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 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 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