Last years performance at the Festival of French pianist Jean-Michel Pilc with his trio was wonderful. ' One of the biggest discoveries' , the press called the debutant. Though he played the piano as a child, Pilc started his professional career as a pianist only at 23. Before that he worked as a scientist at the National Center for Spatial Studies in Toulouse. He moved to New York and found a job as a sideman with Richard Bona and Harry Belafonte. Later he formed a trio with close friends bass player François Mouton and drummer Ari Hoenig. Other names Pilc shared the stage with are European musicians André Ceccarelli, Michel Portal, Jean-Loup Longnon, Aldo Romano, Jean Toussaint and Americans Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman and John Abercrombie. The change from scientist to gifted musician may seem a great one, but Jean-Michel Pilc sees similarities: ‘Science is partly research, just like music is‘. Still he does not want to overvalue his scientific background as a basis for jazz. ‘The intention and inner urge are more important than the knowledge. There are many musicians that have no scientific experience, but prove to be great musical researchers’.
