Performance of classical pieces in a jazz mode goes back to the beginning of jazz and even further, to the practice of "ragging the classics."
Bach, with the regular harmonic rhythm of Baroque music, has been a favorite in this regard, but
Debussy, with his unique scales, has also made an impact on, most famously but not exclusively,
Duke Ellington and
Miles Davis. Here's a fresh take on
Debussy from pianist
Jeremy Siskind and saxophonist
Andrew Rathbun. One novel aspect of the album is that the nine originals are present, straightforwardly played by pianist
Lori Sims. This is important because the improvisations of
Siskind and
Rathbun do not simply take
Debussy's general mood, themes, and collections of pitches as a starting point, but elaborate on
Debussy's compositions as they proceed. Some of the improvisations stay close to
Debussy's structures; others, especially
Siskind's, depart more, but the web of references in all cases is detailed. The nearest comparison is
Dan Tepfer's treatment of
Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, some years ago, but
Tepfer's improvisations matched the original variations in length; these are larger in scope. Often
Siskind begins with free material that brings to mind not jazz but a classical musician's improvisations of the old days, later he introducing jazz rhythms. This is a genuinely novel idea, and the whole album revives the somewhat moribund genre of jazz-classical fusion. ~ James Manheim