Conversation with Michel

AMG Review of Conversation with Michel

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide

Even though tenor saxophonist Bob Malach mysteriously takes top billing on this CD, Conversations With Michel really focuses on the late pianist Michel Petrucciani, who died in early 1999. The interview excerpts were taped for the long-defunct NPR series "Sidran on Record," hosted by fellow pianist Ben Sidran. Sidran is an effective interviewer and Petrucciani is an entertaining and often amusing subject. An added bonus for those who don't want to take time to listen to the interview is the inclusion of transcriptions of both segments. The music features Petrucciani and Malach sans rhythm section or other horns, including four takes of Petrucciani's "My Bebop Tune," though there is no hint given as to which one of them (if any) was used on the program. All four versions of this hard bop number sparkle. Petrucciani's "For All Time's Sake" is a melancholy allad, while his "Contradictions" is a brief introspective piece. The one standard included is the lovely "You Must Believe in Spring." Fans of Petrucciani will definitely want to pick up this CD, even though it's just 35 minutes long.