Jacky Terrasson Trio

Early on in jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson’s career, he listened to a lot of Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans. While Terrasson says he doesn’t listen to the three pianists as much as he did two decades ago, when he was starting out, he’s taken what they’ve given him and moved on. From Powell, it was his energy, fire and passion. From Monk, he took the originality and the humor. From Evans, he absorbed an eloquent way of phrasing. All three of those jazz legends come through in Terrasson’s playing, but he’s carved his own distinctive sound over the past fifteen years on Blue Note albums like Reach, Smile and Mirror. On last year’s Push, Terrasson’s first for Concord, the pianist explores more groove-based cuts rather than his previous straightahead jazz recordings. (Find a full Q&A with Terrasson at Backbeatblog.com.)