Bach's Groove

This programme was born out of a call for projects from the Grenoble Museum on the theme of Bach and jazz.
As my proposal was not selected and lockdown was imposed, I put it to the back of my mind, almost glad not to have to tackle such an undertaking, which left me wondering about the form it should take and its potential musical interest. 
It was François Thuillier who encouraged me to pursue the idea. 
I took great pleasure and spent a lot of time (I had plenty of it...) developing and writing this repertoire. It now seems to me to be very demanding in terms of instrumentation, due to the two aesthetics that have to coexist, but also very exhilarating, thanks in particular to the talent and personality of my two partners. I would like to thank François and David, who helped me to mix and smooth the score with their playing in order to emphasise the message:

It is sometimes said that all music is already present in Bach's work. 
Nevertheless, it has continued on its journey to us. Like a child eager for knowledge and discovery, it has been nourished by people and the trials of the centuries. 

Jazz, meanwhile, was born over a century ago. But what is this recurring idea that sometimes seeks to affiliate it with the father of Western music? 
Perhaps it is the idea that self-teaching and oral tradition can generate art. 
Perhaps it is also the certainty that there is a human and universal pulse in music that is difficult to transcribe.
Not to mention improvisation, practised by musicians of the time and still captivating jazz and other world music enthusiasts today and for many years to come.

So yes, we can attempt to bridge the centuries that separate jazz and baroque. 
It is with all due humility that I invite you to take a virtual walkway for a unique encounter with the illustrious composer. 

To do so, I have chosen a few ‘Dances’ from the French Suites. I find their form, with its repetitions, conducive to insertion.
For the original composition Offering, I wanted to use the notes from the theme of The Musical Offering, which made Johann Sebastian Bach one of the first “arrangers” in the history of music. You will also find a few quotes here and there, throughout the tracks.
I appropriated a few essentials such as the Sicilienne and the Choral du Veilleur and attempted to touch on the development of an original theme in the contrapuntal aesthetic for Escape Game, a bitter signature in memory of lockdown. 
I Follow You is an original ‘canonised’ theme, while Avant la Suite is the musical introduction to the project, presenting a condensed version of everything that follows. A sort of miniature that I hope will encourage you to continue listening, and which I dedicate to Martial Solal.

This is an enjoyable and multifaceted journey in which the trombone, a regal and colourful instrument, the accordion, a luxurious harmonium or harmonist with braces, and the tuba, a continuous bass or ‘groove machine’, illustrate in their own way and in their own time the musical genius of J.S. Bach.

Denis Leloup

Avant La Suite - Denis Leloup
I Follow You - Denis Leloup / Jean-Sébastien Bach
Danses - Jean-Sébastien Bach / Denis Leloup
Offering - Denis Leloup
Sicilienne - Jean-Sébastien Bach / Denis Leloup
Escape Game - Denis Leloup
Choral du Veilleur - Jean-Sébastien Bach / Denis Leloup

Denis Leloup, Trombone
David Venitucci, Accordion
François Thuillier, Tuba