Customer Rating: 
Summary: Eric Satie by the Jacque Lussier Trio
Comment: This is an amazing and cool rendition of Mr. Saties brilliant music. Where Jazz can often complicate melody and rhythmn, this Trio carries off one of the most astounding versions of the visual components of his work. There is something Beatlesque about Eric Satie and it was John Lennon who first brought to my attention how he had influenced his own musical forms in the Beatles and after. You might hear strains of 'Yesterday', 'Imagine', and 'The Fool on the Hill' seeping into your subconscious from a disarmed listen to these tunes. Mr. Satie's 'Gymnopoedia' was the soundtrack to the movie "My Diner with Andre". I can't give these pieces anything but my highest acclaim.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: graceful and mature rendering
Comment: One can easily expect jazz interpretations of classical music to be dreadful (similarly, operatic divas singing jazz) but J. Loussier and Trio play with respect and great wit. For a true pleasure, I recommend his take on Debussy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Be transported
Comment: In my opinion, the Jacques Loussier Trio is best at interpreting classic Impressionist masterworks.
"Satie: Gymnopedies/Gnossiennes" is haunting and atmospheric musical poetry and, I think, superior to their other attempts at integrating classical and jazz into one musical statement. The entire CD reminds me of the musical equivalent of J.M.W. Turner's Venetian watercolours. Stunning! Also, check out "JLT Plays Debussy".
Jacques Loussier Trio's "Satie" takes the listener on a trip. Gnossienne No. 4 is especially effective in transporting the listener to a quiet "cinema noir" oasis full of intrigue. This jazz trio's technique lends itself much better to interpretations of delicate impressionist masterworks rather than to classic baroque. This is NOT smooth jazz but each piece is "fluid" or "atmospheric", just as Satie would have wanted it! The haunting sound is perfect- translucent as any mountain lake. In my opinion, this is Loussier's best disc and rates as one of the top discs in the classical-jazz hybrid genre, "Third Stream".
Customer Rating:
Summary: Satie with a Twist!
Comment: I have long considered Satie's Gnossienne to be some of the most emotionally touching and versatile pieces in music. So to pass a lazy afternoon, I went searching for as many versions of them as possible. I found everything from guitar to harp to dancefloor remixes. But there was one interpretation that stood out from all of them: the Jacques Loussier Trio interpretations.
First, I disagree vehemently with what one can only describe as the dense and snobbish two star review below. Satie's music is not degraded here; it is simply reinterpreted into a new genre. But my ears (nor those of any other reviewer, it seems) detect any degredation or "dumbing down" of Satie. Rather, the Loussier Trio handle Satie's delicate pieces with all the care they deserve. They do well at playing minimalistically, using no more notes than are necessary. I can't help but think that this is the way Satie would have wanted it, as his compositions cry out for exactly that style.
While there are a few question marks on the CD (for instance, trying to fit a 3/4 Gymnopedie into 4/4)even the weaker tracks (relatively speaking) are worth a good listen. The Gnossienne (particularly the first four) take the cake, though!
A brief descriptive note before I leave you to buy the CD. Any lover of the "new" European (particularly Nordic) jazz, such as the Esbjorn Svensson trio, or the Tord Gustavsen trio, will UNQUESTIONABLY love the Jacques Loussier trio. Loussier has mastered the type of sparse and dark sound achieved by the said trios.
You are in for a treat, indeed!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Win --- on many counts
Comment: My introduction to the Gymnopedies was hearing Blood Sweat and Tears rendition on their 2nd album. I've been entranced by them ever since. I've collected the purist renditions of the work, and then I heard the lead track of this CD on our local Jazz/NPR station, KPLU.I was immediately obsessed with finding out who/what/where.
I did, and I purchased this disc and several others. I was not disappointed. Other writers here are far more eloquent than I about the musical content; suffice it to say that Loussier remains true to the mood and emotion of the original, and his improvizations on those themes brings a new and fresh point of view to these already beautiful works.
Last, I'll comment on a technical point. These recordings are stunning. Totally natural sounds, and a stunning mix. Everything is in its place, you hear everything. The SACD version is even better. The older recordings (like the original Bach) are not at all dated in their sound.
I applaud this artist, this work, and this recording. Few of my recent CD purchases have been this satisfying.
