Jazz with classic twist/ classic with jazz twist
Warren Wen | 07/30/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Eugen Cicero (1940-1997)is a Rumania piano virtuoso with full command in both classic and jazz , recorded numerous records bewteen 1965 and 1997 based on Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schubert,Lizst and other classic repertoire which he unites harmonically with swing and jazz improvisations . He was active mostly in Europe during his lifetime , a cult figure in Japan but is relatively unknown in US. However, his artistry should never be overlooked.
I had this CD for twenty years and it remains one of my favorite recordings. There are few other Cicero's albums I treasure including "Swinging Piano Classic"(his last and best album), Swinging The Classics [MPS Box set], Festival-Jazz Meets Classical [ZYX Box set] available at Amazon.de. If you can have only one album by Eugen Cicero, go for "Swinging Piano Classic". Other albums suh as Rococo Jazz( 1965,his first album), Jazz Bach, Spring Song, In town, Swinging Tschaikowsky, do not reach the creativity or maintain the tension like Swing Piano Classic or Rococo jazz 2.
What differs Eugen Cicero from Jacques Loussier trio, Claude Bolling or John Lewis alike is he employs a much wider mangitude of jazzy/funky medlodic line, voicing and rhythm plus a much wider repertoire. He is less serious about maintaing the original classic framework and more flexible about expanding the expression of his musical ideas.
Jazz fans usually find crossover not real jazz, classic fans will feel crossover material superfical. However, this album is not crossover or smooth jazz, it is music style of Eugen Cicero's his own, nobody plays like or sounds like Eugen Cicero.
He plays "Twinkle, twinkle little star" with swing , blues, R&B and classic alternatively and his interperation of Bach Toccata in D-minor is way more exciting than Jacque Loussier trio. In the Riverside In Rondo, the well known spiritual is blended with Mozart- like Rondo and Boogie Woogie, music playing with humerous wisdom and excitement indeed.
Strongly recommended."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1