Bach fest brings a little jazz into the fold in 2016

As has been the trend in recent years, the Northwest Bach Festival continues to expand in new directions.

This year? It’s jazz.

The Matt Herskowitz Piano Jazz Trio will perform in a couple of festival concerts, presenting jazz influenced arrangements of classical standards.

Herskowitz, a graduate of the Julliard School, is a pianist, composer and arranger who has long played in both the jazz and classical worlds. On his 2012 solo recording “Upstairs,” Herskowitz performed arrangements of works by George Gershwin and Dave Brubeck, Robert Schumann and J.S. Bach. “Bach a la Jazz,” Herskowitz’s re-imagining of Bach’s Prelude in C Minor, originally was created for the soundtrack to the animated film “The Triplets of Belleville.” Michel Petrucciani’s Cantabile is given the ragtime treatment, while Gershwin’s “I’ve Got Rhythm” is simply gorgeous.

Herskowitz and his trio – Mat Fieldes, bass, and David Rozenblatt, drums – will headline the first of the festival’s Classics Concerts on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., Barrister Winery, 1213 W. Railroad Ave., $40). The evening also will feature festival artistic director Zuill Bailey on cello, in jazzified selections from Bach concerts and suites, the Goldberg Variations, and the St. Matthew Passion.

Two nights later, for Feb. 26’s special festival concert, the Herskowitz Trio and Bailey will dive into “Chopin XXI,” which will include Herskowitz’s arrangement of Frédéric Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, as well as Claude Bolling’s Suite for Cello and Jazz Piano Trio. (7:30 p.m., Barrister Winery, $48)

Herskowitz also will join Bailey in an intimate “Evening of Elegance” in a private, historic home on Manito Place. The program will be announced at the the event. Limited seating is available, and the ticket includes a light buffet, wine and a home tour. ($100; call Connoisseur Concerts at 509-326-4942 to purchase)

Other guests

Returning to the Northwest Bach Festival is violinist Kurt Nikkanen, who will be joined by violist Scott Rawls for three events. The pair will perform during the festival’s second weekend.

This includes a special concert with Bailey on March 4 of the Bach Goldberg Variations for String Trio (7:30 p.m., Hamilton Studio, 1427 W. Dean Ave., $48). The second festival Classics Concert on March 5 will feature Nikkanen, Rawls and Bailey in the Beethoven String Trios (No. 3 in G Major, No. 4 in D Major and No. 5 in C minor). (7:30 p.m., Barrister Winery, $40)

The String Trios No. 1 and 2 will be performed during the Twilight Tour concerts on March 1 and 2. (6-7 p.m. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 1832 W. Dean Ave., and the Spokane Club library, 1002 W. Riverside Ave. $20 each)

The grand finale March 6 will feature the string soloists along with the festival orchestra lead by guest conductor Piotr Gajewski. The program features the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Cello, Strings and Continuo in G minor, Gregor Piatigorsky’s Variations on a Paganini Theme for Cello and String Orchestra, and Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra by W.A. Mozart. (3 p.m. St. John’s Cathedral, 127 E. 12th Ave., $45)

The free stuff

Also back this year is Flash-Bach. Two noontime performances will be held in downtown Spokane, on Feb. 26 and March 4. The locations will be announced at 8 a.m. the day of the performance on the festival Facebook page.

Also free: Two Bach’s Lunch performances featuring Bailey and other festival artists, on Thursday and March 3 at noon in the Kress Gallery, on the third floor of River Park Square (808 W. Main Ave.) behind the food court. Patrons are invited to bring or buy a lunch to enjoy during the performance.

Then there’s the film festival: Four movies with musical themes will be screened. The first double feature on Tuesday (it’s actually the festival kick off) will be “Ray,” with Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles, and “The Soloist,” starring Foxx with Robert Downey Jr. On March 1, the program features “Immortal Beloved,” with Gary Oldman as Ludwig van Beethoven, and “A Late Quartet,” starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. (First movie at 6, followed by second at 9 p.m. both nights, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Auditorium, 2316 W. First Ave. Donations will be accepted.)

The new thing

Just added this year is “Listen Up! Eat Up! Drink Up! Celebrate!,” a new closing event after the finale concert on March 6. Bailey and Nikkanen will perform the Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia at a venue new to the festival, the Overbluff Event Center in the Washington Cracker Company building, 304 W. Pacific Ave., which is home to Terrain. The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. and will include a buffet dinner by Fery’s Catering, as well as beverages both alcoholic and non. Tickets are $35, and seating is limited.