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Jacky Terrason - Mirror
Blue Note
With Mirror, young lion Jacky Terrason finally
realizes his promise as one of the best piano players in the new
breed of jazz players. On the national radar since his
incredible self-titled debut in 1995, Terrason has continued his
amazing musical growth since and has put out album after album
full of future-perfect jazz piano. That this is his best album
yet is
both no surprise at all considering his growth yet a tremendous
happening since he is, at his young age, already at the cusp of
building a legend that some say will surpass any other jazz
pianist.
First garnering attention when the won the Thelonius
Monk Competition in 1993, Blue Note swiftly signed the prodigy
and released his first album in 1995. Terrason is known for his
incredibly light touch but is also able to expertly apply power
to his playing at just the right times. Born in Berlin, Terrason
started classical piano lessons at age five and was aided by his
family's love of classical and jazz, which exposed Terrason to
all of the great pianists like Bill Evans and Thelonius Monk. It
is these influences raging through his playing today and why he
is able to put just the right touch on a musical passage.
This new Terrason album is a rare treat all around as
this is one of the few recordings he has done which features
just his solo piano work. Starting with an Ellington tune called
"Caravan," Terrason gives a tour de force performance which
includes tapping on the piano's surface itself during breaks in
the rhythm and adding a different vamp all the while staying in
focus of the theme of the melody. It is a marvelous thing,
indeed. A few songs later and he does the same kind of switch up
to the old standard "Just A Gigolo," adding a choppiness and
playfullness Monk would most certainly be proud of, as Monk
himself loved jazzing up the tune during performances.
Fans of jazz piano will simply adore this CD. Terrason
has been building as a jazz titan with every release and this
album happens to be his best yet, which will astound those who
have heard his other excellent CDs. If you are a jazz fan, you
have to make this CD a part of your collection, especially if
you have never heard any Terrason before. This CD is fantastic.
- Scott Homewood
www.bluenote.com
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