KCOU JAZZ
February 9th, 2025
The show touches on the musicians’ technical brilliance often overlooked by critics, part of the historical tension between classical and jazz genres.
Songs Included
Bud Powell | Bud on Bach | Bud (1957)
In under three minutes, Bud on Bach blends baroque clarity with bebop precision to reimagine Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s 1766 composition Solfeggietto. In a sharp, concise display of his technical command of both classical and jazz piano, Bud examines the interspaces between the two genres. Perhaps most impressive is his management of feel and time after stripping his trio away.
Grant Green | Symphony No. 40 in G Minor | Visions (1971)
In this interpretation of Mozart’s 1788 Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, Grant Green channels classical form through electric guitar tone and jaunty groove. By swinging Mozart’s original melody, Green opens the pocket for vibraphone and congas. The tight-knit septet offers a more intimate take on a typically grand orchestra pieece.
On this piece, Green trades orchestral grandeur for expressive guitar lines and rhythmic subtlety. Exploring the intersection of precision and feel, Green honors Mozart’s original melodic contours while also dressing the melody in funk.
The Swingle Singers | Fugue: Sonata No. 37 | Anyone for Mozart, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi (1986)
Known for their swinging vocal arrangements, the Swingle Singers interpret Mozart’s Prelude and Fugue: Sonata in C Major K.394 No. 37 (1782) as a playful, mid-60s a cappella piece. Mirroring Mozart’s arpeggiated staccato style, the Singers trade classical instrumentation with tight vocal harmonies and jazz-inflected rhythm.
Gerry Mulligan | Prelude in E Minor | Night Lights (1963)
On Prelude in E Minor, Gerry Mulligan’s sextet plays Frederic Chopin’s late 1830s composition through the lens of cool jazz. Anchored by a subtle cross-stick drum pattern, the version transforms Chopin’s somber prelude into a subdued samba. Softening the original’s Romantic-era tension, the ensemble crafts a nocturnal, chamber-like texture, with flugelhorn, baritone saxophone, and trombone weaving beautiful melodic lines throughout.
Chet Baker | Swan Lake | Studio Trieste (1982)
Chet Baker’s take on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake reimagines the 19th-century ballet as a spacious jazz epic in multiple acts. The track swirls open with an emotional retelling from flutist Hubert Laws, before Steve Gadd’s drum fill kicks the rest of the ensemble into action. Flowing through soloists and styles, the group transforms one of classical music’s most iconic melodies into something dreamlike and coolly expressive.
Bill Evans | B Minor Waltz (For Ellaine) | You Must Believe in Spring (1981)
Though not a direct classical cover, Bill Evans’ B Minor Waltz reflects classical influence in both title and tone. Written as a quiet, melancholic elegy for his former partner, the piece is both lyrical and harmonically rich. Joined by Eddie Gomez on bass and Eliot Zigmund on drums, Evans’ crafts a restrained, introspective atmosphere. After soft brushes and muted phrasing, Zigmund’s final cymbal crash lands with moving weight.Duke Ellington | Peanut Brittle Brigade | The Nutcracker Suite (1960)
A sweet take on Tchaikovsky’s March, Peanut Brittle Brigade comes from Duke Ellington’s jazz adaptation of the Nutcracker Suite, arranged with Billy Strayhorn and performed by his big band. This track reworks the iconic 1891 ballet into a swinging, brass-forward piece full of Ellington’s signature rhythmic flair and tonal color. With sharp horn hits and playful syncopation, Ellington transforms a classical staple into something unmistakably his own.
Yusef Lateef | First Gymnopédie | Psychicemotus (1966)
Yusef Lateef brings contemplative class to this interpretation of Erik Satie’s First Gymnopédie (1888). Lateef’s rendition hangs in anxious anticipation, using unconventional percussion and soulful flute to blend classical minimalism with spiritual jazz. A frequent explorer of European themes in his career, Lateef also reworked pieces like Love Theme from Spartacus and Medula Sonata, expanding the boundaries of jazz with every arrangement.Art Tatum | Humoresque 8 | Various Recordings (1933–1950s)
In this piece, pianist Art Tatum brings jaunty virtuosity to Antonín Dvořák’s Humoresque, composed in 1894. A piece Tatum returned to multiple times in his career, this rendition showcases his dazzling runs, harmonic revoicings, and rhythmic freedom. Even in this brief interpretation, he moves effortlessly between a familiar classical melody and a high-wire act of solo jazz piano.
Kamasi Washington | Clair de Lune | The Epic (2015)
Kamasi Washington drops the hammer on Claude Debussy’s 1905 composition Clair de Lune with sweeping depth and cinematic scale. Featured on his breakout album The Epic, Washington’s version preserves the piece’s delicate lyricism while expanding it into something vast and orchestral. A mournful organ cuts through solo performances and vocal swells, grounding a spiritual weight in this complex song.
A fitting finale for an evening of classical music reimagined by jazz artists.