The Jacques Loussier Trio brings its jazz sensibility to the work of Robert Schumann with the release of ‘Schumann: Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood)’. The Loussier Trio recording puts its unique improvisational spin on the 13-song opus that Schumann composed in 1838 as a fond tribute to his childhood.

For more than five decades, pianist Jacques Loussier has explored the fertile ground where the structure and traditions of classical music intersect with the spontaneous and exploratory nature of jazz. In the early years of his career, his Play Bach Trio focused on developing improvisatory compositions around the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. In later years – with the aid of a newly formed trio assembled in the 1980s – Loussier expanded his repertoire by taking a similar approach to composers like Debussy, Ravel, Vivaldi, Beethoven and others.

“This particular work by Schumann is ideal for reinterpretation in a jazz setting”, says Loussier. “Childhood is perhaps the most playful and carefree time of one’s life. In the same sense, jazz is perhaps the most imaginative and carefree kind of music ever composed. It only makes sense, then, to reinterpret the compositions by Schumann that capture the most memorable and cherished moments of his youth.”

Jacques Loussier Trio:
- Jacques Loussier (piano)
- Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac (bass)
- André Arpino (drums)

Contents:
1. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands and Peoples)
2. Kuriose Geschichte (A Curious Story)
3. Haschemann (Blind Man's Bluff)
4. Bittendes Kind (Pleading Child)
5. Glückes genug (Happy Enough)
6. Wichtige Begebenheit (An Important Event)
7. Träumerei (Dreaming)
8. Am Kamin (At the Fireside)
9. Ritter vom Steckenpferd (Knight of the Hobbyhouse)
10. Fast zu ernst (Almost too Serious)
11. Fürchtenmachen (Frightening)
12. Kind im Einschlummern (Child Falling Asleep)
13. Der Dichter spricht (The Poet Speaks)