John Lewis : J. S. Bach, preludes & fugues : Vol.1

John Lewis, piano Joel Lester, violin Lois Martin, viola Howard Collins, guitar Marc Johnson, bass 1 Prelude No. 1 2:58 2 Fugue No. 1 7:53 jump to : 3:01 3 Prelude No. 2 3:17 jump to : 11:04 4 Fugue No. 2 4:14 jump to : 14:26 5 Prelude No. 6 3:29 jump to : 18:47 6 Fugue No. 6 5:43 jump to : 22:20 7 Prelude No. 7 6:27 jump to : 28:11 8 Fugue No. 7 3:25 jump to : 34:41 9 Prelude No. 21 3:52 jump to : 38:15 10 Fugue No. 21 4:39 jump to : 42:10 11 Prelude No. 22 5:30 jump to : 46:55 12 Fugue No. 22 3:58 jump to : 52:28 Classical and known composition of course, but this is not classical music. This is jazz, or may be better to call it third stream, a cross-over between classical music and jazz. Jazzing the classics is something that has been done many times but it’s really amazing how Lewis built his astonishing rendition around, and inside, the Well Tempered Clavier. He subtitled the work « The Bridge Game ». The most disconcerting version I ever heard. Much better than the K. Jarret’s ridiculous one using a harpsichord. I don’t really care about J. Pareles ( N.Y. Times) sending flowers to Jarret ( the media darling) and trying to destroy Lewis’ work. For my own taste, this is a stylish and technical exploit. Just sayin’.