“PRELUDES” Trio

“Preludes is a musical gem.” - Reuben Klein, The Ear 

“It is one of the best antidotes to the challenges of modern life I have heard in recent times.” - Reuben Klein, The Ear 

“Adam Birnbaum is a jazz pianist of sensitive touch and lucid insight, with a set of accomplishments befitting the top echelon of players in his generation.” - Nate Chinen, WRTI

"Subtle and deep: Birnbaum selects details from Bach’s Preludes from the Well-Tempered Klavier and turns them into intriguing Latin jazz improvisations." - George Grella, Red Hook Star Revue

"Although Preludes is a Jazz interpretation, it reflects Birnbaum's profound respect for Bach. This music - marked by moments of frenzy, reflection and melancholy - allows Bach to leap across three centuries into a modern jazz setting, with wonderful results." - Elliott Simon, New York City Jazz Record

Preludes is a ground-breaking album which re-imagines the work of J.S. Bach for a new generation. With Matt Clohesy (Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society) on bass and Keita Ogawa (Snarky Puppy) on percussion, jazz pianist Adam Birnbaum (NY Village Vanguard Orchestra) creates fresh and vital arrangements of well-known works by J.S. Bach. The music manages to be both faithful to Bach’s original compositions while at the same time thoroughly modern and surprising at every turn.

Baroque music, especially that of Johann Sebastian Bach, has long attracted jazz artists as a vehicle for improvisation, from the bebop era into the 21st century; in that spirit, New York-based pianist Adam Birnbaum presents his own improvisatory vision of a dozen of Bach’s preludes selected from The Well-Tempered Clavier and arranged for jazz-trio.

Past and future performances include such prestigious stages as The Gilmore Piano Festival, The Kennedy Center, Dumbarton Concerts, Bach Festival at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the Belvedere Series amongst others.

"Birnbaum skillfully transforms this material into modern renditions, infusing them with the spirited rhythms and melodies of Latin and samba beats, as well as the timeless charm of traditional straight-ahead jazz. Recorded with bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Keita Ogawa, the music radiates boundless enthusiasm and inventive flair, paying homage to its source material while bearing Birnbaum’s distinctive artistic vision. " - Jazziz 

“Birnbaum understands exactly what to do with Bach’s indelible tunesmithery: give it new wings.” - Michael Toland, The Big Takeover

“Adam Birnbaum is a tasteful lyricist with lots of energy in his expression. His playing and trio’s swing and groove and the arrangements are of the most personal kind.” - Tor Hammero, Nettavisen

“It is not difficult to add up that here we are dealing with a top shelf pianist...When pianists like Kenny Barron and Fred Hersch are overwhelmed with enthusiasm for Birnbaum, that says a lot.” - Tor Hammero, Nettavisen