{"id":10053,"date":"2025-01-16T22:46:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T04:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=10053"},"modified":"2025-01-16T22:46:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T04:46:28","slug":"review-michel-petruccianis-jazz-club-montmartre-cph-1988","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-michel-petruccianis-jazz-club-montmartre-cph-1988\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Michel Petrucciani\u2019s \u2018Jazz Club Montmartre – CPH 1988\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Michel Petrucciani exploded onto the North American consciousness in 1982 when he persuaded Charles Lloyd to come out of a self-imposed retirement. The French pianist was a sensation and quickly found himself on a New York-bound Concorde to become the first European artist signed by Bruce Lundvall to a Blue Note Records contract. The label promoted a steady stream of well-received studio releases by him, however, Petrucciani was best in live settings where his evident love of the stage enhanced his remarkable technique and Bill Evans-influenced approach. Something else might explain Petrucciani\u2019s keenness to make every second of every performance count. Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare genetic disorder that caused his fragile bones to break easily, the three-foot-tall pianist frequently had to be lifted to his seat at the piano. He must have had a sense that his life would be short and indeed it was; he died in 1999 at thirty-six. In the years since, his star has dimmed somewhat, and his name is not often encountered these days. Now comes Jazz Club Montmartre – CPH 1988<\/em> (Storyville, 2024), a live date from the storied Copenhagen club that reminds us what the fuss was about four decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recording is a fitting memorial to both the pianist and his trio: partners: bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Roy Haynes, the latter of which departed weeks ago at ninety-nine. All are in peak form on a program of twelve tunes over a generous hundred and six minutes. It opens with the pianist\u2019s own \u201c13th\u201d with a graceful, flowing melody that\u2019s played in unison on the last chorus. Yes, Roy Haynes plays the melody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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