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 success. ~ Scott Yanow