Michael Petrucciani - Solo Live

Solo Live

By  Michael Petruccian

Very Good Condition  in original cardboard case

The late French pianist-composer Michel Petrucciani overcame the debilitating condition osteogenesis imperfecta--glass bones disease-- to become one of the most exciting musicians of his generation, as this 1998 live date from Frankfurt, Germany shows. At three feet and 50 pounds, Petrucciani had an elflike posture at the keyboard, an image that contrasted with his Herculean pianisms. Although he led a number of trios in his career and was a favorite of saxophonist Charles Lloyd and drummer Kenny Clarke, it was the solo piano format that best revealed his musicality. Petrucciani had the harmonic lushness and melodic inventiveness of Keith Jarrett and the power of McCoy Tyner, as evidenced by his dancing waltzes "Looking Up" and "Rachid." His "Chloe Meets Gershwin" and "Romantic But Not Blue" evoke strong, walking bass lines, and "Home" paints a plaintive, ballad impression, while his "Trilogy (Morning Sun, Moon Sun and Night Sun in Blues)" is an impressive, episodic minisonata. His rendition of the Latin standard "Besame Mucho" recalls the beauty of the bolero, and the Duke Ellington-associated Juan Tizol classic "Caravan" rings with thundering harmonic hurricanes, stride rhythms, and habanera tinges. Petrucciani's riffs on Billy Strayhorn in "She Did It Again/Take the A Train/She Did It Again," concludes this breathtaking but bittersweet document from this dearly departed genius. --Eugene Holley Jr.

A Review:

When I first encountered this recording, I knew nothing about the artist, his background, experience, training, etc. I simply heard one cut on Austin's public radio station of one of my favorite Duke Ellington tunes, "Caravan" -- and I literally had to pull over and listen to avoid having a wreck. The recording is live, so there is no overdubbing or "fixing it in the mix" activity. The amazing technique illustrated by Petrucciani in this one cut, along with the improvisatory genius of someone who really understands what Ellington's music was all about -- both held me spell-bound to the end of the performance. I immediately called the station to find out the name of the artist and album and then ordered it from Amazon/com. Upon hearing the remainder of the CD I realized that this rendition of "Caravan" wasn't a fluke at all -- the entire recording was of the same incredible calibre as the one cut I'd heard on the air. Other professional pianists for whom I've played this recording have all remarked on the clarity of his lines and the flawless technique. Yet here is a player who is fearless about doing anything he wants during a concert -- even at times reducing his improvisation to a slow, quiet, one-finger rendering of the melody while still holding the listener tightly by the ears. If you're a fan of astounding technique, improvisatory magic, and the artistry of one who obviously has total control over his instrument, this CD is for you.

Tracklist

1     "Looking Up" – 4:24

2     "Besame Mucho" (Consuelo Velázquez) – 4:03

3     "Rachid" – 2:22

4     "Chloé Meets Gershwin" – 4:08

5     "Home" – 3:40

6     "Brazilian Like" – 3:07

7     "Little Peace in C for U" – 4:12

8     "Romantic But Not Blue" – 3:22

9     "Trilogy in Blois (Morning Sun, Noon Sun and Night Sun in Blois)" – 11:29

10   "Caravan" (Irving Mills, Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol) – 10:09

11   "She Did It Again" / "Take The A Train" (Billy Strayhorn) / "She Did It Again" – 4:53

Product details