Search - Michel Petrucciani :: Piano Solo-Complete Concert in Germany

PIANO SOLO: THE COMPLETE CONCERT IN GERMANY

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 02/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Two discs 53 and 39 minutes each approximately. Remastered in 24 bits. The sound is close mic'ed and very clean and upfront,an almost "you are there" sound that fills up the room. This is the complete concert,from 1997 in Germany,arranged on these two discs as it occurred on the night of recording. This edition supercedes the original release which had about 30 or so minutes less of the concert. Be aware that Petrucciani speaks to the audience(on disc one) for almost three minutes about the music,which adds something very human to the event. While Petrucciani's earlier recordings are generally regarded as his best,this has to rank as one of his very best live solo efforts. Always at a disadvantage because of his physical impairment,it has always been somewhat mystifying that he plays with such feeling and nuance. Not having to play with a rhythm section has freed Petrucciani,and he plays at his unfettered best. His timing is always on the mark-leaving just enough space between note clusters so the music can breathe. Even in his lightening-like runs up and down the keyboard his note clarity is simply wonderful. Petrucciani's juxtapositioning of tone and melody,his passages of quiet moments,only to play a flurry of notes when called for is superb. A number of these pieces are favorites of his(Trilogy in Blois is one good example) in the solo setting and can stand against any other renditions in his recorded canon. This is music that demands the listener's full attention and should be listened to several times to gain the full effect of it's greatness. In doing so this set will become a favorite that comes off the jazz shelf when you want to hear beautiful piano played by a (late) master. This music transcends the jazz idiom and should be recognized as solo piano at it's finest. The packaging is nice-however I would have liked liner notes that would have gone into a bit of depth about both the musician,and the music-a minor flaw when you consider the music contained here. Pick this up before it's to late."