Essential

Now an American citizen, self-taught pianist Jean-Michel Pilc grew his reputation with such big leaguers as Roy Haynes, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter and Harry Belafonte. He then began a continuing relationship with bassist Francois Moutin and drummer Ari Hoenig, compatriots on trio releases led by both Pilc and Honig. With a technique that conjures none less than Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson and an imagination that is entirely his own, Pilc’s live performances typically leave an audience breathless and light-headed, whether he’s free-associating through a cover or original composition. One minute he spins gold filigree with a brush of his fingertips, and the next he launches an all-out assault with flying palms in a sudden burst of pugilistic fury. Or he ducks inside the piano, finding the hidden orchestra that allows him to coax elegant melodies without actually striking a single key. Consistently excelling as a soloist and trio partner, as a composer and performer, Pilc’s standing as one of his generation’s best at all of the above is solidified by two recent releases on Motema Records.  

Essential (Jean-Michel Pilc, Motema, 2011)

The solo Essential is part of Motema’s Piano Culture series of “extraordinary solo and small ensemble acoustic piano performances,” recorded at the Fazioli Piano Loft at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway, NJ, part live, part in private session. Eighteen tracks, most under 4 minutes, feature original compositions (including a series of six “Etude-Tableau” tracks) and revised standards from Ellington, Strayhorn, Jimmy McHugh, Miles Davis, Kurt Weill and more. An enhanced version includes video. 

Jean-Michel Pilc©Andrea Canter

Pilc’s opening “J & G” has a church-bell chime melody, gently and majestically heralding the rest of the recital. Conjoining Chopin’s “Waltz N. 3 in A minor with his own “Three Four Too,” Pilc reflects his classical influences, giving Chopin a dark romantic reading laced with 21st century harmonics and ruminating ideas. The original title track feels Ellingtonian while cast in futuristic shades, rich and lacey, melodic yet unpredictable. “Sam” hints of Jarrett in its bluesy country feel and delicate rendering.  The core of his original compositions, the “Etudes” feel like brief exercises in imagination as much as technique, often hinting at something familiar – #1 suggesting “Centerpiece” in its swing feel and melodic fragments; #2 based on echoing notes and repeating lines with nursery rhyme motion; #3 a sad ballad; # 4 quick and bright like a songbook standard in double time with repeating storylines; #5 at ballad tempo, elegant, beautiful and melancholy with Chopinesque cascades awakening interest; # 6 songful with strong melodic elements suggesting a standard at the heart of it all. 

There may be some standards at the heart of it all, but Essential is essentially Jean-Michel Pilc taking us all for a glorious, if sometimes obtuse, ride with one of the most imaginative pianists and composers on the current jazz scene. 

Threedom (Pilc/Moutin/Honig, Motema 2011)

Threedom

The collaborative compositions share an underlying elegance, often dark or at least a bit dusky. “Morning” is a little countrified tune, a walk through a garden on a spring morning, Moutin’s voicings and contra-beats giving this a slight edge as if some clouds are on the horizon. “Birth” unfolds slowly with the majesty of  a hymn, filled with Moutin’s gorgeous, deep basslines and Hoenig’s ever so gentle cymbals. “Slow” finds Pilc executing repeating tinkle chords over Moutin’s ominous undercurrent and Hoenig’s restless punctuations; danger lurks but the mystery never resolves. “Touch” moves quickly as Moutin drives erratically and Hoenig sputters the pulse (by hand?), Pilc gathering his zinging resources from under the hood.  

Ari Hoenig©Andrea Canter

Of the covers, the opening “Nardis,” at over 7 minutes, is the most extended piece, displaying Pilc at his abstract best. But it is indeed a collaboration, featuring a solo of despair from Moutin. “Think of One”  is a quick and delightfully off-quadrant (even for Monk) spin, featuring percussive ploys from both Moutin and Hoenig; the trio builds intensity through repetition, jerky rhythms, and Pilc’s dazzling cascades offset by Hoenig’s slappy punctuations. “Giant Steps” is condensed into 2 ½ minutes, no horn necessary in this double-time, sputtering march arrangement, Moutin and Pilc running counterclockwise over Hoenig’s nonstop skittering. Staying in Coltrane mode, the trio follows with a version of “Afro Blue” that seems to rise slowly from a dark cave to grab a few shafts of muted sunlight. 

Pilc’s solo opening on “I’m Beginning to See the Light” is a masterful example of taking a well known theme and seriously reshaping it without losing its essence; Moutin takes his turn with bounce and comment over Hoenig’s grooving pulse. Sure, we know this tune….Oops, what are they doing and where are the going? And will they get back? “Confirmation” maybe the most played high school jazz band chart, but this is not your student’s “Confirmation.” It’s Parker on an assortment of mood enhancers that even he never thought of, complete with hallucinations and wildly irregular respiration. Moutin offers an ingenious display of pounding fury. By the time we actually hear the theme of the closing “Smile” (and very briefly), we are already held prisoner by the inventive interplay of three titans of collaborative improvisation. And we’re in no hurry to escape. 
 

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