Michel Petrucciani, Marcus Miller, Bireli Lagrene, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White: Dreyfus Night In Paris - 1994 (2003)

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Michel Petrucciani, Marcus Miller, Bireli Lagrene, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White: Dreyfus Night In Paris - 1994 (2003)

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Product Description: The unique all-star group featured on this live set from 1994 had not only never performed together before as a band, but most of the musicians had never been on the same stage with each other before. Miles Davis had passed away three years earlier, so the two Marcus Miller pieces, "Tutu" (which sounds surprisingly similar to "So What" during the solos even if the chords are different) and "The King Is Gone" are in tribute to the late trumpeter. "The King Is Gone" is a straight-ahead extended blues, while "Looking Up" has heated solos over a simple vamp. Overall, Kenny Garrett and Michel Petrucciani generally take solo honors (Biréli Lagrène is a bit overshadowed), while Miller and Lenny White keep the rhythms stimulating. Although the three selections are each quite extended, they hold one's interest throughout. Excellent music. ~ Scott Yanow

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Michel Petrucciani, Marcus Miller, Bireli Lagrene, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White: Dreyfus Night In Paris - 1994 (2003)

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About the Artist:

Michel Petrucciani – The legendary pianist who touched the world with his very small body and his tremendous sound and aura. He’s made dozens of classic recordings solo and with the likes of Wayne Shorter, Stephane Grappelli, Roy Haynes, and Steve Gadd.
Marcus Miller – The international jazz superstar whose work has defined and redefined the sound of modern jazz - from his groundbreaking production and multi-instrumental work in the 80’s with Miles Davis on TUTU, to his 2001 Grammy winning best seller M2.
Bireli Lagrene – The prodigy who stunned the world as a pre-teen his brilliant Django Reinhardt-inspired gypsy guitar playing and then later with his boundary pushing fusion work with Jaco Pastorious. Lenny White – A drummer with so many classic credits, from Miles Davis’ "Bitches Brew, Chick Corea’s "Return To Forever" recordings, "Jaco Pastorius," as well as modern masterpieces by Marcus Miller, Rachael Z and Michel Petrucciani.
Kenny Garrett – The Miles Davis alum who went on to become one of the best loved and best selling saxists of our time.
Lenny White - American jazz funk drummer, who is best known for playing in Chick Corea's Return to Forever.

Recorded on July 7th 1994 in Paris & featuring Marcus Miller, Michel Petrucciani, Bireli Lagrene, Lenny White, & Kenny Garrett. Features 3 tracks, each over 16 minutes, 'Tutu', 'The King Is Gone' & 'Looking Up. Dreyfus. 2003. Recorded live at Palais Des Sports, Paris, France on July 7th, 1994

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Michel Petrucciani, Marcus Miller, Bireli Lagrene, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White: Dreyfus Night In Paris - 1994 (2003)

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Review: Dubbed "a 'Massey Hall' for the modern era"—is 1953 really such ancient history?— Dreyfus Night in Paris is actually a performance that took place nearly ten years ago and is only just seeing its release. The "Massey Hall" assertion is debatable given that the musicians here, though excellent, don't exactly match the calibre of Bird (aka Charlie Chan), Diz, Bud Powell, Mingus and Max Roach, but there can be no doubt that the set is impressive, full of solid playing from start to finish. Lenny White and Kenny Garrett lead off this three-song set, though it's Marcus Miller who evokes cheers and applause from the audience as he plucks a few notes from his electric bass and settles into the funky groove of "Tutu," a chart Miller penned for the eponymous Miles Davis album in 1985. Petrucciani quickly follows his lead and gets comfortable himself; Garrett slides back in almost unnoticed to repeat the head. At sixteen minutes, this version is three times longer than Davis', but it seems to slip by as fast as one side of a 78. It's also a different animal. The original was a Davis vehicle with Miller's overdubs a la Bill Evans. Here "Tutu" is very much an organic ensemble piece.

"The King Is Gone" is a slower, smoother affair. Each soloist takes time to linger individually in the spotlight, one after the other. Lagrene is in fine form, but White gives a long, understated solo, perhaps under the impression that his one-minute start-stop intro was already enough. Early on Petrucciani throws in some low notes recalling Lear on the heath. He returns with something jauntier once the pace picks up. Garrett wrenches some violin-sounding laments from his alto sax to close out the tune.

"Looking Up" a Petrucciani chart, is last. Miller muscles his bass in, pulling and tapping, wholly at odds with the breezy mood the pianist is trying to create: imagine two men walking side-by-side, one skipping, one sauntering. The contrast makes a bit more sense when the whole thing starts to build to its freewheeling, hip-shaking peak, with Garrett at the lead. He then steps aside for Petrucciani, who runs with it for three minutes, finally bringing it to a hush for Lagrene to enter. Next Miller throws down with funk pyrotechnics.

No, Dreyfus Night in Paris isn't as essential as the Massey Hall releases. But, like those famed recordings, it does have a multifarious appeal—something for the swingers, something for the funk addicts, something for the fusion crowd, something for the traditionalists—that suggests it will be able to transcend labels and find its way into many ears.

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Michel Petrucciani, Marcus Miller, Bireli Lagrene, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White: Dreyfus Night In Paris - 1994 (2003)

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Michel Petrucciani, Marcus Miller, Bireli Lagrene, Kenny Garrett, Lenny White: Dreyfus Night In Paris - 1994 (2003)

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