“Jazzing the Classics” is anything but new. Jazz versions of Classical pieces have been around since the early part of the twentieth century. Such folks as Art Tatum, the Dorsey brothers, Glenn Miller, Woody Herman, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Wayne Shorter, to name just a few, have per- formed their own arrangements of well-known Classical compositions. And the Jazz pianist Jacques Loussier was famous for his interpreta- tions of Bach, Debussy, and others. Some of those previous efforts were serious and some were light- hearted. Lenny Marcus’s The Jazz of Beethoven is serious without being somber.
Marcus is a fine pianist with numerous CDs to his credit. With a conventional piano trio aug-mented by a percussionist, Marcus treats some of Beethoven’s most famous works with respect while clothing them in clever arrangements and utilizing them as vehicles for personal improvisa- tion. In doing so, he might add a Latin underpin- ning, as he does to “Waldstein Two,” which also alludes to a phrase in Dizzy Gillespie’s “Manteca.” Or perform “Für Elise” in 5/4, in the manner of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.” Or give “Ode to Joy” a bluesy, earthy groove with a strong backbeat.
All of this works because Beethoven’s original melodies are tuneful and lend themselves to these kinds of treatments and because the arrange- ments are intelligent and well-executed. The trio’s performances, including Marcus’s improvisations on the Beethoven material, would be judged excellent regardless of context.
David Franklin
January 5, 2012 | Categories: Album News | Leave A Comment »
JazzTimes has posted a review of my CD, “The Jazz of Beethoven.” Thanks to all the musicians and engineers involved in helping make this album.
“If classical music can be criticized for something, is for the relegation of rhythm in favor of the development of melodic and harmonic sophistication. It is precisely the rhythmic complexity that comes from Africa, found in jazz and afro caribbean music, their greatest advantage of these music forms over classical music.”
You can read the rest of the review by clicking here.
January 5, 2012 | Categories: Album News | Leave A Comment »
Just as the title suggests. There are more dates added to the show list. There are a few album projects in the works. I will release more details as they become available.
Thanks for listening.
February 28, 2011 | Categories: Album News, Tour News | Leave A Comment »
You can buy my CDs in record numbers. I’ve put together some box sets to help promote some upcoming releases. Right now, you can click on the cart buttons to the bottom right column. I will post better descriptions on the Discography page soon. You can also buy these box through my Facebook store on my Fan page. You can get to my fanpage by clicking on the my name in the Facebook box to your right. Then, click on the Shop Now tab.
Thanks for listening!
July 9, 2010 | Categories: Album News | Leave A Comment »
JazzTimes has posted a review of my CD, “The Jazz of Beethoven.” Thanks to all the musicians and engineers involved in helping make this album.
