Baroque music, particularly the music of J.S. Bach, has proved irresistible to jazz musicians for decades now. I think it’s the combination of harmonic richness and rhythmic regularity: Bach’s countrapuntal lines are so much fun to play in straight rhythm that the temptation to makes those lines swing can just be kind of overpowering. This Sout...

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Jazz versions of top Baroque and other melodies. This disc was recorded live at the 2015 Festival Muskdorf Ernen in Switzerland. Du Plessis has chosen baroque works by Bach, Gluck, Vivaldi and Handel and ends with a six-movement jazz suit and a closing track of Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm theme. Du Plessis sort of continues the efforts of the ”Play...

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