Michel Petrucciani / Steve Gadd / Anthony Jackson

If there is one quality that best sums up the personality and music of Michel Petrucciani, it is generosity.

It was on stage, in the moment, in close proximity to the audience, in the warm intimacy of a club setting, that he most truthfully expressed his passion for sharing.

“Many musicians,” he confessed, “play too selfishly. They play only for themselves and a few happy few. I play to please and to communicate. I’d like to think I’m a very happy person. That’s why it’s essential for me to transmit and give others the generosity that is vital in art, music, and life.”

This is proven by these magnificent moments captured live in 1997 in Tokyo.