• Main Performer: Bob James
• Languages of Booklet Text: English

Review

This is a big departure for Bob James, who interrupted his stream of smooth jazz projects to produce a lovely album of electronic transcriptions of pieces by the French Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. As such, they fall squarely in the tradition of Wendy Carlos' realizations of Bach -- and in their own way, they approach Carlos' achievements in their imaginative, tasteful selection of timbres. James originally recorded many of these pieces as Christmas gifts for friends and, indeed, these selections (all grouped on side one of the LP) do convey a cheery holiday mood. Recording mostly on analog synthesizers -- which were then about to be rendered temporarily obsolete by digital instruments -- James takes care to exercise period performance practices in the execution of trills and the like, keeping splashy electronic effects to a minimum (the concluding Tambourin Nos. 1 and 2 are the most outgoing realizations here). On Les Niais de Sologne, James introduces a ringer in the form of an acoustic grand piano, employing attacks similar to those he uses on the electronic keyboards. As a whole, these recordings sound more conservative than those of Carlos, but better that than some of the more grotesque distortions that were taking up space in the shops after the Switched-On Bach breakthrough. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

Performances

Composer	Title	Time
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Fanfarinette, for harpsichord in A major (Nouvelles suites)	2:39
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Gavotte and Doubles (6), for harpsichord in A minor (Nouvelles suites)	7:17
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Menuet for harpsichord in G major (Nouvelles suites)	1:17
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Deuxième menuet, for harpsichord in G minor (Nouvelles suites)	1:23
Jean-Philippe Rameau	La Livri, version for harpsichord only (Pieces de clavecin en concerts)	2:11
Jean-Philippe Rameau	L'Enrôlement d'Arlequin, comédie por le théâtre de la foire (Arlequinade)	3:05
Jean-Philippe Rameau	La Timide, version for harpsichord only (Pieces de clavecin en concerts)	4:12
Jean-Philippe Rameau	L'indiscrète, for harpschord, violin & viol (Pièces de clavecin en concerts)	1:40
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Work(s) (La Chasse)	2:05
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Les Niais de Sologne & Doubles (2), for harpsichord in D major (Pièces de clavecin avec une méthode)	8:10
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Les Soupirs, for harpischord in D major (Pièces de clavecin avec une méthode)	4:39
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Les Indes galantes, opéra-ballet (Le Turc généreux: Air pour les Esclaves africains)	2:24
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Les Triolets, for harpsichord in G major (Nouvelles suites)	3:16
Jean-Philippe Rameau	Tambourins I and II, for harpsichord, violin & viol (Pièces de clavecin en concerts)	2:46