Trio in Tokyo (2025 Remastered Edition) Michel Petrucciani, Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson

• 1 Training (Live in Tokyo 1997) (2025 Remastered) (Live in Tokyo 1997; 2025 Remastered) 04:39
• 2 September Second (Live in Tokyo 1997) (2025 Remastered) (Live in Tokyo 1997; 2025 Remastered) 05:19
• 3 Home (Live in Tokyo 1997) (2025 Remastered) (Live in Tokyo 1997; 2025 Remastered) 09:18
• 4 Little Peace in C for U (Live in Tokyo 1997) (2025 Remastered) (Live in Tokyo 1997; 2025 Remastered) 07:29
• 5 Love Letter (Live in Tokyo 1997) (2025 Remastered) (Live in Tokyo 1997; 2025 Remastered) 09:07
• 6 Cantabile (Live in Tokyo 1997) (2025 Remastered) (Live in Tokyo 1997; 2025 Remastered) 07:48
• 7 Colors (Live in Tokyo 1997) (2025 Remastered) (Live in Tokyo 1997; 2025 Remastered) 10:49
• 8 So What (Live in Tokyo 1997) (2025 Remastered) (Live in Tokyo 1997; 2025 Remastered) 07:29
• Total Runtime 01:01:58

Info for Trio in Tokyo (2025 Remastered Edition)

If there is one quality that best sums up the personality and music of Michel Petrucciani, it is generosity.

It was on stage, in the moment, in close proximity to the audience, in the warm intimacy of a club setting, that he most truthfully expressed his passion for sharing.

“Many musicians,” he confessed, “play too selfishly. They play only for themselves and a few happy few. I play to please and to communicate. I’d like to think I’m a very happy person. That’s why it’s essential for me to transmit and give others the generosity that is vital in art, music, and life.”

This is proven by these magnificent moments captured live in 1997 in Tokyo.

Accompanied by Anthony Jackson and Steve Gadd - two close friends with whom he shared an almost telepathic musical relationship - Michel Petrucciani delivers an intense hour of pianoforte, performing both standards and original compositions to unleash his boundless generosity and sensual lyrical expression live on stage.

Once again, one is struck by the solar clarity of his phrasing, the vigour and percussive precision of his touch (this master of tempo played ‘deep in the note’), and the breadth of his long lines where each note remains distinct and articulate. Michel infused everything he played with great emphasis and nuance - but above all, with sincerity. His heart sang immediately through the piano. This record is the most brilliant demonstration of that.

"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." (Michael G. Nastos, AMG)

Michel Petrucciani, piano
Steve Gadd, drums
Anthony Jackson, bass

Live recorded at Blue Note, Tokyo in November 1997
Mixed at Studio Ferber, Paris
Mastered at Metropolis Mastering, London

Digitally remastered

Michel Petrucciani
born 28 December 1962 in Orange, Vaucluse (France) – died 6 January 1999 in New York City, USA. He was a French jazz pianist. Michel Petrucciani was raised in an ItaloFrench musical family. His father Tony was a guitarist, and Louis his brother played bass. Philippe is his last brother. Michel was born with osteogenesis imperfecta. This is a genetic condition that causes brittle bones, and in Michel’s case, short stature. It can also be linked to pulmonary conditions. His father and brother carried him literally when he couldn’t walk on his own. He considered it a benefit in some ways, as he was able to get rid of the distractions that other boys were involved in, such as sports. He was captivated by Duke Ellington from an early age and wanted to be a pianist like him. He trained as a classical pianist for many years, but jazz was his main passion. At the age of 13, he gave his first professional concert. He was still very fragile at this stage of his life and needed to be carried to the piano. He was large and needed assistance to reach the pedals of the piano. However, his hands were not very long. However, this had its benefits: Petrucciani’s manager often tried to smuggle Petrucciani into hotels in a suitcase at the start of his career in an effort to save money. He was part of a trio that became a success at the age of 18. In 1982, he moved to the USA and encouraged Charles Lloyd to play again. With Petrucciani in his arms, Lloyd walked to Town Hall in New York City on 22 February 1985 and sat down on his piano stool. This was the beginning of a historic evening in jazz history. John Charles Jopson, the film’s director, would later recount in the reissued liner notes how the moment brought him to tears. 1986 saw Petrucciani record a live album together with Wayne Shorter, Jim Hall. He also performed with Dizzy Gillespie and other jazz musicians in the US. He was awarded a Legion d’honneur Paris in 1994. Although Bill Evans was an influence on his style, some people compare him to Keith Jarrett. He had five significant relationships on the personal side: Erlinda Montano (marriage), Eugenia (marriage), Marie Laure Roperch (the marriage lasted for three months and ended with divorce), and Isabelle Maile (with which he shares his tomb). He had a son named Alexandre with Marie Laure, who inherited his condition. Rachid Roperch was his stepson. Michel Petrucciani, who was 36 years old, died from a pulmonary disease shortly after his 36th birthday. He was buried in Paris’s Le Pere Lachaise Cemetery. A special tribute to Petrucciani was broadcast by French music channel Mezzo on 12 February 2009. This event took place ten years after Petrucciani’s death. Gabreal Franklin produced the first two American albums featuring Michel Petrucciani. 100 Hearts, a solo album featuring Michel Petrucciani, was recorded at the famed RCA Studio A on the Avenue of the Americas, New York City. The second album was a trio, recorded live at Max Gordon’s Village Vanguard club in New York City. These albums were the first to utilize digital recording technology on Mitsubishi X80 recorders. Unfortunately, the manuals were only available in Japanese. However, Franklin and Tom Arrison were able to make them work through trial and error and achieved excellent results. From Wikipedia

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