From the first ominous notes of the Afro-Cuban backbeat offered by drummer Leon Parker on "I Love Paris" through the terpsichorean steps of "Cumbia Dance", it's clear that this isno ordinary piano trio, and that 1993 Thelonious Monk Competition winner Jacky Terrasson is a special pianist. Eschewing the blustery cliches of so many contemporary pianists, JACKY TERRASSON is a thoughtful, swinging recital that offers the promise of new harmonic possibilities and a fresh approach to group improvisation. Terrasson's cohorts, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Leon Parker, complement the pianist's demeanor by taking a terse, minimalist approach. Parker, in particular, has carved out a niche for himself by stripping down the drumset to its bare essentials, eliminating the hi-hats entirely; his spare orchestrations and melodic rhythmic parts are a major reason for this recital's success. Terrasson's solo on "I Love Paris" begins almost as a Monkishvivisection of the theme, building tensions through cubist shards of notes and chords, progressing gradually to a more familiar palette of long lines and block chords, only to deconstruct his thematic material in a highly rhythmic manner--a masterful, defiantly original performance. "Just A Blues" employs a wide variety of fragmented, stop and go, hesitation effects to build tension, in much the same way Terrasson takes the ballad "My Funny Valentine", eliciting new ideas from the melody and reharmonising as he goes along, without descending into technoflash. JACKY TERRASSON is a polished, ingenious debut.