Bernd Lhotzky: The Gallery Concerts III Rag Bag

Pianist Bernd Lhotzky revisits the ideas and mood of the Pre-Swing era with a collection of solo works in front of an appreciative audience. What makes this all the more charming is that not only does Lhotzky perform Golden Age tunes such as Scott Joplin’s “Heliotrope Bouquet” or Duke Ellington’s “The Mooche” with probing energy, but he creates new material fitting the milieu, such as a clear and blue “Synope Schlupft” that has a dash of Monk, or impressionist pieces like “Hope” or the stridingly stately “Echoes of Spring (Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith)”. His own touch is spacious and unrushed, on his own ‘Maple Syrup” or on a relaxed and strolling “If Dreams Come True”. Jaunty jazz.

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