One of my favorite artists is the generational talent, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. In any band he's ever been in, his solos and compositions stand out as exceptional and inspirational.

Nowhere is this more evident than in his 2021 release, "The Chopin Project." Here, Kurt and his band interpret the music of Frederic Chopin, a composer whose music is still very much alive almost two centuries after his death.

Wikipedia says of Chopin, "He has maintained worldwide renown as one of the best composers and musicians in history, one whose 'poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation.'"

The same can be said, in my view, of Rosenwinkel. To illustrate this I want to play two versions of Chopin's Prelude in E Major, Opus 28, No. 2.

The first is a standard classical version of this short piece by pianist Evgeny Kissin:

Here is Rosenwinkel's interpretation of this (in my opinion) rather plodding piece. Somehow he finds something truly joyful, bright, hopeful, and happy in the original.

Some listeners might think that reinterpreting a classical music work in this fashion is heretical. But I think it's inspirational!