Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years

Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years

BMG & THE MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES THE NEXT RELEASE
IN THE MONTREUX YEARS SERIES

A COLLECTION OF MICHEL PETRUCCIANI’S FINEST PERFORMANCES
AT THE MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL FROM 1990 – 1998

PRE-ORDER

 LONDON WEDNESDAY 01 MARCH 2023 – BMG and The Montreux Jazz Festival have today announced the release of “Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years” – on Friday 07 April 2023 and available to pre-order now. The brand-new release in The Montreux Years series is a collection of Michel Petrucciani’s most memorable performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival from 1990 – 1998. Beautifully restored and Mastered, Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years will be available in multi-format configurations including superior audiophile heavyweight vinyl, MQA quality CD and HD digital.

Born in the South of France in 1962, Michel Petrucciani was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta – or “glass bone disease” and only ever grew to 99cm. Despite his health condition, Petrucciani went on to become one of the most accomplished jazz pianists of his generation and became a musical prodigy.

At the age of 13, Petrucciani gave his first professional concert performance and became famous locally. However, the young star dreamed of America and in 1982 found himself in California where he met jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd. In the 80s Petrucciani became the first European artist to sign with the American jazz label Blue Note Records, the most prolific, influential, and respected jazz label of the 20th century. It was at Blue Note Records where Petrucciani made seven albums including his acclaimed LP ‘Michel Plays Petrucciani’.

As well as his own remarkable solo career, Michel Petrucciani was a celebrated collaborator for some of music’s biggest artists, including Freddie Hubbard who invited him to join his All Star band. Overcoming physical disabilities to become a world-renowned pianist, Petrucciani was awarded the prestigious Prix Django Reinhardt in 1984 and during the same year his album ‘100 Hearts’ won a Grand Prix Du Disque, the French equivalent of a Grammy Award. In 1994 Petrucciani was made a knight by François Mitterrand, the French president at the time.

A collection of Petrucciani’s most memorable performances at The Montreux Jazz Festival from 1990 – 1998, fans of the legendary jazz pianist can relive some of his biggest recordings on Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years. Encapsulating his time at the festival, the release opens with 1997’s “35 Seconds of Music and More” and “Estate” from the 1982 album of the same name. Delving further into Petrucciani’s repertoire, Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years includes the 1991 hit “Rachid” and “Little Peace in C for U”.

Launched in 2021, ‘The Montreux Years’ is the embodiment of the spirit of the Montreux Jazz Festival and the legacy of its much-loved founder, Claude Nobs. Nobs refused to compromise on quality or settle for anything other than the best and this ethos lives on in the superb quality of the recordings compiled in ‘The Montreux Years’. Mastering has been performed by Tony Cousins at London’s iconic Metropolis Studios, incorporating MQA to capture the original sound of the special live performances. 

Available on pre-order now and released on Friday 07 April, Michel Petrucciani: The Montreux Years is the ninth instalment of The Montreux Years series, which began with musical titans Nina Simone and Etta James, followed by Marianne Faithfull and Muddy Waters, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Monty Alexander and Paco De Lucía. Having received critical acclaim worldwide, ‘Nina Simone: The Montreux Years’ and ‘John McLaughlin: The Montreux Years’, reached #1 on the UK Official Jazz & Blues Chart in 2021 and were hailed by the likes of the New York Times and JazzFM.

LP TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

  1. 35 Seconds of Music and More (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1998) 06:07
  2. Estate (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1990) 10:13
  3. Little Peace in C for U (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1998) 02:53

SIDE B

  1. Autumn Leaves (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1996) 06:31
  2. My Funny Valentine (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1996) 08:53

SIDE C

  1. Miles Davis Licks (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1990) 07:59
  2. Summertime (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1993) 07:14
  3. Take The ‘A’ Train (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1993) 04:51

SIDE D

  1. So What (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1996) 05:16
  2. You Are My Waltz (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1993) 05:01
  3. Rachid (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1990) 10:06

CD TRACKLISTING

  1. 35 Seconds of Music and More (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1998)
  2. Estate (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1990)
  3. Little Peace in C for U (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1998)
  4. Autumn Leaves (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1996)
  5. My Funny Valentine (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1996)
  6. Miles Davis Licks (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1990)
  7. Summertime (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1993)
  8. Take The ‘A’Train (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1993)
  9. So What (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1996)
  10. You Are My Waltz (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1993)
  11. Rachid (Live from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1990)

ABOUT MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL
Montreux Jazz Festival is a renowned music festival created by Claude Nobs and held annually in Montreux, Switzerland across two weeks in July. Now in its 55th year, the festival draws 250,000 music lovers from all across the world to the Lake Geneva shoreline. Montreux Jazz Festival celebrates the industry’s emerging and contemporary acts, whilst paying homage to music’s legendary acts. Originally a pure jazz festival since inception in 1967, Montreux began showcasing other styles of music throughout the decades and today presents artists from across every genre imaginable. Artists that have graced the stage of Montreux include Etta James, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Ms Lauren Hill, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, James Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Leonard Cohen, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Nina Simone and many more. Mathieu Jaton serves as CEO of Montreux Jazz 

ABOUT MONTREUX SOUNDS
Founded by Claude Nobs in 1973, Montreux Sounds owns a collection of 5000 concerts “Live at the Montreux” recorded both in audio and video (More than 2000 performances were filmed in High Definition since 1991) and has published already more than 450 major artists, live on the same stage, including shows dating back to the late 1960s. For more information, visit: www.montreuxsounds.com

ABOUT MQA
Using pioneering scientific research into how people hear, MQA captures the sound of the original performance. The MQA file is fully authenticated, backward compatible, and small enough to stream, so you can play MQA on any device. MQA powers award-winning products and services worldwide with unmatched efficiency, which also makes it the most sustainable solution for the entertainment industry. Partnerships span recorded music, video, radio, broadcast and livestreaming. Wherever there is audio, MQA delivers the best sound. MQA is a UK-based private company.

For more information visit www.mqa.co.uk