Jazz and the Classics

When I was a little kid, my mom had both the "Hooked on Classics" and "Hooked on Swing" records. If you weren't a child of the 1970s, you might not be aware of this strange phenomenon. Basically, someone took a disco beat, stole only the hooks from any classical melody you probably learned from watching Bugs Bunny cartoons, and set them to a disco beat. Unfortunately for you, I was able to find it on YouTube (see above.)

I bring it up because of the Jacques Loussier Trio, a jazz group that I happen to enjoy but it could be argued are doing a similar thing. Put crudely, they're "jazzing up the classics," and Johann Sebastian Bach in particular. The difference here is, I think, in the loving treatment of the source material (Loussier seems to play the whole piece and always namechecks the original) and the specific character of Bach. Bach was a highly mathematical composer- his pieces are a study of harmony and precision, almost like a statement on music theory more than a musical expression. And yet somehow, they are so, so beautiful. I think Loussier manages to capture that beauty while still riffing with jazz rhythms and techniques. What do you think?