Plenty can go wrong at one-off, cross-genre collaborations. Performances of this ilk can be stilted, fussy and worse still, boring. A collaboration between the New York based jazz pianist Helen Sung and Kansas City’s chamber music ensemble Bach Aria Soloists dodged those traps at the Folly Theater on Saturday, April 5.
An audience of more than 300 was entertained by the charming tone of the baroque-meets-jazz experiment. (I paid $33.50 for a seat in the upper balcony.) Much like an elevated variety show, the casual approach staved off priggishness.
Separate segments featured torch songs, solo piano, a take on Bach with swinging harpsichord and a four-movement suite commissioned by Bach Aria Soloists. Sung explained the latter composition was inspired by Charles Mingus, but the work was infused with echoes of Chick Corea classics like “Spain.”
The great misfortune of the concert was its timing. Habitues of the Folly Theater were thrilled at a March 7 recital by arguably the world’s finest classical pianist and violinist. An eminent jazz band’s homage to Keith Jarrett played the room March 15. While Sung and Bach Aria Soloists didn’t match that level of artistry, their presentation was much more fun.
