AMG Review of Best of Blue Note Years 1986-1994

Ron Wynn
All Music Guide

The single-disc Best Of outing is a mixed blessing. The 12 performances include the wonderful "Bimini" from Power Of Three, as well as trio and quartet takes from arguably his best release, Pianism, and six cuts with him playing acoustic and electric keyboards on the same composition. But the disc gives a grab-bag feel for Petrucciani the composer and improviser; we can't tell how his approach evolved, nor chart his growth or stagnation. In addition, the company doesn't even provide complete recording information, omitting the dates for the tracks. The ridiculously exaggerated, incomplete liner notes place Petrucciani in the company of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, an absurd comparison...So while it isn't a definitive compilation, it does function as more of a sampler for neophytes.