bach lends itself easily to the jazzy twist, but some of the other composers require considerable skill to come up with something clever and inspiring. Chopin gets two tracks, both of them his already more rhythmic Mazurkas. Leonhardt’s improvisation on Satie’s well-known Gymnopedie No. 1 is nearly seven minutes length and an impressive take on this lovely and moody piece. Several of the others are just what one would expect in the particular choices: Simple Gifts for Copland [mispelled Copeland], Ave Maria for Schubert, and Clare de Lune for Debussy. However, they sound fresh and enjoyable even for those of us who feel we’ve heard them far too frequently. The closing Canon in D of Pachelbel is the most overplayed of the classical themes (and probably the least worthwhile), but the trio’s slow dance treatment makes it a wonderful wrap-up for the album and most listenable.
TrackList: Prelude in G (BACH), Clarie de Lune (DEBUSSY), Ave Maria (Schubert), Gymnopedie No. 1 (SATIE), Prelude in A minor (BACH), Adagio from Pathetique Sonata (BEETHOVEN), Simple Gifts (TRAD.-COPLAND), Mazurka in G minor & Mazurka in C (CHOPIN), Prelude in Bb (BACH), Canon in D (PACHELBEL)
— John Henry
