Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jean-Michel Pilc: Welcome Home

219

Jean-Michel Pilc: Welcome Home

By

Sign in to view read count
Jean-Michel Pilc: Welcome Home
Attention DJ Diapers and baby-mixmasters, the original artists to utilize sampling in music were jazz musicians. Saxophonist Charlie Parker could quote any line from popular music within the context of any solo he was inventing. Pianist Jean-Michel Pilc picks up this tradition, and plays music with an intensely modern and hip technique.

Welcome Home is his first release for Dreyfus Jazz, but this Paris born musician recorded three discs for the Dutch Challenge records worth seeking out. Pilc's music reminds one of the early records by Jacky Terrasson with their immense chops and rhythmic acrobatics. Pilc, like Terrasson, loves to stop-start and change time signatures often. His trio of bassist Francois Moutin and Philadelphia drummer Ari Hoening (Kenny Werner and Jazz Mandolin Project) are sympathetic accompanists with a telepathic response to Pilc's every move. And this trio makes moves. They toss classical music into Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning," and replace Miles Davis' "So What" coolness with the fast and furious pace of a liquor store heist. Like a live remix project, Pilc reorganizes the familiar into his vision. He updates Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair" with all it's bitter-sweetness by adding the elements of a slasher film soundtrack.

All of this would not work, but for Pilc's mastery of the keyboard and arrangement. A favorite here are his short takes on the music of John Coltrane. At barely two minutes each, "Cousin Mary" and "Giants Steps" get rebuilt into deconstructed yet highly coherent homage. He begins "Giant Steps" with the baseline from "Mission Impossible" and segues into the "Pink Panther Theme" before settling into the Coltrane anthem. I dare any DJ to attempt the same with all the modern technology available. His original music is heard here too. He reaches for the funk on "Serial Mother Blues," "Autumn In Newfane" is a delicate ballad, and a commissioned new piano trio sonata ends the recording. Expect great things from this new restless voice in jazz.

Track Listing

1. So What 2. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good 3. Stella By Starlight 4. Autumn In Newfane 5. Colchiques Dans Les Pr

Personnel

Jean-Michel Pilc - piano; Ari Hoenig - drums; Francois Moutin - bass

Album information

Title: Welcome Home | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Dreyfus Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.