Alive

By BRUCE HANDY

Terrasson, 32, has always been an original pianist, but the pleasures of his first two albums tended to be clever, surface ones. This CD, recorded live, is a breakthrough, thanks in no small part to the fact that his trio (with bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Leon Parker) has been playing together for more than six years--a rarity in the harsh economic climate of today's jazz world. On a set of standards sprinkled with Terrasson originals, the trio plays softly and sparely, at times swinging as much by implication as by force. Melodies have a way of slithering unexpectedly out of laid-back, nearly ambient grooves, heard as if for the first time. It's a rich, delicious sort of minimalism. Listen on headphones, and you can hear the audience sigh.

--By Bruce Handy