Rampal adds class to jazz music

by Edward French, The Knickerbocker News, August 4, 1981

Sunday night’s concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center combined the talents of flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, jazz pianist and composer Claude Bolling and guitarist Alexandre Lagoya. Just as important to the ensemble were string bassist Marc Michel and Umberto Pagnini on percussion. The latter was a veritable “Paganini” on his assortment of instruments.

Unfortunately, there were no printed programs, and in spite of announcements from the stage, many of us didn’t catch all of the titles.

Except for two pieces for flute and guitar, an Entract by Ibert and a Raga by Uday Shankar, all of what would have been on the printed program were Bolling’s original compositions.

The most popular of Bolling’s works was his Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano and played right up to the hilt by Rampal, Bolling and company. Rampal is just as much at home in jazz as he is in the classical field where he has no superiors. And Bolling is a marvelous jazz pianist. His clever rhythmic figures, original harmonic progressions and technical fluency (he is not just a chord pianist) remind one of the great Art Tatum. The good-sized audience of all ages was in ecstasy all night.

Equally well received were the catchy “Picnic Suite” and Guitar Concerto featuring Lagoya’s virtuosity. Discreet amplification was used, but there was no sound distortion. It was still a classical guitar and not the overblown sound of the rock electric guitar.

This fivesome certainly should be rescheduled next season, as it is appreciated equally by classical and jazz buffs — it’s a group that really has class.

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