Long Island native and virtuoso pianist / composer Ted Rosenthal takes a deep dive into the classics on his 2025 album Classics Reimagined: Impromp2. Credited to The Ted Rosenthal Trio, the 12-track album finds the artist jazzing up treasured classical music from the pens of erstwhile heroes like Frederic Chopin, Anton Dvorak, Modest Mussorgsky, Sergie Rachmaninoff, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig Beethoven and Erik Satie. There are actually 3 Chopin compositions and two by Beethoven on the album.

Jazzing up the classics is not a new phenomenon among modern day jazz, classical and rock musicians too. While the caliber of musicianship required often prevents most musicians from taking on a challenge like this, on Classics Reimagined: Impromp2, Rosenthal combines his jazz and classical music techniques with his vivid imagination and the results are both entertaining and enlightening. Musicians appearing include the trio of Rosenthal (piano) and Noriko Ueda (bass) plus the rotating drum sound of Quincy Davis and Tim Horner. Two guest artists here include Sara Caswell (violin) and Ken Peplowski (clarinet).

The cool thing here is, despite the fact that some of this music was written, in some cases, well over a hundred years ago, in Rosenthal’s hands it all sounds so effortless and timeless. Case in point is the cover here of “The Old Castle”, written in 1874 by Mussorgsky. Some rock fans first heard it in 1971, nearly a hundred years after, by Keith Emerson on Pictures At An Exhibition, from which it was culled. The late great Mussorgsky and the late great Emerson would be duly impressed by Rosenthal’s version of “The Old Castle”.

Each of these classical renditions are long revered melodic masterpieces in their own right and the Rosenthal trio renditions helps breathe fresh life into these truly ageless classics. Although played in a contemporary classical / jazz instrumental style, Rosenthal proves that music from 150+ years ago can sound just as vital now as it did then. It’s also quite amazing that following 15 albums as a bandleader, Ted Rosenthal has released 4 albums this year including this one as well as new music taken from the great American songbook and another album of originals.

Piano fans from jazz giants like Dave Brubeck to progressive masters like Keith Emerson will totally enjoy Classics Reimagined: Impromp2 by master pianist Ted Rosenthal and his trio.

 

RMR Speaks With Ted Rosenthal

RMR: You’ve had a busy year, in addition to Classics Reimagined: Impromp2 you released two other albums and are planning another one during the winter of 2026. Tell us about these 2025 albums and about your new album. Can you highlight some differences and any similarities?

Ted Rosenthal: The first release is High Standards. A collection of standards from the Great American Songbook. I look to find personal and distinctive ways of playing and arranging these pieces, including Songbook classics like “Skylark,” and songs from later Broadway shows – “Jet Song” from West Side Story and “To Life” from Fiddler On The Roof.

The second is The Ted Rosenthal Songbook. It’s a collection of my original compositions, including 4 from my jazz opera, Dear Erich, premiered by New York City Opera in 2019. Both albums feature my two working trios: Martin Wind/Noriko Ueda on Bass and Tim Horner/Quincy Davis on Drums.

 

RMR: Classics Reimagined: Impromp2 is a follow up to the first Impromptu album from 2010. I noticed some of the composers on the first album are revisited again on the second album. Tell us about reinterpreting and jazzing up the classics from the classical music genre and how are the two albums similar yet also unique? What’s it like bridging the gaps, so to speak, between jazz and classical and would you say the technique and virtuosity is what connects them both?

Ted Rosenthal: The biggest difference is on the latest CD I’ve added 2 guests: Sara Caswell – violin and Ken Peplowski – Clarinet. This adds different colors, approaches and variety to our trio sound. My goal is to make the pieces sound natural and organic in a jazz setting. I choose jazz harmonies, solo forms and “feels” that make these melodies sound like they were written for jazz interpretation. It doesn’t have to be virtuosic necessarily, but all the players play with beautiful sound and taste.

 

RMR: Tell us about growing up on Long Island. I imagine you gravitated to the city early on. What are some of your best memories about the 1970s and what music you first tuned into? Were you into jazz from the start or did you also tune into rock and fusion?

Ted Rosenthal: Yes there was quite a lot of musical and cultural activity in Long Island in the 1970’s, perhaps more than people realize. My first jazz teacher was Tony Aless, a great jazz pianist who recorded with Charlie Parker and Stan Getz. It was quite a good fortune that he opened a studio in Great Neck. I also studied with Jaki Byard and Lennie Tristano nearby in Queens. In high school I went to New York City often to hear jazz, many of the greats were still around at that point.

I did play rock guitar at an early age, but stopped when I discovered jazz at age 12. I did hear the fusion styles of the time and loved Chick Corea’s Light As A Feather album. But mostly I was captivated by acoustic jazz: bebop, post-bop, etc…

 

RMR: I read that David Sanborn was an influence and your appeared on his show. You worked with so many great jazz legends and some are listed on your Wikipedia and All Music pages. What other legends, piano and other jazz notables had a big impact on you early on?

Ted Rosenthal: I really only played with Sanborn the one time on his show, “Night Music.” I was invited on the show after I won the Thelonious Monk Competition in 1988. I played “Ruby My Dear” with Jean Luc Ponty!

Gerry Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Art Farmer were musicians I performed with, all of whom were great influences. Playing in Mulligan’s band for almost 4 years was quite impactful. Playing with Phil Woods and James Moody was also a thrill.

 

RMR: How has your music evolved over the years? You made your first album way back in 1990, about 35 years ago. What are a few of your favorite albums and what albums are you fond of as having appeared on? It’s a different world for recordings artists, back in the day compared to now, how have things changed in your estimation?

Ted Rosenthal: Now many artists are producing their own music. It gives us many freedoms and choices but is also more time consuming as we have many roles in the production and promotion of our music.

I’m proud of all my recordings, a few standouts are: my first one, New Tunes, New Traditions with Ron Carter, Billy Higgins and Tom Harrell; Images of Monk, featuring my reimagining’s of Monk’s music; Rhapsody In Gershwin, featuring my trio version of “Rhapsody In Blue”, and since the Holidays are coming up, Wonderland, which has been a very successful jazz Holiday album.

Recording with Mulligan was very important, also some CTI albums in the 1990’s with Jim Hall and Larry Coryell.

 

RMR: When did you start working with the 3 top music schools in the city, Julliard, Manhattan School and the New School. What courses do you teach there and what is it like being on the faculties there?

Ted Rosenthal: I began teaching at Mannes in the late 1980’s which merged with The New School, but I’m no longer teaching there. I began at Manhattan School of Music, my alma mater, in 1999, and at Juilliard in 2005. They are both fantastic programs. I’m lucky to work with such amazing students at such a high level. They keep me on my toes and inspire me as I hope I inspire them!

Over the years I’ve worked with a “who’s who” of the younger generation of jazz pianists including Jon Batiste, Aaron Diehl, Emmet Cohen, Christian Sands, to name just a few. I teach private jazz piano lessons, a course called Jazz Piano Styles, and a course for the classical pianists to learn about jazz.

 

RMR: Tell us about the piano you played on and recorded Classics Reimagined: Impromp2 with. What are some of your favorite pianos and do you have an endorsement? Is the Steinway building still on 57^th Street? And do you have other types of keyboards like electric or electronic or are you completely devoted to the classic pianos like the Steinway?

Ted Rosenthal: The piano was a Steinway concert grand at Paul Wickliffe’s Skyline Studio in New Jersey. I’m a Steinway artist and own a Steinway concert “D” grand myself. I also own a “B” and an “O.” Steinway is now on 6^th Avenue and 43^rd St. At this point I only use a keyboard as a second piano when I teach.

 

RMR: I know you have a new album coming in 2026. What other plans do you have as far as writing, recording and releasing new music as well as performing concerts in 2026?

Ted Rosenthal: Recording and releasing a series of 4 albums is challenging and has kept me quite busy, but I’d like to keep going! I’d like to do a series of duo recordings with my many musical friends and colleagues – both instrumentalists and vocalists. Duo is a wonderful format for me, it has some of the freedoms of playing solo, along with the energy and interaction of making music with a partner. My touring in 2026 will take me to Europe, Israel and Asia, and more plans are in the works.