“My biggest musical and pianistic influence.” Laurent Coulondre gets straight to the point when he talks about Michel Petrucciani. And his passion is even more obvious with this aptly named album Michel On My Mind. The French jazzman was a revelation at the Victoires du Jazz 2016 and is as comfortable on the piano as on the organ. Here, he confirms the extent of his rich palette as well as his melodic warmth and amazing rhythmic power. Capable of fluid transitions between pyrotechnic sequences and raw introspections, everything comes naturally to him. And it’s not only natural, but also personal; on this tribute album Coulondre, along with drummer André Ceccarelli and double bassist Jeremy Bruyère, does not simply imitate Petrucciani but adds his own touch. Mostly composed of reinterpretations of Petrucciani’s themes, it also includes two original pieces by Laurent Coulondre, Michel On My Mind and Choriniño. In the cover notes, Alexandre Petrucciani, son of the star who died in January 1999, sums up this beautiful album perfectly: “To play Michel Petrucciani is above all to paint sincere emotions, bright colours, and I have rarely heard a pianist capture the essence of his music so accurately.” © Clotilde Maréchal/Qobuz