Jacques Dubochet

Avid Jazz here presents four classic Jacques Loussier albums, including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered double CD. “Plays Bach Volumes 1, 2 & 3”; “Jacques Loussier Joue Kurt Weill”.
Following in the footsteps of the renowned guitarist Django Reinhardt who had experimented with putting the swing into classical music before the war, here we present the French pianist and arranger Jacques Loussier with three volumes of his celebrated series, “Play Bach”. Accompanied as ever by Christian Garros on drums and Pierre Michelot on bass, Loussier shows us just how suited to the jazz idiom the music of the great classical composer was! Alongside the three “Play Bach” volumes we present the hard to find album “Jacques Loussier joue Kurt Weill” an album only released in France and up to now unavailable on CD! All four albums have been digitally re-mastered.

On their new album "Baroque in Blue", Eckart Runge & Jacques Ammon explore the field of tension between two musical epochs and genres that are separated by more than 200 years. Baroque and jazz have much more in common than one might think at first glance: walking basso continuo, the joy of spontaneity and, last but not least, the high art of improvisation.

Recorded in concert during his 2002 tour in support of his A L'Envers album, Jean-Jacques Goldman's live backing outfit showed themselves capable of many surprises, pulling out nuggets from their catalog as well as showcasing the latest album's tracks. As is usual with live French offerings, the audience plays a prime role in the proceedings on Un Tour Ensemble…

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.