Michel Petrucciani - The Power Of Three (2005)

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Michel Petrucciani - The Power Of Three (2005)

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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.

Michel Petrucciani - overcame the effects of osteogenensis imperfecta (a bone disease that greatly stunted his growth) to become a powerful pianist. Originally greatly influenced by Bill Evans and to a lesser extent Keith Jarrett, Petrucciani developed his own individual voice. He started by playing in the family band with his guitarist father and bassist brother. At the age of 15 he had the opportunity to play with Kenny Clarke and Clark Terry, and at 17 he made his first recording.

Petrucciani toured France with Lee Konitz in a duo (1980) and moved to the U.S. in 1982. At that time he coaxed Charles Lloyd out of retirement and toured with his quartet, a mutually beneficial relationship. Petrucciani was a strong attraction in the U.S., usually playing with a quartet (sometimes featuring Adam Holzman's synthesizer for color) or as a soloist; in 1986 he recorded at Montreux with Jim Hall and Wayne Shorter. Although Petrucciani's ability to overcome his affliction was admirable, his impressive playing stood by itself; he died of a pulmonary infection on January 6, 1999.

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Michel Petrucciani - The Power Of Three (2005)

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Michel Petrucciani - The Power Of Three (2005)

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Michel Petrucciani - The Power Of Three (2005)

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Michel Petrucciani - The Power Of Three (2005)

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Michel Petrucciani - The Power Of Three (2005)

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