Michel Petrucciani made a flurry of recordings for the French label Owl prior to his 20th birthday, including this solo piano session. He tends to ruminate at length on this set of mostly original works, especially the lyrical but a bit overly long "Oracle's Destiny," as well as the oddly titled and somewhat melancholy "It's What I Am Doing When I Miss You." Another long Petrucciani work is the meandering "Mike Pee" (the nickname given to him the one time he met Bill Evans, before the diminutive pianist spoke fluent English); like the slightly longer version that appears on his CD Date With Time, this piece seems to be a collage similar to the medley "Pot Pourri," which he later recorded for the release 100 Hearts, in that it also includes excerpts of Evans' "Very Early" and the Disney song "Some Day My Prince Will Come." Aldo Romano's "Amalgame" is a playful post-bop composition that seems to get the pianist to open up a little bit. While it is interesting to hear Michel Petrucciani in his early years, this outing is, at best, average for him, and can be bypassed by most fans of jazz piano, although Petrucciani fans may find this mostly low-key music enjoyable.
© Ken Dryden /TiVo