Michel Petrucciani: Power of Three & The Manhattan Project

John Kelman

Senior Editor since 2004

With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.

Recent articles (2,368 total)

Published: April 30, 2005

View All 1 2 Next »

When French pianist Michel Petrucciani finally succumbed, at the age of 37, to the debilitating illness that plagued him for his entire life — osteogenensis imperfecta, an illness that stunted his growth and caused his bones to be so brittle that they were all too-easily broken — the jazz world lost a player who, while contributing so much in such a short span of time, also had so much more to give. That he began playing professionally at the age of 15 and recorded his first album at 18 meant, at least, that there is a significant body of work to represent his sadly shortened life.

But the fact is that Petrucciani's playing can and should be considered separately from his illness. While his ability to overcome adversity is, of course, admirable, his considerable talents within the jazz mainstream would be worthy of attention regardless. And so it is good news that Blue Note, as part of their continuing efforts to reissue concert footage, previously only available on videotape, on DVD, have recently released two concerts with Petrucciani — Power of Three, a 1986 Montreux performance that teams him with guitarist Jim Hall and, on three tunes, saxophonist Wayne Shorter; and The Manhattan Project, a 1989 collective that found Petrucciani in a larger ensemble, again with Shorter, but also with bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White and, on synthesizers, Gil Goldstein and Pete Levin. Both shows demonstrate Petrucciani's inestimable talents, made even more vivid when one sees just how dwarfed he is by the instrument he played.

Michel Petrucciani
Power of Three
Blue Note 0777 7 40010 9 0
Recorded 1986; released on DVD 2005

When producer Mary Ann Topper teamed Petrucciani with Hall in late 1985, it was a truly inspired choice. Hall, the consummate accompanist and thoughtful soloist, is the kind of player who can work with just about anyone and find a way to gracefully inject his own gentle presence. And if the Petrucciani/Hall pairing was inspiration, adding Shorter for the final three pieces of the performance was pure genius.

Working together, on the strength of this Montreux performance recorded on July, 14, 1986, yielded the kind of incredible interplay that most musicians dream of. Hall's tone has always been warm, but blends an acoustic brightness that yields an incredible feeling of intimacy; regardless of where you are, you feel like you're sitting only a few feet away.

The set consists of three Hall compositions, one by Petrucciani, one by Shorter and Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood. Hall is, as always, the elegant player, with every phrase, every note considered, yet never sounding anything but natural. Petrucciani is the perfect combination of technique and taste; his ability to navigate the keyboard all the more incredible when you get to see him in action. And Shorter, a player who has been occasionally accused of being too cerebral, seems perfectly at ease here, with his own "Limbo, from the Miles Davis album Sorcerer, being a particular high point. These days it seems as though Shorter is more comfortable on soprano, but in this concert, his tenor work is strong and committed.

Guitar/piano duets sometimes run the risk of falling over each other. Pianist Marc Copland, when discussing playing with guitarist John Abercrombie in a recent interview, explained the challenge: "It becomes a question of, on an eyes closed, intuitive, listening kind of level, seeing where the other guy's going with his chord, and then saying, musically, with a chord coming back, 'that sounds good, let's continue there,' or 'wait, how about we go in this direction?' with the confidence that the other guy will come back and say, 'OK, let's do that.' Clearly Petrucciani and Hall share that kind of confidence and surrendering of ego.

The audio and video quality of the transfer is excellent. There are no special features to speak of, but this 60-minute performance is so strong it really doesn't matter. Power of Three is an important video document of an artist who, in his relatively short life, created a remarkable body of work, and Petrucciani's teaming with Jim Hall and Wayne Shorter, on this particular night, stands as an excellent example of his formidable talent and cooperative musical personality.

Personnel: Michel Petrucciani (piano); Jim Hall (guitar); Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone on "Limbo, "Bimini, soprano saxophone on "Morning Blues )
Track Listing: Beautiful Love; In a Sentimental Mood; Careful; Waltz New; Limbo; Morning Blues; Bimini

The Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project
Blue Note 7243 5 99859 9 2
Recorded 1989; released on DVD 2005