It may have been Marian Petrescu's debut performance in New York, however he is no stranger to the Jazz world. Joined on stage by Andreas Őberg, David Finck, and Mark McLean, pianist Marian Petrescu set a new standard at Jazz Standard.

On Tuesday, June 16, 2009, Marian Petrescu approached the microphone and excitedly told the audience that this was his first time in New York and that it was a great pleasure to be playing at Jazz Standard. He also shared that the buildings were so big, and he felt so small, and that he was so happy to be there. For pianist Marian Petrescu, playing in New York was a journey of a dream; born in Bucharest, his family later moved to Sweden, and then to Finland where he began wowing audiences with his debut at age 15 at Finland's Pori Jazz Festival in 1985.

Marian Petrescu and Band at Jazz Standard New York

When Marian Petrescu sat down at the piano to play, he played with his heart, his enthusiasm as apparent as his formidable talent as he played a tribute to the Jazz pianist, the great Oscar Peterson. Joined by Andreas Őberg on guitar, David Finck on upright bass, and Mark McLean on drums, Marian opened the first set with Oscar Peterson's Cakewalk, followed by Medley: Hymn to Freedom and John Brown's Body from his new CD, Resonance Big Band plays tribute to Oscar Peterson introducing Marian Petrescu on the Resonance Records label.

By the time that they played On the Trail, an Oscar Peterson standard, which was a hot duet between Marian on piano and David Finck on upright bass, that showed the impressive Oscar Peterson styling, Marian had the audience eating out of his hands.

The band came back together for Blues Etude, another Oscar Peterson song, followed by Greensleeves. Andreas Őberg took the lead for the next song, Le Q Theme, with a samba rhythm which he wrote and said was dedicated to a bar in London, and is on his CD, Andreas Őberg My Favorite Guitars on the Resonance Records label, with the band joining in. Marian finished the first show playing solo on the song, Back Home Again in Indiana.

We stayed for the second show where Marian once again thanked the audience and opened with Down Here on the Ground, another cut off Marian Petrescu's CD, followed by another exhilarating Oscar Peterson song, Bossa Beguine. Changing tactics, the band slowed it down a bit to let the audience catch their breath with the ballad, Blue in Green, a Miles Davis/Bill Evans piece.

Yours is my Heart Alone followed, another great song that Oscar Peterson regularly played in his repertoire, which opened with a solo by Mark McLean on drums before being joined by the rest of the band. Marian Petrescu continued with My Romance, which opened with Marian playing solo before being joined by the band with some scatting by Andreas Őberg.

Cakewalk is a very catchy tune, and the band decided to play it again for the second show. As would be fitting, Marian Petrescu finished the evening playing solo on the complicated Oscar Peterson song, A Little Jazz Exercise, which he played to perfection. Taking a last bow, Marian Petrescu beamed with joy as the appreciative audience applauded a fabulous evening. Although this was his New York debut, hopefully he will soon become a regular on the New York music scene.

Read the review of the Resonance Big Band plays tribute to Oscar Peterson introducing Marian Petrescu CD in the Music Scene.

Jazz Standard is open seven days a week. There are two shows nightly at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, and an extra show at 11:30 pm on Friday and Saturday. Ticket prices vary by show, and there is never a minimum.

Jazz Standard
116 E 27th St (between Lexington and Park)
New York, New York 10016, United States
Telephone:      +1-212-576-2232
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  
www.JazzStandard.com 

© July 2009. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.