Jazz musicians playing Classical and vice versa.

[Abminor]

A recent post on Mozart's clarinet quintet mentioned Benny Goodman's famous recording which gets 'mixed' reviews.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3571

I was trying to think of other 'cross-over' artists and the degree of success of the venture.

Here's one going the other way that I find painful (but the same could be said of his classical stuff).

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And here's one I adore - probably my favourite recording of the Rhapsody in Blue -
Stefano Bollani, a ridiculously talented jazzman, with the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester under Chailly.

[Diapason]

Didn't Keith Jarrett record the Goldbergs? I don't know it myself, though.

[fergus]

I only dabble very lightly in the world of Jazz but I obviously know some of the names. I have this on vinyl and like it....

[Abminor]

I only dabble very lightly in the world of Jazz but I obviously know some of the names. I have this on vinyl and like it....

I heard a snatch of that on Radio 3 Building a Library Saturday week last when they were examining the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. It sounded wonderful and narrowly missed out on the overall recommendation. I think it has to be added to my wish list now.

[fergus]

I heard a snatch of that on Radio 3 Building a Library Saturday week last when they were examining the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. It sounded wonderful and narrowly missed out on the overall recommendation. I think it has to be added to my wish list now.

You might like to watch this [the sound quality is not the best]....

[Abminor]

You might like to watch this [the sound quality is not the best]....

Thanks for pointing me to that. Fascinating account and remarkably polite and restrained considering the participants involved....

[Seán]

Fascinating subject for a thread, I must post my thoughts later, however, for now this might be of interest.

On Saturday CD Review on BBC Radio 3 has a slot with the British Jazz trumpeter Guy Barker:

11.00am Guy Barker on newly released jazz interpretations of classical music

Guy Barker joins Andrew to discuss recent recordings of cornerstones from the classical repertoire, reinterpreted as jazz.

ReWrite of Spring
David Liebman (saxophone), Marilyn Mazur (percussion), Aarhus Jazz Orchestra, Lars Moller (conductor)
DACAPO 8226117-18 (2CD)

Bach to Parker
Thomas Gould (violin)
CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD078 (CD)

Peter and the Wolf and Jazz!
David Tennant (narrator), The Amazing Keystone Big Band
LE CHANT DU MONDE 2742378 (CD)

Duke Ellington: The Columbia Studio Albums Collection 1956-1961
Including: TCHAIKOVSKY arr. Ellington and Strayhorn: The Nutcracker Suite
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
SONY/LEGACY 88697938892 (10CD)

[fergus]

You might like to watch this [the sound quality is not the best]....

Thanks for pointing me to that. Fascinating account and remarkably polite and restrained considering the participants involved....

You are most welcome on the link and your comment on the polite and restrained performance is very true.

[Seán]

This is by no means a comprehensive list but rather might give one a taste of the extent of the crossover

Pianists
Jazz musicians who have dabbled in classical music include but is certainly not limited too:

The late, great Art Tatum:


Oscar Peterson:


As mentioned earlier Keith Jarrett has played and recorded performances of JS Bach’s music.

One of the earlier ‘pioneers’ was Jacques Louisser who with his trio have been performing JS Bach’s music for decades:


French big band leader Raymond Fol has recorded a big band version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasona:


and of course the incomparable Duke Ellington with Billy Strayhorn’s and Duke Ellington’s take on the Nutcracker suite:



Classical musicans playing Jazz include

Gunther Schuller composer and french horn

Friedrich Gulda pianist

French horn musician Willie Ruff who had to accept a job playing with Leinsdorf in Israel because as a black man he could not get a job in a symphony orchestra in the USA. His friend, pianist Dwight Mitchell, persuaded Willie to play Jazz instead; he never looked back


Yehudi Menuhin developed a great friendship with Stéphane Grapelli and they recorded several albums in the seventies and eighties:

[fergus]

Well done Seán!