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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZPETRUCCIANI, Michel(b 12 Dec. '62, Orange, France; d 6 Jan. '99, NYC) Pianist, composer. Mother was French, father Sicilian; father and two brothers are also musicians. He suffered from calcium deficiency osteogenesis imperfecta ('glass bones') and had to be carried to and from the piano; he died of a lung infection. He seemed to be one of the most exciting musicians to emerge in recent years, influenced especially by Bill Evans and Lennie Tristano; he played with touring Clark Terry, etc at about 15; left home at 17, worked with Kenny Clarke in Paris; to US West Coast, established friendship with Charles Lloyd; back to USA '80 and worked in NYC with his bassist brother Louis. He was already evolving from the keyboard wunderkind who had to play everything to more imaginative improvising, tough and original. First LP Flash '80 on Bingo (a French label) with Louis, Aldo Romano on drums, trombonist Mike Zwerin guesting on some tracks; Michel Petrucciani '81 on Owl with Romano, Jean-François Jenny-Clark on bass; Estate '82 now on IRD, made in Rome with Romano, Furio Di Castri on drums; Toot Sweet with Lee Konitz and solo Oracle Destiny '82 on Owl/Blue Note, 100 Hearts '83 on Concord, Notes'n'Notes '84 on Owl, with two tracks overdubbed à la Evans's Conversations With Myself; two-disc Live At The Village Vanguard '84 on Concord, with Palle Danielsson, bass, ex-Evans Eliot Zigmund on drums; Cold Blues '85 on Owl with bassist Ron McClure; trio Pianism and Power Of Three on Blue Note '86 (the latter live at Montreux '86 with Jim Hall, guest Wayne Shorter on some tracks). Also on Lloyd LPs Montreux '82 on Elektra with Danielsson, 'Sonship' Theus on percussion; A Night In Copenhagen on Blue Note; also a track on One Night With Blue Note. Further albums on Blue Note: Michel Plays Petrucciani '88 with two different trios, Music '89, Playground and Live '91, Promenade With Duke '93; also Marvelous and Conference De Presse '95 on Dreyfus (the latter a duo with Eddy Louiss on Hammond organ, which sounds like a terrible idea but works surprisingly well), Trio '96 on Melodie; Date With Time on IRD etc. He continued to astonish fans with two-CD solo recital Au Theatre du Champs-Élysées '94 on Dreyfus Jazz, and collaborated with arranger Bobby Brookmeyer for quintet recording Both Worlds '97. |