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Art Deco Trio - Classical Changes
Peter Sparks - clarinet Kyle Horch - saxophone Iain Farrington - piano/arranger This recording features new versions of familiar Classical favourites with a jazz twist. These tunes are re-worked with added harmonic and rhythmic spice, delivered with humour, virtuosity and intimacy. Also included are arrangements of a group of English sea shanties, and a set of African-American spirituals. SOMM Recordings - SOMM CD 0663 Available on Spotify here |
Classical Changes - Art Deco Trio
CONTENTS:
1. The Bite of the Flumblebee (after Rimsky-Korsakov): 1:26
2. Valerie Takes a Ride (after Wagner): 4:20
3. Elise's Blues (after Beethoven): 4:27
4. Arrival Revival (after Handel): 2:14
5. One Night in Seville (after Bizet): 5:38
6. Jiffy Dance (after Bizet): 2:32
7. Saturday in the Park with Elgar (after Elgar): 3:00
8. Country Breaks (after Beethoven): 3:40
9. Jim's Nobody (after Satie): 4:49
10. Hungarian High-Five (after Brahms): 4:14
11. 3am Lullaby (after Brahms): 3:51
12. There's a Storm Brewing (after Vivaldi): 2:28
A Sea Shanty Shake-up:
13. What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor: 2:24
14. Lowlands: 2:29
15. Sailor's Hornpipe: 2:14
Lay my Burden Down (based on African-American Spirituals):
16. When I Lay My Burden Down: 2:54
17. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child: 4:41
18. Amazing Grace: 6:50
19. Steal Away: 4:41
20. Every Time I Feel the Spirit: 4:10
Total: 73'03
In the early decades of the 20th century, the new and exciting sounds of American jazz were captivating listeners across the Western world. Through the medium of gramophone records and radio, this highly energetic and toe-tapping music reached a wide and enthusiastic audience.
The musical material was a mixture of new work and arrangements of popular songs, by the likes of Irving Berlin and George Gershwin. One notable (and somewhat controversial) area in the genre was the reworking of Classical music, so-called “Jazzing the Classics”. Familiar and popular Classical melodies were reinvented as dance tunes, taking them out of their original sober environment into one that was more intoxicated. These Classical melodies were used partly to avoid paying royalties to living composers, but also to reach the broadest audience and to add a touch of old-school respectability.
Stride pianists such as Art Tatum and James P. Johnson drew inspiration from the Classical piano repertoire, transforming well-known tunes into brilliant display pieces of mind-boggling virtuosity. Jazz musicians would continue to explore the rich potential of Classical music throughout the century, from the gentle embellishments of Jacques Loussier to the full-blown Big Band suites of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. This album presents new versions of familiar works with a jazz twist. Some of them remain close to the originals, with added harmonic and rhythmic spice, while others are entirely new compositions that draw on the main melodic elements of the Classical works. In the tradition of Ellington, new titles are given to each piece, either as a pun on the original, or as a humorous tribute. Other pieces given a jazzy twist are a group of English sea shanties, and a set of African-American spirituals.
Reviews
Classical Music Sentinel
Sometimes, and more so at this time of year, we all need a breath of fresh air, or to shake things up a bit to pull us out of the cold storage that is winter. And musically speaking, this new recording by the Art Deco Trio with Peter Sparks (clarinet), Kyle Horch (saxophone) and Iain Farrington (piano), may very well do the trick. Just like how Claude Bolling and/or Jacques Loussier reached a large audience in the past with their unique stylings of classical music transformed into jazz, the clever and sometimes tongue-in-cheek arrangements by Iain Farrington of these famous and highly popular classical pieces, make the music jump off the page.
The titles alone, like Valerie Takes a Ride, The Bite of the Flumblebee, Hungarian High-Five, hint at the comic relief injected into some of the music. But it's not all fun and games here, as these arrangements have all been masterfully crafted and at times inflict high technical demands on all three musicians. And on the flip side of the coin, pieces like Jim's Nobody and Elise's Blues elicit a high degree of expressive touches from the players.
Many attempts by others in the past to effectively fuse classical and jazz elements have proven detrimental to the music, and in my opinion proved to be blasphemous in respect to the composer's intent. Such is not the case here. Despite the main melodies sometimes being subjected to many harmonic permutations and jazzy rhythms, everything sounds fresh, well structured, and especially invigorating, just like removing our winter boots and slipping into well-worn running shoes.
Jean-Yves Duperron
CONTENTS:
1. The Bite of the Flumblebee (after Rimsky-Korsakov): 1:26
2. Valerie Takes a Ride (after Wagner): 4:20
3. Elise's Blues (after Beethoven): 4:27
4. Arrival Revival (after Handel): 2:14
5. One Night in Seville (after Bizet): 5:38
6. Jiffy Dance (after Bizet): 2:32
7. Saturday in the Park with Elgar (after Elgar): 3:00
8. Country Breaks (after Beethoven): 3:40
9. Jim's Nobody (after Satie): 4:49
10. Hungarian High-Five (after Brahms): 4:14
11. 3am Lullaby (after Brahms): 3:51
12. There's a Storm Brewing (after Vivaldi): 2:28
A Sea Shanty Shake-up:
13. What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor: 2:24
14. Lowlands: 2:29
15. Sailor's Hornpipe: 2:14
Lay my Burden Down (based on African-American Spirituals):
16. When I Lay My Burden Down: 2:54
17. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child: 4:41
18. Amazing Grace: 6:50
19. Steal Away: 4:41
20. Every Time I Feel the Spirit: 4:10
Total: 73'03
In the early decades of the 20th century, the new and exciting sounds of American jazz were captivating listeners across the Western world. Through the medium of gramophone records and radio, this highly energetic and toe-tapping music reached a wide and enthusiastic audience.
The musical material was a mixture of new work and arrangements of popular songs, by the likes of Irving Berlin and George Gershwin. One notable (and somewhat controversial) area in the genre was the reworking of Classical music, so-called “Jazzing the Classics”. Familiar and popular Classical melodies were reinvented as dance tunes, taking them out of their original sober environment into one that was more intoxicated. These Classical melodies were used partly to avoid paying royalties to living composers, but also to reach the broadest audience and to add a touch of old-school respectability.
Stride pianists such as Art Tatum and James P. Johnson drew inspiration from the Classical piano repertoire, transforming well-known tunes into brilliant display pieces of mind-boggling virtuosity. Jazz musicians would continue to explore the rich potential of Classical music throughout the century, from the gentle embellishments of Jacques Loussier to the full-blown Big Band suites of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. This album presents new versions of familiar works with a jazz twist. Some of them remain close to the originals, with added harmonic and rhythmic spice, while others are entirely new compositions that draw on the main melodic elements of the Classical works. In the tradition of Ellington, new titles are given to each piece, either as a pun on the original, or as a humorous tribute. Other pieces given a jazzy twist are a group of English sea shanties, and a set of African-American spirituals.
Reviews
Classical Music Sentinel
Sometimes, and more so at this time of year, we all need a breath of fresh air, or to shake things up a bit to pull us out of the cold storage that is winter. And musically speaking, this new recording by the Art Deco Trio with Peter Sparks (clarinet), Kyle Horch (saxophone) and Iain Farrington (piano), may very well do the trick. Just like how Claude Bolling and/or Jacques Loussier reached a large audience in the past with their unique stylings of classical music transformed into jazz, the clever and sometimes tongue-in-cheek arrangements by Iain Farrington of these famous and highly popular classical pieces, make the music jump off the page.
The titles alone, like Valerie Takes a Ride, The Bite of the Flumblebee, Hungarian High-Five, hint at the comic relief injected into some of the music. But it's not all fun and games here, as these arrangements have all been masterfully crafted and at times inflict high technical demands on all three musicians. And on the flip side of the coin, pieces like Jim's Nobody and Elise's Blues elicit a high degree of expressive touches from the players.
Many attempts by others in the past to effectively fuse classical and jazz elements have proven detrimental to the music, and in my opinion proved to be blasphemous in respect to the composer's intent. Such is not the case here. Despite the main melodies sometimes being subjected to many harmonic permutations and jazzy rhythms, everything sounds fresh, well structured, and especially invigorating, just like removing our winter boots and slipping into well-worn running shoes.
Jean-Yves Duperron