Michel Petrucciani overcame extreme bodily disabilities – he was born, on December 28, 1962, with osteogenesis imperfecta, often called “glass bone disease” – to earn huge renown as a pianist and composer. “Sometimes I think someone upstairs saved me from being ordinary,” he mentioned.
Petrucciani was born to Italian mother and father in Montpellier, France. He couldn’t stroll, and his bones fractured continuously. He grew to solely three ft tall and weighed barely 50 kilos. Petrucciani needed to be carried onto the stage and had a particular attachment to make use of the sustaining pedal of the piano. But his lengthy, swish fingers performed with seemingly tireless vitality and verve.
Sturdy sufficient to make the piano really feel little
He first took an interest within the piano as a toddler after seeing Duke Ellington on tv. Petrucciani was inspired by his father, a Sicilian jazz guitarist, who had a job at a navy base and introduced residence a battered piano left behind by British troopers. The instrument modified the teen’s life.
“When I was young, I thought the keyboard looked like teeth,” Petrucciani recalled. “It was as though it was laughing at me. You have to be strong enough to make the piano feel little. That took a lot of work. The piano was strictly for classical studies – no jazz – for eight years. Studying orthodox piano teaches discipline and develops technique. You learn to take your instrument seriously.”
After deciding to swap classical music for jazz, and with Invoice Evans as an early affect, Petrucciani’s first important look was at an outside jazz competition in Cliousclat, when he was 13. “That year’s guest, trumpeter Clark Terry, needed a pianist for his set,” mentioned Petrucciani. “Someone sent for me, and Clark thought that I was just a kid and that someone must be playing a joke on him. So, kidding around, he picked up his horn and played mock bullfight music. I said, ‘Let’s play the blues.’ After I’d played for a minute, he said, ‘Give me five!’ and gave me a hug, and that was it.”
At 18, Petrucciani left France for America and was mentored by the saxophonist Charles Lloyd, who employed him for his quartet. They toured Europe and recorded a reside album collectively, Montreux 82. Between 1985 and 1994, the pianist made seven albums for Blue Word Data, together with his acclaimed LP of unique songs, Michel Performs Petrucciani. Amongst his different nice albums for the well-known jazz label are Pianism, Music and Playground.
Notable moments all through his profession
“My biggest inspiration is Duke Ellington, because in my very early age, he gave me the inspiration to play the piano,” mentioned Petrucciani. He was notably happy with his 1992 album Promenade With Duke, on which the Frenchman honored the music Ellington composed and performed; his seven-minute model of “Caravan” explores each nuance of the 1936 hit Ellington wrote with trombonist Juan Tizol. All through the album, Petrucciani confirmed his masterful capacity to create a temper and the album is likely one of the most interesting solo piano performances of Ellington’s music.
In addition to his personal outstanding solo profession, Petrucciani was an in-demand collaborator and sideman for a few of the nice names in music. He was invited by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard to hitch his All Star band and likewise labored with the tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson. Petrucciani additionally recorded albums with saxophonist Lee Konitz (Toot Candy) and violin maestro Stéphane Grappelli (Flamingo). Van Morrison was delighted that he agreed to play with him on the 1984 Montreux Jazz Competition, and it was at that venue, two years later, that Petrucciani joined Wayne Shorter and Jim Corridor to document the excellent reside album Energy Of Three.
One of many pianist’s biggest collaborations was with Joe Lovano for the album From The Soul, which was recorded on December 28, 1991, at Skyline Studios in New York. Petrucciani and bassist Dave Holland weave magical patterns behind Lovano on the tenor saxophonist’s first Blue Word album. “We met on my first European tour with Paul Motian, in 1981, when Michel was playing with Charles Lloyd,” mentioned Lovano. “We played together at different times throughout the 80s, which led to this session. Michel Petrucciani was real virtuoso and a total natural.”
Petrucciani was additionally awarded the celebrated Prix Django Reinhardt, and in 1984, his solo album 100 Hearts gained a Grand Prix Du Disque, the French equal of a Grammy award. In 1994 he was made a knight of the Legion Of Honor in Paris.
Petrucciani mentioned he didn’t consider in genius, he believed in laborious work. He was nonetheless stuffed with plans and musical ambitions when he was rushed to Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan initially of 1999. It was there that he died on January 6, aged 36. He used to joke that he was advised he wouldn’t reside previous 20, however had outlasted Charlie Parker, who died at 34. Petrucciani is buried in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, subsequent to the tomb of Chopin.
Petrucciani was a nationwide hero in France, and Jacques Chirac mentioned the pianist gave himself as much as his artwork with ardour and braveness. “Michel Petrucciani was an example for everyone,” mentioned the French President. In 2011 he was additionally the topic of an enchanting documentary movie by British director Michael Radford, who’s greatest identified for his Italian-language hit movie Il Postino. The documentary exhibits the pianist as a charismatic and fun-loving character. “Michel symbolizes the combat of the human being,” mentioned Radford. “It is the combat that consists in overcoming where we start from and in living to the full, getting everything we can out of life.”
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