ENESCO RE-IMAGINED

Inspired and dedicated to the work of 20th century classical genius Georges Enescu – Enesco Re-Imagined was conceived by Romanian born jazz pianist LUCIAN BAN and American bassist JOHN HEBERT as a celebration and a contemporary jazz re-imagination of the works of the great Romanian composer.

Featuring an A list of New York most celebrated jazz musicians – Ralph Alessi, Tony Malaby, Gerald Cleaver, Mat Maneri, Indian tabla player legend Badal Roy and violinist Albrecht Maurer from Germany, the album was recorded live at the 2009 Enescu International Festival in Bucharest and released to critical acclaim in 2010 by Sunnyside Records winning multiple Jazz Journalists Association’s BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR  Awards.

Called by some critics a “Third Stream extravaganza” Enesco Re-Imagined has performed major venues and Festivals on both sides of the Atlantic – from Toronto Glenn Gould Hall to London Jazz Festival Royal Elizabeth Hall, from Barcelona Auditorium to Guimaraes Jazz Festival, from Mayne Stage Theater in Chicago to Strasbourg Jazzdor, from New York Merkin Hall to Sage Gateshead in Newcastle to wide press acclaim celebrating the Sunnyside release and what Yehudi Menuhin called “ The 21st century as the century of Enescu ”

Press Highlights:

“Sparkling new album…”

“A spectacular, dreamy affair, rooted, in the celebrated musical reality of the celebrated early 20th Century composer, George Enesco . . . Masterful writing!”

“It’s a rare combination of uninhibited but coherent solo and collective improv, shrewd arrangement and dazzling thematic writing” 

“Enesco Re-Imagined is visionary third-stream music . . . This recording places Ban and Hébert among the great 21st-century interpreters”

“Trust us; this kind of night only happens once every three centuries”

“BEST ALBUM OF 2010”

(John Szwed, Michael J. West)

“A scary-good group . . . both orchestrators look far afield . . . Indian percussionist Badal Roy shifts momentum even farther east“

“C‘est à un colossal travail de réécriture pour cuivres et cordes de l’oeuvre du compositeur roumain Georges Enesco !”

“4* Stars ! . . . Romanian jazz can swing like the clappers one minute and break your heart the next. Inspired by late composer George Enescu, this East meets West suite by pianist Ban and bassist John Hebert adds violin and viola to the usual jazz mix. Their Mingus-like arrangements draw melodious solos from tenorist Tony Malaby and trumpeter Ralph Alessi”