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 I had not listened to Loussier's arrangements before this spring, when I
got as a present for my name day "The Bach Book", an anthology
of Bach's works played by Loussier's jazz trio. It's very welcome, seeing
your interest reborn, in a time when even Swingle Singers sound academic!
More conservative than his previous recordings of Bach, however, -or because
of this-, Loussier's Golberg Variations (@ TELARC)
maintains the unity of the original work, without becoming trivial. This
balance between a devotion to the original and a peculiarity of the
interpretation make this Goldbergs sound like a study on Bach's
music, 32 dancing comments, a meta-music, more than a, however alive and
innovative, arrangement of a work past (-Uri Kaine's view, for example,
belongs to the second category, although not-that-innovative as it might
want to be or appear). Whether you like Bach or jazz, or both, chances
are you will love this disk.
Cf Flibbert
J. Goosty's review at "all about jazz": "(...) Although
Loussier has recorded several interpretive discs of Bach's music, this
disc represents both a challenge and a departure from previous efforts.
First off, Loussier has undertaken to record these variations in their
entirety; all 32 of them. Many of the pieces are under two minutes in
length- Louisser has chosen mostly to work within the confines of the
actual written material, rather than embellish these pieces with extended
jazz improvisations. Then there is the subject of melodic complexity:
These variations are among Bach's most difficult works, placing great
physical demands on anyone wishing to play them. Louisser deals with this
through masterful orchestration; in some cases giving parts originally
written out for the piano's left hand to bassist Benoit Dunoyer De
Segonzac. Drummer Andre'Arpino's role is largely one of adding a
percussive layer to Bach's written rhythmic structure, reinforcing time
and meter, while adding to the trio's textural resonance.(...)", and
Srajan Ebaen's at SoundStage:"(...)Bach’s Goldberg Variations à la
Loussier might thus be an album that is most appreciable for fellow
pianists and those for whom the technical aspects of translating this
challenging work into the jazz milieu are juicy enough to make up for the
somewhat narrow accessibility. Everything that makes Loussier special is
in full evidence here. Not even a hair is out of place. Perhaps this is in
some ways even a pinnacle, a Grand Styling Event (...)".
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