Jean-Michel Pilc

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 worked with Harry Belafonte as his musical director and pianist and performed a duet with the legendary opera singer Jessye Norman. An active solo performer on the international scene, 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). Jean-Michel Pilc recently joined the roster of Justin Time Records. His next release, in March 2021, will be an EP compiled from singles to be released throughout the 2020-21 season. He regularly performs in trio with both Montreal and NYC-based ensembles at top venues throughout both cities. A dedicated pedagogue, 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.