Welcome Home

Review

Pianist Jean-Michel Pilc has facility, imagination and, on the basis of Welcome Home, great style and keyboard technique. His approach ranges from masterful on Monk’s “Rhythm-A-Ning” and his own “Autumn in Newfane” to enchanting on the Ellington anthems “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good” and “Solitude.” On “I Got It Bad,” his use of stride elements and influences midway through prove a fine touch, while on “Solitude” he skillfully embellishes and extends the themes, giving the vintage tune a spirited edge and conclusion. Pilc’s sometimes seems to attack the keys, his left hand hurtling across octaves while the right hand is providing an equally strong, dynamic answering pulse. But he’s also able to play with poignancy and passion in softer volumes, giving “Tenderly” a soothing, delightful treatment while still retaining substantial rhythmic tension and energy during his solos.

Pilc’s partners are nearly as exciting, and do an outstanding job of sustaining the music’s energy during Pilc’s solos. Bassist Francois Moutin has an outstanding solo on “So What,” delivering a tremendous pizzicato improvisation that unfortunately doesn’t register as full or emphatic as it should because it fades in and out of the mix. Drummer Ari Hoenig capably switches roles from driving the band to melding within it and back again. He’s a rhythmic catalyst on “Giant Steps,” a supportive presence on “Stella by Starlight” and “Tenderly,” then has to constantly adjust and react during Pilc’s whirling montages on “Rhythm-A-Ning.” Hoenig finally gets a moment in the spotlight on “Colchiques dans les Pres,” decisively establishing the piece’s tempo, then guiding Pilc and Moutin into mutually comfortable territory, buttressing their solos and finally restoring the tune’s original pace.

The only negative area concerns the lack of original pieces. On “Serial Mother Blues” and “Autumn in Newfane” Pilc displays a musical boldness and verve that indicates he’s also an expert composer. I hope that his next album will see him devote as much attention and effort to his own tunes as he does to those of Monk and Ellington on Welcome Home.  ~ By Ron Wynn, June 1, 2002 Jazz Times

“Pilc, a pianist of razzle-dazzle technique, has been playing around town for years, but his music has never been brought into focus as impressively as on his new CD, Welcome Home (Dreyfus), recorded in Paris with drummer Ari Hoenig and the remarkable bassist, François Moutin, who played in New York last year with Martial Solal. Solal’s own extravagantly witty and unexpected improvisational gambits may be seen as a precedent for Pilc’s, which is saying a lot.”
Gary Giddins , Village Voice

“On his first disc for the Dreyfus label, Jean-Michel Pilc keeps his regular trio intact and continues to work maniacal wonders, mostly with standards. Beginning with a fast and playful “So What,” Pilc, bassist Francois Moutin, and drummer Ari Hoenig toss the familiar figure back and forth, stretching it wildly while preserving the integrity of the form. Duke Ellington and John Coltrane each get a double nod, the former with sparse yet off-kilter readings of “I Got It Bad” and “Solitude,” the latter with short, back-to-back deconstructions of “Cousin Mary” and “Giant Steps.” And Monk, one of Pilc’s main influences, is represented with “Rhythm-a-Ning,” featuring spirited trading between Pilc and Moutin and a meltdown of an ending. The trio locates wonderful new secrets in the harmonic folds of “Stella by Starlight,” “Tenderly,” and even Simon Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair.” Pilc’s four originals resound with conceptual daring, particularly the frenetic “Colchiques Dans Les Prés” and the churning, funky “Serial Mother Blues.” A strong statement from a trio that continues to defy classification.”
David R. Adler, All Music Guide