Introduced in The New York Times in 1994 as "one of the thirty artists poised to shape the trajectory of American culture in the following three decades," pianist Jacky Terrasson has lived up to this acclaim by becoming the most widely heard French jazz musician on digital platforms.

Pianist Jacky Terrasson's Impulse! Records debut, 2015's Take This, is a sophisticated showcase for his virtuoso jazz chops and eclectic musical taste. Following up his 2012 effort, Gouache, Take This finds Terrasson investigating a mix of originals and unexpected covers, many of which are infused with a strong African and Cuban rhythmic influence. Supplying much of this rhythmic intensity is Terrasson's adventurous outfit featuring bassist Burniss Travis, drummer Lukmil Perez, and Malian percussionist Adama Diarra. Together, this group is responsible for many of the album's brightest moments, with updates of such classic jazz piano numbers as Bud Powell's "Un Poco Loco," and Miles Davis' "Blue and Green," to name a few. Also collaborating with Terrasson here is French vocalist/beatboxer Sly Johnson…

My desire to create this band and this album dates back to January 2020, just before the Covid pandemic.

The genesis of the duet partnership of pianist Jacky Terrasson and trumpeter/flugelhornist Stephane Belmondo stretches back 30 years. Close friends from their days living and playing in Paris and then while band mates in vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater’s groups in the mid-‘90s, the pair enjoyed a simpatico musical relationship. But they lost contact over the years until six years ago when they reconnected and played a duo show in the south of France. That proved to be the seed of their sublime duo album on Impulse, Mother, that was recorded last fall and in April of this year at Recall Studios in the southern France village of Pompignan.