Michel Petrucciani - Trio in Tokyo (Live) (Bonus Track Version) '1999/2009

Tracks list

	       Pianist Petrucciani was somewhat of a chameleon, inclined to go from
mainstream jazz to more contemporary beats, which makes the rhythm team of
electric bass guitarist Anthony Jackson and drummer Steve Gadd a good
combination. They push and pull the pianist, flexing their fusion-oriented
muscles while providing a swinging backdrop that Petrucciani can relate to,
allowing him to exhibit his unbridled lyricism. This is a live club date done at
the Blue Note in Tokyo, and the crowd response is indicative of the kineticism
flowing on the bandstand from these three outstanding musicians. The trio swings
hard on "Training," one of seven Petrucciani originals. It's a basic melody
rivaling the best of Tommy Flanagan's work. Gadd's swing/funk informs "September
Second," which sets the pianist on a melodic tear of modally repeated choruses
as a basis for his startling improvisations. The lilting ballad "Home," with its
slight samba inferences, goes into a disco shuffle and "Just the Way You Are"
tonalities. Then the trio cuts loose for Petrucciani's flying bop number "Little
Peace in C For U," a showstopper no matter your preference. Gadd's seldom-heard
brush work on the ballad-to-easy-swing of "Love Letter" has the band gelling
nicely, while "Cantabile" incorporates light funk underneath Petrucciani's
paraphrasings of snippets from "Blues Skies" and "Without a Song." A more
rambling melodicism that can go anywhere -- and does -- accents the modal,
pedal-point base of the funky lite blue "Colors" with quotes straight from "But
Beautiful" and "But Not for Me." As an encore closer, the trio begins politely
on the Miles Davis evergreen "So What!," but grows energetic and animated
halfway through. There is an emphasis on interplay, especially from Gadd on the
latter bridgework. This is another posthumous reminder of how wonderful
Petrucciani could be in a spontaneous concert setting, playing his own music
with most capable musicians. Recommended.

1.01 - Michel Petrucciani - Training (Live) (4:41)
1.02 - Michel Petrucciani - September Second (Live) (5:19)
1.03 - Michel Petrucciani - Home (Live) (9:18)
1.04 - Michel Petrucciani - Little Peace in C for U (Live) (7:30)
1.05 - Michel Petrucciani - Love Letter (Live) (9:06)
1.06 - Michel Petrucciani - Cantabile (Live) (7:49)
1.07 - Michel Petrucciani - Colors (Live) (10:50)
1.08 - Michel Petrucciani - So What (Live) (7:08)
1.09 - Michel Petrucciani - Take the "A" Train (Live) (Bonus Track) (9:03) 

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