MICHEL PETRUCCIANI

KUUMBWA

Elemental Music

Michel Petrucciani, piano/composer; Dave Holland, bass; Eliot Zigmund, drums.

It was Spring of 1987 when the Michel Petrucciani Trio recorded their ‘Live’ concert at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California.  The result is this double disc album bursting with innovative music.

Michel Petrucciani grew up in a small French village.  He was born with a condition called brittle bone disease, scientifically labelled osteogenesis imperfecta.  Unable to attend public school, his father Tony home-schooled his  boy.  The house was always drenched in the sounds of music, with their dad encouraging young Michel and his two brothers (Louis and Philippe) to transcribe the notes onto paper that they heard coming from the record player of that period.

By age thirteen, young Michel was already a respected member of their French music community. He often played gigs with his guitarist father (Tony) and brother Louis across the South of France.  They were known as “Le Trio Familial.”  That simply translates to “The Family Trio.”

Michel dreamed big.  At age eighteen, he chose to go to America and pursue the ‘American Dream.’  That’s when he met Charles Lloyd. It just so happened, a carpenter working on Lloyd’s house was a relative of Petrucciani’s and introduced the pianist to the famous jazz musician.  Once Charles Lloyd heard Michel play, he told him, “I’ll take you around the world.” And he did!  Before Petrucciani could catch his breath, he was recognized as one of the finest musicians of his generation. Michel Petrucciani became the first European artist ever signed to the Blue Note Record label while still in his twenties.

Petrucciani passed away at the young age of thirty-six.  He left behind two boys.  His son, Alexandre, writes about his vibrant talented father inside an 18-page booklet that’s a part of this album.

“My father was a force of nature.  I hope this new release conveys not only his love of jazz, but also the love he gave to the world, because he was bigger than music,” writes Alexandre Petrucciani, Michel’s youngest son.

Tim Jackson is one of the founders of Kuumbwa Jazz Center. In 2025, they celebrated fifty years in business. Jackson vividly remembers this concert with the Petrucciani Trio.

“Of course, it was striking to watch Michel play because of his physical challenges.  There was always this sense of wonder to his performances.  He sounded different than a lot of European pianists, as he had that funky touch, yet he still had that beautiful impressionistic sound that I love so much.  Michel was the same way as a person. He was a real down-home guy, and fun to hang with.  His music was a beautiful mixture of cultures, melded into an intricate tapestry that speaks to people in a deep way,” writes Tim Jackson in the accompanying 15-page booklet included with the albums.

On this album you will hear some songs you recognize, but several that were composed by Petrucciani. His fresh approach to old standards like “Autumn Leaves” will both please and surprise the listener.

The trio also plays “Stella by Starlight”, “My Funny Valentine,” “All the things You Are” and “Someday My Prince Will Come” with Michel Petrucciani always innovative and with a bluesy funk drive that he brings to these songs, along with his passion and brilliance.

His waltz of “Eugenia” introduces us to his composer qualities. It features Dave Holland’s bass line weaving  through the arrangement like gold threads.  Holland also adds an impressive bass solo. Michel wrote “ Mike P Blues,” where he and Zigmund on drums jab at each other during this arrangement. They sound like two boxers in the ring, feeling each other out. Petrucciani’s double handed piano parts dance and jog around the eighty-eight keys at full speed ahead. Holland’s bass line sews the experience together with his dynamic walking bass lines. Petrucciani also offers two more originals titled “The Prayer” and “Morning Blues.”

This is a project that will stun you with its creativity, along with the mastery of this brilliant pianist!

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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