A Musical Argument For Putting Old Wine In New Wine Skins

Here's a Rolf Lislevand-featuring performance of a ciaccona from the German-Italian virtuoso performer and composer Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger.

And here's a Rolf Lislevand-featuring performance of Kapsberger's same Ciaccona. Only this time, he's performing with a jazz ensemble.

Works really well, doesn't it? Nothing's lost in the "translation," really. And besides, it's a fun little reminder that Baroque composition (and performance) was much more improvisational than I am inclined to remember (pdf).

EXTRA CREDIT: Listen to this Kapsberger and then this one. Same general similarities and differences, right? Tolja the Baroque Era was nowhere near as "rigid" as people think, didn't I?

OK, fine. I didn't tell you that. But it's true.

Attribution(s): "Mey Pouring" is in the public domain via Wikipedia.