Be on the lookout for Jean-Michel Pilc this month! He will be in Edmonton Friday, March 15th for a Jazz Improvisation masterclass at MacEwan University and will also be performing a solo piano set at the Yardbird Suite, Saturday, March 16th from 8 pm – 10 pm!
Jean-Michel Pilc is praised for his improvisations. Pianist and composer Jean-Michel Pilc has performed with numerous jazz giants including Roy Haynes, Billy Hart, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Jean Toussaint, Marcus Miller, John Abercrombie, and the Mingus Dynasty & Big Band, among others. He also worked with Harry Belafonte as his musical director and pianist and performed a duet with the legendary opera singer Jessye Norman. Originally from France, Pilc moved to New York in 1995 where he established himself as an active performer. Jean-Michel has released four critically-acclaimed solo piano records: Follow Me (2004), Essential (2011), What Is This Thing Called? (2015), and his most recent solo double CD Parallel (2018). In addition, he regularly performs in a trio with both Montreal and New York City-based ensembles including Pilc-Moutin-Hoenig which performed at the Yardbird Suite in 2015. A dedicated educator, Jean-Michel founded the Improvisation Workshop Project with Rémi Bolduc, Kevin Dean and Jean-Nicolas Trottier, an educational research project funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC). In September 2015, he was named Associate Professor at The Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal.
Pilc’s masterclass is centred around his book It’s About Music: The Art and Heart of Improvisation. Jean-Michel’s workshops are based off the expressive aspects of improvisation. He bases his teachings off the premise that originality in art is a matter of expressing one’s own uniqueness. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from a masterful improviser and musician, Friday, March 15th at MacEwan University and be sure to see him live in action Saturday, March 16th at the Yardbird suite!
Tickets are $26, and $22 for EJS members, plus applicable fees.
Get your tickets here: https://www.tixonthesquare.ca/performances/5522
Get your copy of his book here: http://www.balquhiddermusic.com/books-and-cds-1/pilc-its-about-music
Website: http://www.jeanmichelpilc.com/about