Blues on Bach

This is just a great selection of music by one of the all time great Jazz quartets. Hearing John Lewis playing the harpsichord and Milt Jackson on the vibes on the Bach pieces never fails to put a smile on my face. Just beautiful. This is the album that turned me on to MJQ when it was first released. Just a great overall performance.

Ok, it's not a straight-ahead jazz recording, and there might be something incongruous about playing Bach on the vibes, but this is serious stuff to be taken seriously. Serious and/or classical composers allowed for a certain amount of spontaniety or improvisation in some of their compositions--particularly their concerti. Why not show off the genius of both jazz and classical compositions--especially when they are as well done as they are in the hands of MJQ? I think this is a great recording, and in all probability, one that is under-appreciated.

Actually my rating would be about 3.5 stars. No, this is not the best MJQ material available. And no, if you're new to MJQ, don't start here -- unless you're coming to them with a classical background. I like Bach and I like MJQ--so I had to like this one. However, I wish Lewis had done a whole CD with the Bach material and another one with the blues material, expanding each concept to a full CD of material. Each type is worth listening to and in each format Lewis and MJQ had something interesting to say. The alternating track format is, to my ears, jarring -- I'm just getting "into" Lewis doing Bach on harpsicord and we're back to the jazz/blues format. But even that doesn't stop me from enjoying the music--and it is very enjoyable, indeed. Listening to the Bach tracks with vibes and harpsicord working the theme is good stuff! Lewis' treatment of the Bach themes is very interesting--you'll never miss the basic theme but he manages nice touches to rework and embellish. The blues/jazz tracks are stronger and begin to show what MJQ is all about. If you're new to MJQ go get a couple others first (Fontessa would be a better starting point). Then, if you're like me and enjoy Bach and MJQ then get this one, its a natural. If you're extending a collection of MJQ then this one is worthwhile mainly because of its uniqueness.

This replaced an old audio cassette recording. It’s a wonderful way for new listeners to become acquainted with a unique group of jazz musicians.

... John Lewis felt an urge to make this recording. I admire pianist Lewis's admiration for JS Bach, and I can imagine that for some MJQ fans such a recording would have been an epiphany. But this performance is a lot more fun to think about than to listen to. Lewis's other recording of Bach -- two CDs of the preludes and fugues, available now on a Japanese label -- are worth hearing as a kind of relaxed cocktail Bach, but this CD is one to skip. Even a three-star rating is a kind of homage to the MJQ, reflecting my many hours of pleasure listening to their other recordings. What's wrong with it? Well, the tracks based on Bach compositions are just simply ugly to my ears. Lewis plays some sort of harpsichord on them, but he has no idea of harpsichord technique. Whatever it is, his harpsichord has a wretched excuse for timbre, sounding like a galvanized washtub with strings. Milt Jackson exaggerates the 'vibrato' of his vibraphone painfully, and there's a jangling arhythmic clatter behind this already ear-jittering tinkle, which I assume comes from mice dancing on the cymbals or cowbells. If I ever listen to this CD again, it will be with the remote in hand, in order to skip these reverent but misconceived efforts to render Bach as "cool jazz". The other tracks, cool blues renditions of 'standards' in a succession of keys -- B minor, A minor, C minor, H minor -- are pleasant listening, not the MJQ at their most brilliant but not unworthy of the ensemble.

This has always been one of my favorite records, right from the time it was first released. Maybe I should buy another CD, just in case it goes out of print. They wouldn't let that happen again, would they?

This is excellent jazz. It's a very good example of the MJQ's work -- which has set an extraordinarily high standard.

Record in good conditions, sound grest.

Si eres fan de los Jazz Messengers pero también te gusta la música de Bach, este disco no debe faltar en tu colección.

Bach e' un genio, il jazz e' anima e cuore; il connubio e' un piacere indescrivibile da gustare in ogni occasione.

梱包が丁寧で、新品の感じでした。

Excellent disque. Des classiques de Bach que l’on retrouve en blues . Très belles découvertes. Groupe donne une interprétation très intéressante

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