Jacques Loussier Trio - Baroque Favorites (2001) [TELARC]

Jacques Loussier Trio - Baroque Favorites (2001) [TELARC]
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Genre ~ Jazz/Classic Fusion | Label ~ TELARC

Jacques Loussier has spent most of his career blending jazz and classical styles into a lightly swinging and highly melodic hybrid. He is most well-known for tackling Bach, but here he covers a range of Baroque composers. Loussier, bassist Benoit Dunoyer De Segonzac, and drummer Andre Arpino play pieces by Handel, Pachabel, Scarlatti, Marcello, Albinoni, and Marias. Loussier has a very light touch and the trio is laid-back, never distracting from the melodies. You can hear the influence of Dave Brubeck in Loussier's playing (especially on Marais' "La Sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève du Mont"), and much like Brubeck's best work, there is a strong sense of warmth and intelligence on Baroque Favorites. The only complaint one might have is that the brevity of some of the songs breaks up the flow of the record. Nevertheless, Baroque Favorites is a very nice album. ~Allmusic

Tracklist:
01. George Frideric Handel: Sarabande and Variations from Suite No. 11 - Theme and Variation No. 1 (2:16)
02. George Frideric Handel: Sarabande and Variations from Suite No. 11 - Variation No. 2 (1:37)
03. George Frideric Handel: Sarabande and Variations from Suite No. 11 - Variation No. 3 (1:33)
04. George Frideric Handel: Sarabande and Variations from Suite No. 11 - Variation No. 4 (0:42)
05. Marin Marais: La sonnerie de Sainte-Genevieve du Mont (5:38)
06. Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata No. 33 in B minor (4:56)
07. Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata No. 32 in F-sharp minor (1:31)
08. George Frideric Handel: Largo (from Xerxes) (3:21)
09. Johann Pachelbel: Canon in D major (3:39)
10. Alessandro Marcello: Concerto in D minor for Oboe - I. Andante spiccato (2:33)
11. Alessandro Marcello: Concerto in D minor for Oboe - II. Adagio (2:24)
12. Alessandro Marcello: Concerto in D minor for Oboe - III. Presto (3:09)
13. Tomaso Albinoni: Adagio (4:33)
14. George Frideric Handel: Concerto in F major for Organ - I. Larghetto (4:08)
15. George Frideric Handel: Concerto in F major for Organ - II. Allegro (5:16)
16. George Frideric Handel: Concerto in F major for Organ - III. Andante (2:39)
17. George Frideric Handel: Concerto in F major for Organ - IV. Larghetto (4:26)
18. George Frideric Handel: Concerto in F major for Organ - V. Allegro (3:49)

Personnel:
Jacques Loussier - piano
Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac - bass
Andre Arpino - drums

Recorded at Studio Grande Armee, Palais des Congres; Paris, France; June 4-21, 2001
Recording Producer: Jacques Loussier
Co-Producer: Elizabeth Note
Sound Engineer: Manu Guiot
Executive Producer: Robert Woods
Production Supervisor: Elaine Martone
Cover Image: Bernini, "Angel with inscription I.N.R.I." from the Cross. 1669. Marble
Cover Design: Jim Burt, Burt & Burt Studios
Art Director: Anilda Carrasquillo

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Jacques Loussier Trio - Beethoven: Allegretto from Symphony No.7 "Theme & Variations" (2003) [TELARC]

Jacques Loussier Trio - Beethoven: Allegretto from Symphony No.7 "Theme & Variations" (2003) [TELARC]
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Genre ~ Jazz/Classical Fusion | Label ~ TELARC

French musical savant Jacques Loussier boasts an illustrious background that includes admittance to the prestigious Parisian Conservatoire National de Musique while still a teenager. His interests in rock -- counting Pink Floyd's The Wall and the Lords of the New Church's 1984 Method to Our Madness -- as well as jazz have prevented the artist from being categorized by style or genre. Released in 2003, Allegretto from Symphony No. 7, Theme and Variations features pianist Loussier in a trifecta alongside bassist Ben Dunoyer de Segonzac and drummer André Arpino interpreting ten variations on the Allegretto portion of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. For those unfamiliar, the term Allegretto (translated as "rather fast") refers to the composition's tempo, encompassing a speed of less than 120 but exceeding 108 measures per minute. As he had done in prior outings that incorporated the respective works of Bach, Debussy, and Handel, among others, Loussier approaches the composition with an ear toward the third stream, blending classical pieces to a decidedly jazz orientation. For purists of either, there will inevitably be discrepancies in the trio's elucidations and reinventions. However, the less critical listener will find much to enjoy, gaining a better understanding if not appreciation for both in the process. When removed from the traditional context, Symphony No. 7's inherent pacing and overall sentiment are inextricably transformed. This is not only in essence the purpose of the fusion, but also results in the melodies being taken to another level. As should be anticipated, several of the adaptations (which are delineated numerically: "Variation One," "Variation Two," etc.) are pulled off with alternate degrees of success. Some, like the first, fourth, seventh, and ninth variations in particular, are notably liberated and swing with authority. Conversely, the third and fifth arguably seem fettered and uncertain. That said, seasoned enthusiasts as well as the nominally curious are encouraged to sample and personalize their own preferences regarding these bold and (at the very least) adventurous excursions. ~Allmusic

Tracklist:
01. Theme (5:48)
02. Variation One (3:19)
03. Variation Two (5:31)
04. Variation Three (4:28)
05. Variation Four (3:43)
06. Variation Five (3:54)
07. Variation Six (4:51)
08. Variation Seven (4:29)
09. Variation Eight (4:23)
10. Variation Nine (5:26)
11. Variation Ten (5:42)

Personnel:
Jacques Loussier - piano
Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac - bass
Andre Arpino - drums

Recorded at Studio de la Grande Armee - Paris, France; March 2003
Producers: Jacques Loussier and Elizabeth Note
Sound Engineer: Philippe Laffont
Editor: Jacques Loussier
Executive Producer: Robert Woods
Production Supervisor: Erica Brenner
Designed by Jim Burt, Burt & Burt Studios
Art direction by Anilda Carrasquillo
Liner notes by Alyn Shipton

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Jacques Loussier Trio - The Best of Play Bach (2004) [SACD rip via Playstation 3]

Jacques Loussier Trio - The Best of Play Bach (2004) [SACD rip via Playstation 3]

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Genre ~ Third Stream, Piano Jazz | Label ~ TELARC Records

Jacques Loussier came up with his Play Bach jazz conceptions while still in the conservatory around 1950. He started recording them in 1959, and he's been at it ever since, adapting other classical composers along the way, but always returning to Bach. It made sense then, and it makes sense now, for Bach's linear, continuo-driven, contrapuntal style has always implied a swinging pulse; even some inspired, if strictly score-bound classical recordings of Bach sound as if they are poised for takeoff. These recordings are not the originals, though; they are remakes made in France in the mid-'90s (from Plays Bach and The Bach Book) and compiled by Telarc a decade later to coincide with Loussier's 70th birthday year. No real surprises here; the repertory is mostly basic-repertoire Bach favorites, which Loussier alternates straight classical playing with straight-ahead, elegant, rhythm-shifting jazz elaborations for jazz piano trio. The main difference between the 1990s Loussier and his best-sellers from decades before is his willingness to occasionally update his adaptations with newer rhythms that didn't exist then (check out the playfully funky Gavotte in D from the Orchestral Suite No. 3). Nevertheless, listeners are so used to hearing Bach peddled in so many different idioms and wardrobes that it is impossible to hear anything radical in this concept anymore -- and certainly not since fellow pianist Uri Caine's wacky, eclectic Goldberg Variations raised the bar for outrageously entertaining Bach adaptations in 2000. Nothing much to report about the surround mix -- basically room ambience in the rear channels. But the piano has an appealingly robust, full-bodied timbre in SACD, more like that of a live instrument than on the original CDs, though the drums register more clearly on CD. This was released only as a hybrid SACD disc -- Telarc's first experiment with a single inventory title -- so don't go hunting for a stereo CD-only version; it doesn't exist. ~ AllMusic

Tracklist

1. Prelude No. 1 in C major from the Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846
2. Italian Concerto: Allegro
3. Italian Concerto: Andante
4. Italian Concerto: Presto
5. Air on a G string
6. Toccata & Fugue in D minor
7. Pastorale in C minor
8. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
9. Gavotte in B minor from Suite in D major, BWV 1068
10. Fugue No. 5 in D major
11. Gavotte in D major


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