Jacky Terrasson - A Paris

*****

An album I've loved for ten years 12 Feb 2007

If ever there were a story of good luck in picking out a cd, then how this album came into my hands must be it. Almost ten years ago I was out in town and happened to see this disc on the shelves; Terrasson's was a name I had heard but I knew nothing about him, but it looked, in a word, interesting. From the first listening I loved it, and it's possible to say there's not a month that has gone by in all the years since then that I haven't listened to it and enjoyed it as much as any other cd in my collection.

The music is eclectic, as much as any homage to Paris probably would have to be, from gently swinging guitar and piano duets to high-voltage out-there funk jazz, with a little bit of most things in between. The abiding memory of this album is that there is a warmth and good humour to the music which distinguishes it from so much music. It cannot be said of this album that it breaks any new ground, or that there is playing on here that is technically superior to anyone else, or that the artistry is more profound than any other artist, but for consistent enjoyment, there is hardly a cd I can think of that has given me such pleasure.