Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Claude Bolling & Jean-Pierre Rampal ~ Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio


THE STORY OF A MUSICAL PHENOMENON
The idea of associating jazz with classical has often inspired musical personalities as diverse as George Gershwin, Dave Brubeck, Jacques Loussier, and even groups such as the Modern Jazz Quartet or the Swingle Singers. As far as Claude Boiling is concerned, this type of experience was first approached in 1965 with the "jazz Gang Amadeus Mozart", a savory recording in the form of a musical gag, where the "Turkish March" canters towards unbridled dixieland jazz, tinted with Spike Jones humor.

Later on, the young pianist Jean-Bernard Pommier, winner of the Tchaikovsky prize, who had performed with Claude Boiling in several televi­sion programs, asked him to compose a piece based on a dialogue between two pianos, one jazz, the other classical. From this exchange between two musical languages joining together in a single creation, the "Sonata for two pianists" was born in 1972, the first landmark in what the Americans would soon call "Crossover Music". Claude Boiling recalls, "The Sonata had just been released when I met Jean-Pierre Rampal whose truly exceptional talent I much appreciated. He told me 'I love jazz without knowing how to play it, but I dream of working with jazz musicians. Write something that stays in the classical field for my flute and in the jazz idiom for you.' I took this request seriously, considering it a real challenge. It was a rather crazy bet!"  As the weeks passed, three themes emerged from Claude Boiling's mind. Jean-Pierre Rampal heard them, liked them, and encouraged the composer to continue. When the number of compositions necessary for an album was achieved, the two accomplices decided to move on to the recording, adding Max Hediguer on double bass and Marcel Sabiani on drums. The "Suite for Flute" was born.

tracks
1. Baroque And Blue (5:18)
2. Sentimentale (7:45)
3. Javanaise (5:22)
4. Fugace (3:54)
5. Irlandaise (3:03)
6. Versatile (with Bass Flute) (5:09)
7. Véloce (3:39)

Baroque and Blue

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