Michel Petrucciani, born 28 December 1962 in Orange, Vaucluse (France) – died 6 January 1999 in New York City, USA. He was a French jazz pianist. Michel Petrucciani was raised in an ItaloFrench musical family. His father Tony was a guitarist, and Louis his brother played bass. Philippe is his last brother. Michel was born with osteogenesis imperfecta. This is a genetic condition that causes brittle bones, and in Michel’s case, short stature. It can also be linked to pulmonary conditions. His father and brother carried him literally when he couldn’t walk on his own. He considered it a benefit in some ways, as he was able to get rid of the distractions that other boys were involved in, such as sports. He was captivated by Duke Ellington from an early age and wanted to be a pianist like him. He trained as a classical pianist for many years, but jazz was his main passion. At the age of 13, he gave his first professional concert. He was still very fragile at this stage of his life and needed to be carried to the piano. He was large and needed assistance to reach the pedals of the piano. However, his hands were not very long. However, this had its benefits: Petrucciani’s manager often tried to smuggle Petrucciani into hotels in a suitcase at the start of his career in an effort to save money. He was part of a trio that became a success at the age of 18. In 1982, he moved to the USA and encouraged Charles Lloyd to play again. With Petrucciani in his arms, Lloyd walked to Town Hall in New York City on 22 February 1985 and sat down on his piano stool. This was the beginning of a historic evening in jazz history. John Charles Jopson, the film’s director, would later recount in the reissued liner notes how the moment brought him to tears. 1986 saw Petrucciani record a live album together with Wayne Shorter, Jim Hall. He also performed with Dizzy Gillespie and other jazz musicians in the US. He was awarded a Legion d’honneur Paris in 1994. Although Bill Evans was an influence on his style, some people compare him to Keith Jarrett. He had five significant relationships on the personal side: Erlinda Montano (marriage), Eugenia (marriage), Marie Laure Roperch (the marriage lasted for three months and ended with divorce), and Isabelle Maile (with which he shares his tomb). He had a son named Alexandre with Marie Laure, who inherited his condition. Rachid Roperch was his stepson. Michel Petrucciani, who was 36 years old, died from a pulmonary disease shortly after his 36th birthday. He was buried in Paris’s Le Pere Lachaise Cemetery. A special tribute to Petrucciani was broadcast by French music channel Mezzo on 12 February 2009. This event took place ten years after Petrucciani’s death. Gabreal Franklin produced the first two American albums featuring Michel Petrucciani. 100 Hearts, a solo album featuring Michel Petrucciani, was recorded at the famed RCA Studio A on the Avenue of the Americas, New York City. The second album was a trio, recorded live at Max Gordon’s Village Vanguard club in New York City. These albums were the first to utilize digital recording technology on Mitsubishi X80 recorders. Unfortunately, the manuals were only available in Japanese. However, Franklin and Tom Arrison were able to make them work through trial and error and achieved excellent results. From Wikipedia
