March 21–28, 2002

music| jazz

Three’s Company

Jean-Michel Pilc revitalizes the piano trio.

By Nate Chinen

evening at the improv: According to Pilc, "Technique is being completely accurate with yourself on the instrument."

Observers of the current jazz epoch don’t agree on much, but there seems to be consensus about at least one thing: the vibrant state of the piano trio. After a long era of staid conservatism — during which most innovators defected toward either fusion (à la Herbie Hancock) or free jazz (à la Cecil Taylor) — the shopworn format of piano, bass and drums no longer seems passé. In fact, several of the freshest statements in recent memory have been made by pianists in trio: like Jacky Terrasson, Brad Mehldau and Jason Moran. And Jean-Michel Pilc, whose contributions have been less heralded but no less impressive.

For the past six years, Pilc has led an acoustic piano trio in gigs around New York City. Characterized by seemingly infinite flexibility and almost hyperactive intuition, this ensemble has won over many heard-it-all cynics in the jazz press — and an expanding base of, yes, fans. At the beginning of this year the group toured Europe, playing 27 concerts in five weeks (with an audience turnout that Pilc describes as "crazy"). Their gigs at New York clubs like Sweet Basil, the Jazz Gallery and the Knitting Factory have attracted similar crowds and rave reviews. It’s a considerable feat, given the fact that Pilc’s albums (Together volumes one and two on the Challenge label) have been all-but-unavailable domestically — and the additional fact that, until very recently, he had no agent or record label offering support.

Pilc, a Parisian by birth, received no formal musical training. "I grew up with my records," he recalls, noting that his initial exposure to jazz came in the form of Bix Beiderbecke. His first job out of school had nothing to do with music; he was a rocket scientist in Toulouse. At age 23 he abandoned this profession in favor of music, returning to Paris and eventually working with that city’s jazz elite. When he moved to New York in 1995, he found work as musical director for folk legend Harry Belafonte. He also found the bassist François Moutin (a childhood friend) and drummer Ari Hoenig (a recent Philadelphia export) — and had the ingredients for a working trio.

Pilc, Hoenig and Moutin immediately found common ground, as inventive improvisers with scads of technique; from the beginning, theirs was a virtuoso trio dynamic. But on this topic, Pilc makes several distinctions. "For me, technique is not trying to play fast or trying to play like Art Tatum. Technique is being completely accurate with yourself on the instrument. The great French piano player Martial Solal said something that’s very true: ‘Technique allows you to express your ideas instantly.’ Which means, you know, when a musician is playing his instrument; you can feel when there is an obstacle between his thought and the realization of the thought." He adds that his trio-mates share this concept: "With Ari and Francois, ultimately we’re really connected exactly the same way. It’s very impressive and it’s a great experience for me to play with that particular group. Because I am in a situation where my voice is completely connected to the other guys’ voices. And as a result, I am myself — more than I probably ever was in another situation."

Welcome Home , Pilc’s newest album, illustrates this claim. Recorded last fall for the Paris-based Dreyfus label, the disc presents the trio in full bloom — sounding comfortable (but not complacent), maniacal (but not unfocused) and inventive (but not out of left field). For the most part, Pilc and company perform a familiar repertoire: two songs each by Ellington and Coltrane, one apiece by Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, and a smattering of Tin Pan Alley fare. The group brings the same rigorous energy to these songs as to Pilc’s four originals. No matter the tune, there’s always a sense of rhythmic and harmonic unrest that propels the group endlessly forward. Which brings to mind another observation by Pilc: "We could play standards, free-improv, or anything — and the flow is still there. We’re connected to the music. We’re not thinking about anything when we’re playing; the flow is carrying us. It has always been what I was looking for, and with this particular group I’ve found it even better than in my dreams."

Jean-Michel Pilc Trio, Thu., March 21, 9 p.m., $5, Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131.