Black Mozart (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 2)

2024年リリースの『Beethoven Blues』につづく「バティステ・ピアノ・シリーズ」の第2弾!

グラミー賞(R)およびアカデミー賞(R)を複数回受賞したジョン・バティステが、今年生誕270周年を迎えるヴォルフガング・アマデウス・モーツァルトの最も愛される名曲を、ジャズ、ラグ、ストライド、ブルース、ストンプなどの要素を取り入れた「ブラック・アメリカン・クラシック」として再解釈。
その結果生まれたのは、言葉を超えた活気あふれる対話――それはジャンルを問うものではなく、純粋な表現そのものだ。

Western classical and Southern Black musical traditions find common ground on Jon Batistes 2026 album Black Mozart. The second volume in his ongoing solo piano series, the album finds Batiste reimagining the work of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, imbuing the classical themes with jazz, R&B, gospel, and stride traditions informed by his own New Orleans upbringing. Notably, the album was released in conjunction with two other volumes, Monk Movements and Monk Meditations, both of which feature impressionistic covers and improvised explorations of the legendary jazz pianists work. In context, all three albums seek to draw connections between Mozart and Thelonious Monk, two composers whom Batiste views as kindred musical spirits, each capable of writing simple melodic ideas and transforming them into works of remarkable harmonic and rhythmic complexity. Whether its the dancerly lilt of "Facile-Batiste" (culled from "Sonata 16"), the twirling Janissary intensity of "Alla Turc" (or "Turkish Rondo" from the "Sonata 11"), or minor-key melodrama of "Molto" (or "Molo Allegro" from "Symphony No. 40"), Mozarts melodic themes are as hummably memorable as ever, allowing Batiste to rework them at will, weaving in subtle gospel harmonies and bold, jazzy asides. As with all of his piano series albums, these are relaxed, in-the-moment performances in which Batiste essentially plays from memory; something the Juilliard-trained improviser does with thoughtful abandon.