The Piano Music of Alexis Weissenberg in Bloomington, MN

Combining
jazz
and European
classical
music is not something new.
Duke Ellington
,
James P. Johnson
, and
Louis Armstrong
were influenced by
music in the 1920s, and the third stream movement of the 1950s was all about fusing
and
. Nonetheless,
/
fusion
still has many possibilities in the 21st century, and acoustic pianist
Simon Mulligan
examines some of them on
The Piano Music of Alexis Weissenberg
. Recorded in 2001, this excellent CD finds
Mulligan
turning his attention to the work of composer
Alexis Weissenberg
. The age difference between
Weissenberg
is sizable; while
was born in 1929,
wasn't born until the 1970s. In other words,
is old enough to be
's grandfather. But the age difference didn't prevent the musicians from enjoying one another's company.
was present in the studio when this album was recorded, and
obviously has a strong feeling for his music.
plays with a great deal of emotion on
pieces such as
"Le Regret"
and the 30-minute
"Sonate en Etat de Jazz,"
both of which remind us just how appealing a combination
can be.
's haunting, evocative performances are not aimed at purists -- not
purists, not
purists. Rather,
favors a musical hybrid that has one foot in
and the other in European
. It is a combination that offers considerable rewards, but only if you are broad-minded enough to realize that
-- for all their differences -- are equally valid. Anyone who has spent a lot of time savoring the
Modern Jazz Quartet
or the experiments of
Gunther Schuller
should not have a problem absorbing
. ~ Alex Henderson