 Jean-Michel Pilc |
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Story by Brad Walseth, Photos by John Broughton, Copyright 2010 Dave Jemilo at the Green MIll did it again last weekend - bringing in world-renowned pianist Jean-Michel Pilc and his first-rate trio for a weekend of excellent music for the lucky Chicago fans who attended. Pilc's innovative and highly-singular approach to the piano was on display as he produced powerful waves of notes, playfully fingered the keys and pounded them with his fists, and generally took songs into interesting and unexpected directions. Bassist Boris Kozlov - from the Mingus Big Band and Atruro O'Farrill's group - elicited applause from admirers in the crowd for his assured fingerwork and chewy solos. The third member of the trio - veteran drummer the great Billy Hart - has been experiencing a renaissance of late - with appearances on several recent albums. He punctuated the tunes with explosive outbursts that would give pause to musicians half his age. The interplay between these three world-class performers was superb. Pilc himself is one of the true innovators on the piano today. He offered contrapuntal pianism that veered from the quiet and delicate to sudden violent and clamorous attacks on the keys. Not taking himself too seriously, however, moments of humor were in evidence - as when during the deconstruction of Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" he interjected a few lines of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Much of the material was culled from this band's recent release - True Story (see our review here). The gentle classicism of "Mornings with Franz" (Schubert that is) was contrasted with the Monk-ish "B.B.B." and aggressive "PBH Factor." In fact, Pilc is one of the few pianists today who can be compared to Monk as an innovator, while he clearly owes a debt to classical masters such as the aforementioned Schubert. His unique style often relies on repeating the same motif in ascending keys, using unusually effervescent and luminous harmonies before hammering out complex brutal dissonances that startle before resolving back into consonances. But the high level of energy unleashed live was beyond anything heard on the studio album, with the bluesy, swinging "Kingston, NY" and the tango-flavored take on "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" especially engaging the crowd. Meanwhile, Hart proved why he is experiencing such a resurgence - with powerful and masterful drumming and snare shots so shaper that they could knock a listener off his bar stool. Again, Dave Jemilo has shown himself willing to bring in some of the most interesting jazz musicians in the world to his venerable north side club. Let's hope that Pilc and stellar crew will be able to return for a future engagement in our fair town. .
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 Billy Hart |
 Boris Kozlov |
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