Michel Petrucciani, although small in stature, was a giant in the jazz world. Stylistically, Petrucciani is most frequently compared to Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett for his lyricism and Oscar Peterson for his virtuosity. His playing was often quite dramatic; critics accuse him of over-indulgence and cheap showmanship, sometimes dismissing his music as being too accessible. The French born musician first recorded in 1980. This album is from early in his career (1982) and remains a musical insight into his early offerings before his career blossomed with multiple releases on Blue Note.

BMG and The Montreux Jazz Festival have today announced the release of “Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years” on Friday 07 April 2023 and available to pre-order now. The brand-new release in The Montreux Years series is a collection of Michel Petrucciani’s most memorable performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival from 1990 – 1998.

This is a superb retrospective, despite his very considerable physical disabilities, of one of the very greatest piano jazz masters in the late twentieth century. There are ten studio and eight live recordings captured during a period of high productivity between 1994 and 1997. All the tunes are composed by the pianist who we hear in solo, duo, trio and sextet modes.