Non Stop Travels with Michel Petrucciani.

Format:

Video

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Europe.

Performing arts life.

Emotions and feelings.

Local Subjects:

Europe.

Performing arts life.

Emotions and feelings.

Genre:

Documentary

Physical Description:

1 online resource (59 minutes)

Place of Publication:

Paris, Ile-de-France : Qwest TV, 1995.

Language Note:

In English.

Original language in English.

System Details:

video file

Summary:

When asked the question "do you have any idea where music might lead you?" Michel Petrucciani replied: "It might lead me to death." These immortal words, spoken by the pianist and Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bones) sufferer, turned out to be prophetic. In his final year Petrucciani played an astounding 140 concerts, and eventually became too weak to use his crutches. He passed away at thirty-six. Non Stop is a film of rare beauty, one that pictures the inimitable artist in an altogether happier place, before his condition worsened. In the company of director, Roger Willemsen, who he clearly developed a very personal relationship with; Petrucciani jumps between Paris, New York and California. Throughout, he shows an unquenchable desire to play, to laugh, to love, and to move, but we soon discover that this exuberance was always matched by an almost constant state of pain. As we zoom back, watching Petrucciani playing solo on top of a skyscraper in New York, we are afforded the perfect moment to reflect on what kind of a musician he was. He combined the lyricism of Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans, the virtuosity of Oscar Peterson and added a healthy dose of aggression on top. But besides the music, what this film demonstrates more than anything, are the contents of his character. As his friend, Wayne Shorter said: "Michel didn’t look in the mirror and complain about what he saw … he was a great human being because he had the ability to feel and give to others that feeling." Rowan Standish Hayes

Notes:

Title from resource description page (viewed July 15, 2024).