1979
Jacques Loussier:
Jazz, Bach, and the Funk of Pulsion
This post is about Jacques Loussier's Pulsion (1979) a rare jazz-funk departure from his famous Play Bach jazz interpretations. A bold fusion of percussive piano, funk beats, and electronic elements! 🎹🔥
Not feeling like reading? Though this one is really short - still that's alright! 😎 Here's the title-track ‘Pulsion’ for you to enjoy its unique sound. 🔊
I love Jon Batiste's jazzy Beethoven interpretations as they often pop up in my social media feed nowadays. I listened to the full album Beethoven Blues, and thanks to YouTube’s algorithm—and some web searches on “blending classical music with jazz, blues, and funk”—I found myself listening to Jacques Loussier’s Pulsion from 1979.
Jacques Loussier is a “prolific composer for film and television, scoring over 60 productions.” But he is most famous for his jazz improvisations on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach; meaning he is a master of fusing jazz and classical music and is often associated with the "third stream" movement, where jazz meets classical with an emphasis on improvisation. Some simply call him one of the original "crossover" musicians—someone who merges the precision of classical music with jazz’s free spirit.
A lifelong Bach lover, he once forgets the notes while playing during a conservatory competition; he improvises—an instinctive move that later evolves into what becomes the Play Bach phenomenon.
By 1959, he forms the Jacques Loussier Trio, using Bach’s compositions as a foundation for jazz improvisation. Throughout the '60s and early '70s, the Trio tour extensively, perform worldwide, and sell over seven million recordings—most from the Play Bach series.
Then, in 1979— long after the original trio had disbanded—Loussier releases Pulsion, one of his rare projects centered around his own compositions. (Outside of film scores, Loussier rarely records albums of original work.) Pulsion is a duet with drummer Luc Heller and dives deep into funk beats, percussive piano, and electronic elements—a totally different project from Play Bach. The album bursts with raw energy. 🌟
Some of the best things happen when you least expect them, which is precisely why I love this treasure hunt project of mine—FUNKretrospect. Discovering Jacques Loussier and Pulsion was exactly a musical surprise. 🎁
Gülben - 01/2025
📖 John Fordham writes JL obituary for TheGuardian
📖 Melanie Spanswick’s article on “Pianists from the Past” for her website
