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Jacky Terrasson was born in Berlin in 1966 to a French father and American mother. Raised in Paris, he started classical piano studies at five, discovering jazz seven years later. |
Not long after, he began taking lessons from American expatriate jazz pianist Jeff Gardner. As a young man he studied at the Berklee School in Boston, returned to Paris, did a brief tour of duty in the French army, and then began to play in tours and festivals all over Europe.
During this time he toured with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Brown, Guy Lafite, and Barney Wein. He also found time to record an album with trumpeter Tom Harrell, after a brief stint with the Phil Woods Quintet. Terrasson moved back to New York in 1990, where a mutual friend introduced him to jazz legend Betty Carter. She immediately hired him as her accompanist/arranger, later calling him one of the most challenging pianists she had ever worked with. He later found similar work with singer Diane Reeves.
In 1993, Terrasson won first place in the Thelonius Monk Piano Competition. He began a series of recordings for Blue Note in 1994 with the album Terrasson. Each of his subsequent recordings have been stylistically unique. His often-surprising approach to the standards (as when he plays Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" in 5/4!) is all part of an endeavor Terrasson characterizes as an attempt to find his own voice in a music that is grounded in tradition.
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Set List for Jacky Terrasson on Piano Jazz:"Nardis" (Davis)
"Fifty Nine" (Terrasson)
"My Romance" (Rodgers, Hart)
"All in Love Is Fair" (Stevie Wonder)
"Here's That Rainy Day" (Burke, VanHeusen)
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Kern)
"Days of Wine and Roses" (Mancini)
"Caravan" (J. Tizol)
During this time he toured with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Brown, Guy Lafite, and Barney Wein. He also found time to record an album with trumpeter Tom Harrell, after a brief stint with the Phil Woods Quintet. Terrasson moved back to New York in 1990, where a mutual friend introduced him to jazz legend Betty Carter. She immediately hired him as her accompanist/arranger, later calling him one of the most challenging pianists she had ever worked with. He later found similar work with singer Diane Reeves.
In 1993, Terrasson won first place in the Thelonius Monk Piano Competition. He began a series of recordings for Blue Note in 1994 with the album Terrasson. Each of his subsequent recordings have been stylistically unique. His often-surprising approach to the standards (as when he plays Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" in 5/4!) is all part of an endeavor Terrasson characterizes as an attempt to find his own voice in a music that is grounded in tradition.
Check out this week's Piano Jazz Shorts: the Piano Jazz podcast.
Subscribe!
Set List for Jacky Terrasson on Piano Jazz: