Pianist
Michel Petrucciani, who during the early part of his career was heavily influenced by
Bill Evans, gradually developed his own sound. By 1991 he was using
Adam Holzman on synthesizer with his quintet (which on this date also includes bassist
Anthony Jackson, drummer
Omar Hakim and percussionist
Steve Thornton) to play colors behind his piano. In addition,
Petrucciani was backed by funky rhythms and emphasized his own original compositions. Rather than selling out to blatant commercialism,
Petrucciani had actually found his own voice within the "contemporary" setting. The music on his CD is of consistently high quality (despite a few too many fadeouts). Highlights include "Miles Davis' Licks" (a blues that utilizes some of
Davis' late-period nursery rhyme melodies), the intense "Brazilian Suite #3," a playful jam on "Laws of Physics" and the
Keith Jarrett-ish "P'tit Louis." Actually, all 11 of
Michel Petrucciani's originals are worth hearing and, despite the brief playing time (39 minutes) of this CD, it is recommended. ~ Scott Yanow