Petrucciani's Marvellous: Strings Meet a Trio
Petrucciani's piano floats above a string-and-rhythm ensemble, lighter and more lyrical than his usual trio fire.
Marvellous opens with the sound of a small string section and a rhythm team settling into a warm, unhurried groove, and Michel Petrucciani's piano arriving on top of it with a bright, clean touch. The mood is lyrical and open, with more room in the arrangements than you usually hear on his trio records. The cello and violins carry melodic lines while Dave Holland's bass and Tony Williams's drums keep things moving without ever pushing hard.
The ensemble work is the main reason to hear it. Vincent Courtois's cello gives the album a deep, singing center, and the violin and viola parts add color without turning syrupy. Petrucciani sounds comfortable in this setting, leaving space for the strings and then stepping forward with short, melodic runs. Holland and Williams are subtle here, more shaping the pulse than showing off.
As a place in his catalog, this is a good listen for anyone who knows his trio playing and wants to hear him in a more chamber-like context. It is not the record most people would start with, and it lacks the sheer swing of his straight-ahead dates, but it shows a softer side of his playing that is worth the time.
Who's playing
Dave Hollandbass
Michel Petruccianipiano
Tony Williamsdrums
Vincent Courtoiscello
Nicolas Krassikviolin
Pierre Lemarchandviola
Vincent Pagliarinviolin
Where next?
The musicians on this record
The Joy of Flying 1965
Tony Williams
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
Emerald Tears 1978
Dave Holland
plays bass here
plays bass here
