JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - Mozart : Piano Concertos 20 / 33 with String Orchestra (2005) APE (image+.cue), lossless

This doesn't really work, but Jacques Loussier's attempt to make Mozart work as jazz is sufficiently complex enough to make you ask, as you're hearing it, why it isn't working, and maybe that's a worthwhile thing. As the liner notes point out, it is most often Bach among classical composers whose music has served as the basis for jazz experiments. Mozart-jazz is much rarer. Chick Corea has played Mozart piano concertos with jazz cadenzas, introducing improvisation where Mozart would have included it anyway -- a natural solution. But Loussier is more ambitious: he tries to recast the Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor and Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major entirely as jazz. The problem is that Mozart lacks the combination of clear harmonic framework and steady rhythmic pulse that is fundamental to Bach's music. Mozart may seem to have a clear rhythmic pulse, but one key to his deceptive simplicity is that his manipulations of the listener's perception of time are both highly complex and perfectly balanced. The speed at which things are happening changes constantly but is perfectly controlled. Tamper with it, and the whole thing can fall apart.
Loussier goes to great lengths to stop that from occurring. First, he simplifies the overall picture by dropping Mozart's wind parts. Then he breaks up Mozart's flow of music into sections, treating each in a characteristic way. Mozart's opening themes are presented more or less straight, with a few syncopations and light jazz percussion added. It is in transitional material or material leading toward a transition (such as second themes and their subsidiary themes), that he sets his trio (piano, bass, and drums) loose with jazz improvisations upon Mozart's melodies and harmonic progressions. The jazz element thus partially stands in for developmental passages in which Mozart increases the tension by revving up the harmonic rhythm. This doesn't get from point A to point B as smoothly as Mozart does, but it's inventive, and Loussier's unfoldings of his ideas are interesting to follow. In rhythmically intense passages such as the opening of the last movement of the Piano Concerto No. 20 -- and only in these -- he turns the drummer loose. The opening themes to these (jazz-loving) ears just sounded bizarre, and sometimes one gets the feeling that the various elements of the music are competing with each other rather than working together. Yet Loussier did not approach his task with anything less than a full appreciation of the complexity of the job, and if he has not delivered a recording that is exactly attractive, he has shown us something of how difficult musical fusion really is when it has aims above the superficial. Any jazz musician who has wrestled with similar questions will find much to chew on here. by James Manheim
Tracklist:
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466    
1     Allegro 13:39
2     Romance 9:29       
3     Rondo presto 9:18        
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488    
4     Allegro 12:26        
5     Adagio 5:58        
6     Allegro assai 8:27
Credits:
Acoustic Bass – Benoît Dunoyer de Segonzac
Composed By – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Drums – André Arpino
Piano – Jacques Loussier
with Strig Orchestra:
Jean Claude Auclin - Cello
David Braccini - Violin
Vincent Debruyne - Viola
David Naulin - Violin
Paul Rouger - Violin
Jacques Saint-Yves - Violin
Richard Schmoucler - Violin
Renaud Stahl - Viola
Mathilde Sternat - Cello
Mathias Tranchant - Violin

JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - Schumann : Kinderszenen (2011) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Over the years, third stream music has been criticized in both the jazz and Euro-classical worlds. Jazz snobs have argued that if a jazz musician is playing something by Beethoven or Chopin, he/she can't possibly maintain an improviser's mentality; classical snobs will argue that great classical works need to be played exactly as they were written, and that jazz artists can't possibly do the compositions of Schubert or Debussy justice if they improvise. Thankfully, Jacques Loussier hasn't paid attention to the naysayers in either the jazz or classical worlds, and after all these years, the French pianist (who turned 76 in 2010) is still taking chances. This 2011 release finds Loussier putting his spin on Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), which German romanticist Robert Schumann (born 1810, died 1856) composed in 1838. Schumann turned 28 that year, and he wrote that nostalgic, 13-song work in memory of his childhood. Loussier (who forms an acoustic piano trio with bassist Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac and drummer André Arpino) performs Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) in its entirety, and he approaches it not as European classical music, but as acoustic post-bop jazz. Thankfully, Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) is appropriate for Loussier, who maintains the 13 songs' nostalgic outlook but does so in a consistently jazz-oriented fashion. Loussier sounds like he is fondly remembering his own childhood, which came about long after Schumann's. Indeed, Loussier was born in 1934, which was 96 years after Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) was composed and 78 years after Schumann's death; Loussier grew up surrounded by a lot of music and technology that didn't exist when Schumann was a kid. But the more things change, the more they stay the same, and nostalgia continues to inspire musicians today just as it did in Schumann's pre-jazz, pre-electricity, pre-records time. This 49-minute CD is among Loussier's creative successes; his experimentation hasn't always worked, but it works impressively well for him on this imaginative interpretation of Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood). by Alex Henderson 
Tracklist:
1     Von Fremden Ländern Und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands & People)     2:52
2     Kuriose Geschichte (A Curious Story)     1:41
3     Haschemann (Blind Man's Bluff)     3:17
4     Bittendes Kind (Pleading Child)     2:56
5     Glückes Genug (Happy Enough)     3:01
6     Wichtige Begebenheit (An Important Event)     2:54
7     Traümerei (Dreaming)     9:54
8     Am Kamin (At The Fireside)     3:16
9     Ritter Vom Steckenpferd (Knight Of The Hobby Horse)     3:36
10     Fast Zu Ernst (Almost Too Serious)     6:03
11     Fürchtenmachen (Frightening)     2:30
12     Kind Im Einschlummern (Child Falling Asleep)     4:19
13     Der Dichter Spricht (The Poet Speaks)     3:04
Credits:
Bass – Benoit Dunoyer De Segonzac
Drums – Andre Arpino
Piano – Jacques Loussier

JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - Vivaldi : The Four Seasons (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Pianist Jacques Loussier has certainly had an unusual career, much of it spent performing jazz interpretations of Bach's music. While his original works have been noteworthy, Loussier's most famous projects have been his transformations of Bach's music. In 1997 he tackled Vivaldi's Four Seasons, four concertos that he performed and recorded with his trio. As with Bach's pieces, Loussier pays respect to Vivaldi's melodies and the development of the works while swinging the music. He divides each of the concertos into three parts, improvises tastefully while keeping the themes in mind, and leads his trio through some uncharted territory. Loussier occasionally recalls the style of John Lewis and Allegro Non Molto from the Summer piece has some resemblances to Lewis' "Django." Due to Loussier's impressive technique, respect for both idioms and his well thought-out concept, this unique set is a complete by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
La Primavera - Spring (Concerto No. 1 In E Major)    
L'Estate - Summer (Concerto No. 2 In G Minor)    
L'Autunno - Autumn (Concerto No. 3 In F Major)    
L'Inverno - Winter (Concerto No. 4 In F Minor)     
Credits:
Composed By – Vivaldi
Double Bass – Vincent Charbonnier
Drums – André Arpino
Piano, Producer, Arranged By – Jacques Loussier

JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - Satie : Gymnopédies • Gnossiennes (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 
Tracklist:
1     Gymnopédie No.1 / Var.1     4:35
2     Gymnopédie No.1 / Var. 2     4:32
3     Gnossienne No.3     4:25
4     Gnossienne No.6     5:22
5     Gnossienne No.2     4:16
6     Gymnopédie No.1 / Var. 3     5:03
7     Gnossienne No.4     7:08
8     Gnossienne No.5     4:12
9     Gymnopédie No.1 / Var. 4     3:42
10     Gnossienne No.1     3:52
11     Pas À Pas     3:44
Credits:
Bass – Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac
Drums – André Arpino
Piano – Jacques Loussier
 

JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - Ravel's Bolero (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ravel: Bolero continues Jacques Loussier's series of jazz-inspired interpretations of classical music. His version of "Bolero" emphasizes the hypnotic, rhythmic structure of the work, and highlights his inspired, energetic playing. by Heather Phares
Tracklist:
1     Ravel's Boléro 17:10
    Arranged By – Jacques Loussier
    Nympheás
2     I. Allegro 6:06
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
3     II. Andante 5:41
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
4     III. Vivace 5:23
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
5     IV. Largo 5:57
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
6     V. Presto 3:50
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
7     VI. Cantabile 3:03
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
8     VII. Prestissimo 4:09
    Composed By – Jacques Loussier
Credits:
Bass – Benoît Dunoyer de Segonzac
Drums – André Arpino
Piano – Jacques Loussier

JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - The Music of Debussy (2000) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

When Jacques Loussier gave the music of Johann Sebastian Bach the jazz treatment (as others, notably the Modern Jazz Quartet, had before him), it worked really well. The tumbling flow of Bach's contrapuntal lines, the square rhythms that just beg to be played with a swing feel -- everything about Bach that makes his music the farthest thing from jazz seems to make jazz adaptations inevitable. The French composer Claude Debussy is a less obvious choice, and on this album you see why. Debussy was a much more impressionistic composer, and his music doesn't have either the rhythmic vitality or the sense of driving tonal logic that fuels the music of Bach. That makes it harder to fit his compositions into a jazz context. That Loussier succeeds as much as he does is a compliment to his sensitivity as a pianist and to his trio's ability to work with him intuitively. Loussier's renditions of "Prelude a l'Apres-Midi d'un Faune" and "Reverie" sound a lot like Bill Evans at his most ethereal; things pick up a bit on "L'Isle Joyeuse," but even that relatively energetic track is pretty well lacking in swing. The final result is music that doesn't sound much like jazz, but is quite enjoyable anyway. by Rick Anderson 
Tracklist:
1    Clair de Lune 8:03       
2    Prelude a l'Apres-Midi d'Un Faune 10:47  
3    Araesque 6:23       
4    La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin 4:43  
5    L' Isle Joyeuse 6:06   
6    Reverie 5:10   
7    La Cathédrale Engloutie 6:23  
8    Syrinx 3:54
Credits:
Piano, Arranged By – Jacques Loussier
Bass – Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac
Composed By – Claude Debussy
Drums – André Arpino

JACQUES LOUSSIER - Solo Piano : Impressions on Chopin's Nocturnes (2004) Mp3

Jacques Loussier has made a career out of playing classical themes in a jazz setting. Born in France in 1934, he came to fame in the late 1950s with his Play Bach Trio, a group that stayed together 20 years, transforming the themes of Bach into creative and melodic jazz. Since then he has put together another trio in which he interprets not just the music of Bach but Beethoven, Debussy, Ravel, Satie and other classical giants. This set (which is subtitled Impressions on Chopin's Nocturnes) is a bit of a departure in that Loussier performs Frédéric Chopin's 21 nocturnes as unaccompanied piano solos. Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op, 9., No. 2 is the most famous of these melodies although a few of the other nocturnes may be familiar even to non-classical listeners. Generally Loussier states the right-hand melody while altering the patterns written for the left-hand, and then builds from there. The essence of Chopin's music is retained while Loussier is free to improvise his own ideas based on the themes. Most of his interpretations are gentle and subtle while never neglecting the rich melodies, and the treatments are at times slightly reminiscent of early film music and ragtime. Classical purists may not love this approach but they should be thankful, for Jacques Loussier has consistently introduced the beauty of classical music to jazz listeners. This is a very enjoyable set. by Scott Yanow

JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - Bach : The Brandenburgs (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Depending on who you talk to, the third stream movement of the '50s was either an absolute blessing or an absolute curse. There are racial separatists who claim that third stream was an assault on African-American culture because it tried to "whiten" jazz, and there are equally silly individuals who insist that Beethoven and Mozart were jazz musicians but that Chick Corea, Michael Brecker and Pat Metheny are not. Discussions of third stream tend to inspire moronic comments from both pro-third stream and anti-third stream people, but the bottom line is that third stream has had both its ups and downs creatively (more ups than downs). Not everything that French pianist Jacques Loussier (one of Europe's leading third stream proponents) has recorded is great -- some of his jazz/Euro-classical experiments have worked well, some not so well -- but his risk-taking spirit clearly serves him well on Bach: The Brandenburgs. This 2006 recording finds Loussier's trio (which also includes bassist Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac and drummer André Arpino) interpreting the six Brandenburg concertos that Johann Sebastian Bach (b. 1685, d. 1750) composed between 1708 and 1720, and interpret is definitely the operative word. Unlike a musician who plays Euro-classical music exclusively, Loussier does not play Bach's material note for note; he improvises, offering personal and introspective performances. Loussier is quite tasteful, and he makes Bach's compositions sound perfectly natural in a jazz setting. Bach: The Brandenburgs is not recommended to classical purists; this is an album for jazz piano enthusiasts who also happen to appreciate Bach's legacy, and those who fit that description will find Bach: The Brandenburgs to be one of Loussier's more lucid and artistically successful offerings. by Alex Henderson 
Tracklist:
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046   
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047   
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048   
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049   
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050   
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051
Credits:
Bass – Benoit Dunoyer De Segonzac
Drums – Andre Arpino
Piano – Jacques Loussier

EDDIE HIGGINS - Zoot's Hymns (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pianist Eddie Higgins alternates trio outings (also including bassist Phil Flannigan and drummer Danny Burger) with quartet performances that feature the cool-toned tenor of John Doughten on this consistently swinging set. "Zoot's Hymns" is a Higgins original that sets the tone for the CD (of which many but not all of the songs were formerly performed by Zoot Sims); other highlights include "The Red Door," "In Your Own Sweet Way," "Hi Fly," and "'Tis Autumn."  by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1    Red Door 4:37   
Gerry Mulligan, Zoot Sims
2    In Your Own Sweet Way 6:33
 Dave Brubeck
3    Zoot's Hymns 6:12   
 Eddie Higgins
4    Gabriela/Marina 5:20   
 Antonio Carlos Jobim
5    Come Rain or Come Shine 7:05
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
6    Waltz for Allison 5:49   
 Eddie Higgins
7    Image 4:35   
Luis Eça   
8    Hi-Fly 6:23   
Randy Weston
9    'Tis Autumn 5:07
Henry Nemo
10    Red Blouse 6:08   
Antonio Carlos Jobim   
11    When Your Lover Has Gone 4:25   
Einar A. Swan
Credits:
Bass – Phil Flanigan
Drums – Danny Burger
Piano – Eddie Higgins
Tenor Saxophone – John Doughten

EDDIE HIGGINS TRIO - Dear Old Stockholm (2003) 24K GOLD CD / APE (image+.cue), lossless

 

Tracklist:
1    Moonlight Becomes You 5:06
Written-By – J. Van Heusen
2    More Than You Know 5:16
Written-By – V. Youmans
3    Nardis 4:31
Written-By – M. Davis
4    Over The Rainbow 4:57
Written-By – H. Arlen
5    Dear Old Stockholm 5:50
Written-By – Trad
6    I Remember Clifford 5:17
Written-By – B. Golson
7    You And The Night And The Music 6:19
Written-By – A. Schwartz
8    If You Could See Me Now 5:30
Written-By – T. Dameron
9    Again 4:48
Written-By – L. Newman
10    We Will Be Together Again 4:02
Written-By – C. Fisher, F. Laine
11    Witchcraft 7:11
Written-By – C. Coleman
12    It Never Entered My Mind 5:22
Written-By – R. Rodgers
13    Stella By Starlight 5:19
Written-By – V. Young
14    Blame It On My Youth 4:45
Written-By – O. Levant
Credits:
Bass – Jay Leonhart
Drums – Joe Ascione
Piano – Eddie Higgins