Although one of the earliest Jazz-and-Bach compositions was Welshman Alec Templeton’s ‘Bach Goes To Town,’ an arrangement that was picked up to considerable success by Benny Goodman in 1937, the ultimate Jazz-Bach interpretations came at the hands of Jacques Loussier and his trio, beginning in 1950 and through the 1960s with Christian Garros on bass and Pierre Michelot on drums. His version of ‘Air on a G String’ (BWV 1068) as the ad music for Hamlet cigars ensured his popularity.

Bach Jazz can claim to have almost succeeded matching Loussier. Impeccably recorded by Åke Linton (formerly sound engineer for e.s.t.), Rinstad emerges as a fine pianist.

Other than their slight aberration of voice on ‘Agnus Dei’ (BWV 232), this would be a well worked and performed album if seen in isolation of what has gone before. Perhaps they could have achieved more if they had taken inspiration from Michelot, who managed to interpolate a greater element of improvisation; perhaps expanding on this element and going for broke what is now required as the distance between Bach, and indeed Loussier, gets ever greater.