Bach: The Brandenburgs (Brandenburg Concertos)

Pianist Jacques Loussier and his trio - bassist Benoit Dunoyer and drummer Andre Arpino - once again bring their unique jazz perspective to the vast realm of classical music, setting their sights this time on one of the most revered and influential composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach.

In this recording, Loussier and his trio take on Bach's revered Brandenburg Concertos, deftly merging the master's keen, almost mathematical compositional style with the more freewheeling improvisational sensibility that has been at the foundation of jazz since the music's earliest years.

This new recording takes Loussier back to his roots, in interpreting the music of J.S. Bach with his trio. Because No. 5 was written for the harpsichord, and works so well as keyboard music, it is the focus of the album, and it is their most profound treatment of any of the concerti, because it has evolved in live performance with the trio over many years. However, for years, Loussier has refrained from tackling Bach's other five Brandenburg Concertos, in large part because they were not written for keyboard. Yet he does come up with some ingenious solutions on this recording to the longstanding instrumentation puzzle.