Jazz Fugue!

[Jazz]

I was wondering if someone might know something about this.

My friend and I were listening to records at our school music library and we came across a group that did a jazz fugue! Yep you heard me, it started out just like a Bach-style fugue, then they started swinging. I would really like to check this out, but I don't remember the name of the ensemble. Does anyone know anything about it?

[markvi]

there was a vocal group quite a while ago called the "swingle singers" and they did this very thing. it was interesting for a couple cuts on an album, but then it got rather redundant once the novelty wore off.

[hoochmonkey9]

I've never heard any of their stuff, but I think the Classical Jazz Quartet does that kind of thing, but they are a newer group. I think Stefon Harris is in it, and maybe Kenny Barron.

[gabegabrielsky]

There are many jazz fugues. A fantastic piano jazz fugue is Bernard Peiffer's Prelude and Fugue on Lullaby of Birdland. I believe it was on a Decca LP. Don't know if it has been released on CD. Maynard Ferguson's late 50s band played a tune called The Fugue, which I believe was a Slide Hampton chart.

[serjosha]

It could be Modern Jazz Quartet as well (they arranged many Bach compositions and John Lewis wrote several fugue-like pieces, too)

[serjosha]

MJQ lineup was, of course, piano (John Lewis), vibes (Milt Jackson), bass (Percy Heath) and drums (Connie Kay).
Just to help you guessing whether it matches with the group you heard

[François]

You should check Jacques Loussier Trio; they did a lot of recordings based on Bach music, and it swing !

[Iskra1903]

Also check out The Nice's 'Brandenburger'. They have a reputation of being a pompous prog-rock band, but they incorporated a lot of jazz in their music and 'Brandenburger' is one their best examples.

[pepperminta]

Ramsey lewis has a new album out - "time flies" - there is some classically-jazz stuff there (don't know if there any bach fugues)

also, on the "triplets of belleville" soundtrack, benoit charest did a clever interpretation on bach, called "jazzy bach" - i'd suggest that you check it out.

but definitely jacques loussier is the way to go....

claude bolling has music that sounds jazzy/classical...i've always enjoyed his works.

[codewarrior]

Wonder if he's talking about "Django"... Don't know if that's specifically a fugue, but it definately starts off in a baroque-ish fashion and then starts swinging.

[SatinDoll]

How about Kenny Burrell´s "Fugue ´n Blues" from "Introducing Kenny Burrell" (BLP 1523)?

[Dennis_M]

And then there is 'Passacaglia and Fugue', written by Hank Levy and played by the Don Ellis band.

[T.D.]

Uri Caine and his ensemble have done some things like this. He has a two-CD set based on Bach's "Goldberg Variations" that's gotten lots of attention, and also has recordings based on Schumann, Mahler and Wagner. Disclaimer: I haven't heard any of these recordings, but sound samples are widely available.

[pepperminta]

I would be interested to hear those - I like the goldberg variations on their own (i think gould plays them well) but it would be nice to see them with a jazz interpretation.

[Noj]

Reminds me of the Pretty Purdie & The Playboys track, "Funky Mozart." :banana:

[OnyaBirri]

Art Farmer - Baroque Sketches (Columbia)
Lalo Schifrin - Marquis de Sade (Verve)

[serjosha]

I would be interested to hear those - I like the goldberg variations on their own (i think gould plays them well) but it would be nice to see them with a jazz interpretation.

Well, Uri Caine's is not simply a "jazz" interpretation of Goldberg Variations.
It's, more precisely, a complete re-writing of Bach's work, that goes from baroque-like arrangement for viola da gamba to Haydn-esque or Rachmaninov-esque ones to cuban, klezmer, turntable, "lounge", hardbop, walzer, an many more (there are more than 70 variations).
Great cd, but be prepaired for something shocking! :eek: