This promotional video for JFJO's project Ludwig is too good to not pass along. If you've ever seen JFJO perform, then you know how present and in the moment they are -- they breathe together, listen delicately to one another and play with a collective, unrestrained freedom. It's always exhilarating to see them get cookin' on something. So, here, it's fascinating as hell to watch them play with the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra with so much discipline, following closely with charts in front of them. But at the same time, they make this music by Beethoven completely swing in their own signature way.
The performance took place back in June and Dennis Cook wrote a great review for Jambase -- I think this perfectly sums it up: "Beethoven's writing -- like most classical music -- has a mathematical logic to it but this felt closer to today's theoretical mathematics and its string theories and quantum logic. Instead of being locked away by the culture police, Beethoven got to stretch his legs a good bit."