JAZZ REVIEW : Terrasson Lives Up to His Reputation at the Troubadour

Jacky Terrasson showed up at the Troubadour on Tuesday night on the crest of a wave of media praise and promotion. Even before his first solo recording was released, the French American pianist had been identified by the New York Times as one of 30 artists under age 30 “most likely to change the culture for the next 30 years.”

Talk about pressure. But in Terrasson’s case, the advance notices have considerable justification--with one small reservation.

His Troubadour set was a classic illustration of a performer determined to stretch the boundaries of his art. Working almost solely with standards such as “My Funny Valentine,” “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “I Love Paris” (all included on his new album), Terrasson uncovered hidden riches in each.

Often, the tunes themselves would not emerge until after he had laid down atmospheric settings that placed the songs in strikingly new perspectives. “I Love Paris,” for example, materialized with what Terrasson describes as a “rockish” rhythm--one that perfectly transformed Cole Porter’s romantic vision of the City of Light into its contemporary, multicultural reality.

Absolutely intrinsic to Terrasson’s work was the presence of drummer Leon Parker and bassist Ugonna Okegwo. Parker used a minimal drum setup, one that seemed paltry when compared to the battery of equipment favored by many players. But by isolating individual percussion items--only a cymbal for one section of a piece, only a snare for another--he added accent and color to Terrasson’s lines without overwhelming them. And Okegwo’s bass was the foundation that allowed Terrasson and Parker their musically interactive flights of creative fantasy.

If Terrasson has a problem now, it is one common to young players whose juices are cooking--he occasionally has a tendency to rely too much on technique, to let his obvious virtuosity obscure the deeper probing of the material. But that’s a small carp for an artist who appears poised to become one of the influential jazz voices of the decade.