{"id":18559,"date":"2014-05-14T12:08:54","date_gmt":"2014-05-14T16:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?p=18559"},"modified":"2014-05-30T21:30:34","modified_gmt":"2014-05-31T01:30:34","slug":"a-jazz-rite-that-sounds-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?p=18559","title":{"rendered":"A Jazz Rite that Sounds Right"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Rite of Spring<\/p>\n

Stravinsky<\/p>\n

performed by the Bad Plus<\/p>\n

Sony Masterworks CD<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It has long been a touchstone and signifying landmark for Twentieth Century, but particularly around its centenary (2013), Stravinsky\u2019s Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring) provoked much conversation, reevaluation, and reinterpretation. One can imagine a jazz trio translation of the piece falling flat, exchanging riffing for structure and exploiting ostinatos instead of shaping them. However, this is not the case on the Bad Plus\u2019 rendition of the work. Pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer David King have created a transcription that is quite faithful to the original. And, despite some electronic adornments, where the piano trio loses some of the \u201coomph\u201d that a full orchestra brings to bear on Stravinsky\u2019s energetic climaxes, the leaner format neatly underscores other details in the music: time changes, polyrhythms, linear interaction, and piquant harmonies. After hearing this, one wants to go back to the full score with these details firmly in mind; but one also wants to return again to the Bad Plus\u2019s thoughtful homage to this totemic work.<\/p>\n