The music of Johann Sebastian Bach has always been a favorite source of inspiration for instrumentalists playing unusual instruments, and there are few instruments more unusual than the Chapman Stick, a hybrid electric guitar and bass that is played entirely with “hammer-ons” – the technique of actuating a note by striking the string straight down onto the fretboard. Stick virtuoso Rodrigo Serrão makes a compelling case for the instrument’s compatibility with baroque music on this gorgeous rendition of one of Bach’s most beloved masterworks, the first of his six suites for solo cello. Hearing this music played on an instrument characterized by lightly percussive attack and amplified by electric pickups is, frankly, revelatory – it puts this familiar piece in an entirely new light. Serrão’s playing is not only technically flawless but also supremely tasteful and much more idiomatic than one would expect.