JimJim Gelcer, Paul Hoffert Trio, George Koller - Jim and Paul Play Glenn and Ludwig (2018) [Hi-Res]
![JimJim Gelcer, Paul Hoffert Trio, George Koller - Jim and Paul Play Glenn and Ludwig (2018) [Hi-Res]](https://www.dibpic.com/uploads/posts/2021-05/1620797194_a2853471851_16.jpg)
BAND/ARTIST: JimJim Gelcer, Paul Hoffert Trio, George Koller
- Title: Jim and Paul Play Glenn and Ludwig
- Year Of Release: 2018
- Label: Centrediscs
- Genre: Jazz, Classical
- Quality: 16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC / 24-bit/96kHz FLAC
- Total Time: 00:43:08
- Total Size: 249; 848 MB
- WebSite: Album Preview
Much in the same way as is the case with the Beatles, in 2018 it is hard not to take Beethoven for granted. His greatest work has become so ubiquitous that numerous motives, most famously the opening four-note riff of the 5 th Symphony, have become little more than cultural clichés. That certainly was Glenn Gould’s opinion. In a legendary article, entitled “Glenn Gould Interviews himself about Beethoven,” he mused, “ …you… have clearly developed a resentment pattern in relation to those tunes… You resent the fact that… those motives … can be sung, whistled, or toe-tapped by anyone–any laymen” ( The Glenn Gould Reader , 1990). Despite such strong opinions, Gould realized that, with the right interpretation, there were ways to make those “clichés” come alive. In fact, over the course of his storied career, Gould recorded a whopping 27 Beethoven pieces.
Drummer/percussionist Jim Gelcer and pianist Paul Hoffert know this all too well, having listened to all of Gould’s recordings of Beethoven while engaged in the process of choosing repertoire for this, their second CD, Jim and Paul play Glenn and Ludwig. They both had interesting previous connections to this repertoire. Hoffert was lucky enough to have actually met Gould while the late pianist was working on the music for the film The Idea of North in 1970. In an odd twist of fate, Gelcer fell in love with Beethoven as a young boy via Hoffert’s work with the iconic Canadian jazz-rock band Lighthouse in 1970. “One of the first times I ever heard a classical piece being used in another context was by Paul,” smiles Gelcer. “And, in fact it was Beethoven. As a kid I remember hearing a Lighthouse track that started with Paul playing [Beethoven’s] Sonata Pathetique, and then it morphed into a rock song and the whole band came in. That certainly made an impression on me!” The recording Gelcer is referring to is “Every Day I Am Reminded" from the Lighthouse LP Peacing It All Together . Gelcer was eight years old at the time and a school mate of one of Hoffert’s children. Ironically, as part of a group of students from that same school he sang on another song on that very same Lighthouse album called “The Chant.” Although it would be many years before the two musicians would play together, from 1970 onwards they were a part of each other’s life, first via Gelcer’s relationship with Hoffert’s son and later as business partners in an experimental streaming service that was a little bit ahead of its time. Forty years after first meeting they finally began making music together, forming a jazz trio and releasing their first CD, How High the Bird , in 2011 . The world is indeed a small place. Both musicians knew the executor of Glenn Gould’s estate, Stephen Posen, from their time serving on the board of directors of the Glenn Gould Foundation. Struck by the Gelcer/Hoffert Trio’s inventive playfulness that was so evident on their debut CD, Posen suggested to Gelcer over lunch that it would be a great idea if Jim and Paul made a jazz recording of Glenn Gould’s music.
Gelcer was intrigued and took the idea to Hoffert. “Of course we knew that Gould was most famous for his Bach recordings,” recalled Gelcer. “However, we are both personally more partial to the music of Beethoven. So, I started work on finding out the scope of Gould's Beethoven repertoire.” To both Gelcer and Hoffert’s surprise, there was a lot to work from. After detailed listening and discussion, the two musicians settled on the short list of heavy hitters that they adapted for this CD.
A week was spent in Florida working out arrangements, the amply talented and nimbly fingered George Koller was seconded to play bass on the project and then the fun began. Gould was typically playful but he was also electrifying in his intensity. During the sessions for Jim and Paul play Glenn and Ludwig , Gelcer, Hoffert and Koller managed to deftly capture both of these aspects of Gould’s playing while, at the same time, creating wholly original interpretations of some of the most well-known music in the Western world. Gould loved Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” often referring to it as a masterpiece. Dig the way Gelcer, Hoffert and Koller turn the first section into a polyrhythmic tour de force as they inexorably spin out Beethoven’s absolutely beautiful ascending arpeggiated chord progression. As the piece moves forward Hoffert slowly introduces increasingly dissonant notes, in the process spicing things up while making the listener hear the venerable Beethoven chord progression in a whole new light. As the track develops, things get even more interesting. Hoffert explains: “After the first section we added new piano and flute sections in a fusion jazz style. That serves as a bridge to the second section which features guest Bill McBirnie playing a new and different melody (in homage to Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo and Miles Davis) that soars over the de-emphasized Beethoven Adagio.” The result is a recording that turns what could have been a hoary chestnut into a sparkling new take on a masterful work. Gould’s interpretation of Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5” inspired this CD’s “The Other Fifth.” Again featuring Bill McBirnie on flute, Gelcer and Hoffert have constructed an arrangement that flits from languid jazz ballad with lots of 4 th chords to a straight ahead mainstream jazz shuffle in a new tempo. A minute later, with Koller on bowed bass, time is suspended for a transitional section that brings the ensemble back to the original tempo. As is clearly audible in the remaining pieces, the Trio’s treatment of the Pathetique Sonata and the Liszt piano transcription of Beethoven’s 5 th Symphony, this approach to arrangement, juxtaposing clearly opposing sections of music, provides a through-line for much of this CD. The treating of such opposites is what Gould fervently believed lay at the foundation of Beethoven’s greatness. In 1974, in a typically poetic manner, Gould told Jonathan Cott of Rolling Stone that, “ The development section in the classical sonata was there in order to crystallize the potentialities of opposite forces, and it was precisely Beethoven, whose whole structural notions were based on the collision of opposites, who wrote developments until you begged for the return to some kind of sobriety.” I am not sure that any of the players on this CD were aware of that particular statement but, nonetheless, they intuitively manage to capture this aspect of what Gould loved about Beethoven’s aesthetic and spirit. The result is a CD that continues to offer fresh rewards with each listen and does justice to Gould, Beethoven and the venerable tradition of the jazz trio. Bravo!
Jim Gelcer, drums
Paul Hoffert, piano
George Koller, double bass Guests:Bill McBirnie, flute (on tracks 1, 2, 9)
Ifield Joseph, guitar (on track 3)
Tracklist:
1 01. Jim Gelcer - Moon Light (05:44)
1 02. Jim Gelcer - The Other Fifth (05:57)
1 03. Jim Gelcer - Vitamin B51 (03:51)
1 04. Jim Gelcer - Vitamin B52 (05:00)
1 05. Jim Gelcer - Vitamin B53 (04:33)
1 06. Jim Gelcer - Vitamin B54 (03:36)
1 07. Jim Gelcer - First Path (04:15)
1 08. Jim Gelcer - Second Path (05:32)
1 09. Jim Gelcer - Day Light (04:35)
Drummer/percussionist Jim Gelcer and pianist Paul Hoffert know this all too well, having listened to all of Gould’s recordings of Beethoven while engaged in the process of choosing repertoire for this, their second CD, Jim and Paul play Glenn and Ludwig. They both had interesting previous connections to this repertoire. Hoffert was lucky enough to have actually met Gould while the late pianist was working on the music for the film The Idea of North in 1970. In an odd twist of fate, Gelcer fell in love with Beethoven as a young boy via Hoffert’s work with the iconic Canadian jazz-rock band Lighthouse in 1970. “One of the first times I ever heard a classical piece being used in another context was by Paul,” smiles Gelcer. “And, in fact it was Beethoven. As a kid I remember hearing a Lighthouse track that started with Paul playing [Beethoven’s] Sonata Pathetique, and then it morphed into a rock song and the whole band came in. That certainly made an impression on me!” The recording Gelcer is referring to is “Every Day I Am Reminded" from the Lighthouse LP Peacing It All Together . Gelcer was eight years old at the time and a school mate of one of Hoffert’s children. Ironically, as part of a group of students from that same school he sang on another song on that very same Lighthouse album called “The Chant.” Although it would be many years before the two musicians would play together, from 1970 onwards they were a part of each other’s life, first via Gelcer’s relationship with Hoffert’s son and later as business partners in an experimental streaming service that was a little bit ahead of its time. Forty years after first meeting they finally began making music together, forming a jazz trio and releasing their first CD, How High the Bird , in 2011 . The world is indeed a small place. Both musicians knew the executor of Glenn Gould’s estate, Stephen Posen, from their time serving on the board of directors of the Glenn Gould Foundation. Struck by the Gelcer/Hoffert Trio’s inventive playfulness that was so evident on their debut CD, Posen suggested to Gelcer over lunch that it would be a great idea if Jim and Paul made a jazz recording of Glenn Gould’s music.
Gelcer was intrigued and took the idea to Hoffert. “Of course we knew that Gould was most famous for his Bach recordings,” recalled Gelcer. “However, we are both personally more partial to the music of Beethoven. So, I started work on finding out the scope of Gould's Beethoven repertoire.” To both Gelcer and Hoffert’s surprise, there was a lot to work from. After detailed listening and discussion, the two musicians settled on the short list of heavy hitters that they adapted for this CD.
A week was spent in Florida working out arrangements, the amply talented and nimbly fingered George Koller was seconded to play bass on the project and then the fun began. Gould was typically playful but he was also electrifying in his intensity. During the sessions for Jim and Paul play Glenn and Ludwig , Gelcer, Hoffert and Koller managed to deftly capture both of these aspects of Gould’s playing while, at the same time, creating wholly original interpretations of some of the most well-known music in the Western world. Gould loved Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” often referring to it as a masterpiece. Dig the way Gelcer, Hoffert and Koller turn the first section into a polyrhythmic tour de force as they inexorably spin out Beethoven’s absolutely beautiful ascending arpeggiated chord progression. As the piece moves forward Hoffert slowly introduces increasingly dissonant notes, in the process spicing things up while making the listener hear the venerable Beethoven chord progression in a whole new light. As the track develops, things get even more interesting. Hoffert explains: “After the first section we added new piano and flute sections in a fusion jazz style. That serves as a bridge to the second section which features guest Bill McBirnie playing a new and different melody (in homage to Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo and Miles Davis) that soars over the de-emphasized Beethoven Adagio.” The result is a recording that turns what could have been a hoary chestnut into a sparkling new take on a masterful work. Gould’s interpretation of Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5” inspired this CD’s “The Other Fifth.” Again featuring Bill McBirnie on flute, Gelcer and Hoffert have constructed an arrangement that flits from languid jazz ballad with lots of 4 th chords to a straight ahead mainstream jazz shuffle in a new tempo. A minute later, with Koller on bowed bass, time is suspended for a transitional section that brings the ensemble back to the original tempo. As is clearly audible in the remaining pieces, the Trio’s treatment of the Pathetique Sonata and the Liszt piano transcription of Beethoven’s 5 th Symphony, this approach to arrangement, juxtaposing clearly opposing sections of music, provides a through-line for much of this CD. The treating of such opposites is what Gould fervently believed lay at the foundation of Beethoven’s greatness. In 1974, in a typically poetic manner, Gould told Jonathan Cott of Rolling Stone that, “ The development section in the classical sonata was there in order to crystallize the potentialities of opposite forces, and it was precisely Beethoven, whose whole structural notions were based on the collision of opposites, who wrote developments until you begged for the return to some kind of sobriety.” I am not sure that any of the players on this CD were aware of that particular statement but, nonetheless, they intuitively manage to capture this aspect of what Gould loved about Beethoven’s aesthetic and spirit. The result is a CD that continues to offer fresh rewards with each listen and does justice to Gould, Beethoven and the venerable tradition of the jazz trio. Bravo!
Jim Gelcer, drums
Paul Hoffert, piano
George Koller, double bass Guests:Bill McBirnie, flute (on tracks 1, 2, 9)
Ifield Joseph, guitar (on track 3)
Tracklist:
1 01. Jim Gelcer - Moon Light (05:44)
1 02. Jim Gelcer - The Other Fifth (05:57)
1 03. Jim Gelcer - Vitamin B51 (03:51)
1 04. Jim Gelcer - Vitamin B52 (05:00)
1 05. Jim Gelcer - Vitamin B53 (04:33)
1 06. Jim Gelcer - Vitamin B54 (03:36)
1 07. Jim Gelcer - First Path (04:15)
1 08. Jim Gelcer - Second Path (05:32)
1 09. Jim Gelcer - Day Light (04:35)
Jazz | Classical | FLAC / APE | HD & Vinyl
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