Jacky Terrasson: Push (2010)

GLENN ASTARITA,

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

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Published: September 10, 2010

Track review of "Ruby My Dear"

There's no lack of variety on pianist Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson
b.1966
piano 's debut for Concord Records. With his trio and special guests, Terrasson generates a multihued program, featuring jazz-funk, spunky bop and cleverly envisioned ballads, such as Thelonious Monk Thelonious Monk
1917 - 1982
piano 's timeless classic, "Ruby My Dear."

On this piece, Terrasson and harmonica ace Gregoire Maret Gregoire Maret
b.1975
harmonica share the lead via sweet-toned passages and a capacious backdrop that elicits imagery of a sultry breeze. The soloists caress and rephrase the familiar theme into a gradually ascending balladry, seasoned with subtly enacted choruses and animated voicings. During the bridge, Maret surges in linear fashion amid lushly phrased high-notes, complemented by the pianist's lyrically resplendent block chords. The band also initiates a few minor variations of the composition's inherent structural elements. With "Ruby My Dear," Terrasson spins an impressionistic and nouveau vista on a beloved jazz standard.

Personnel: Jacky Terrasson: piano, keyboards, vocals; Ben Williams: bass; Jamire Williams: drums; Gregoire Maret: harmonica (3, 8); Jacques Schwarz-Bart: tenor saxophone (6); Matthew Stevens: guitar (8); Cyro Baptista: percussion (8, 10, 11).

Record Label: Concord Music Group