GWILYM
SIMCOCK
...BIOGRAPHY
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“Young piano recruit Gwilym Simcock delivered the first of a series of glittering solos…a startled turn of the head and appreciative smile from the old master Konitz confirmed what a class act Simcock has so quickly become.” The Guardian Still only 27 years of age, Gwilym Simcock is one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers working on British scene. Able to move effortlessly between jazz and classical music, he can, at times, inhabit both worlds and has been described as being stylistically reminiscent of Keith Jarrett, complete with ‘harmonic sophistication and subtle dovetailing of musical traditions’ as well as being a pianist of ‘exceptional’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘dazzling’ ability. Gwilym’s influences include jazz legends Jarrett, Chick Corea and John Taylor and much inspiration is taken from the classical world, especially the work of Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky as well as contemporary composers such as Mark-Anthony Turnage who fuse together written and improvised music. Although principally a jazz artist, Gwilym is breaking new ground between genres and often uses classical reference points in his composed work - he recently devised a solo piano project using the piano works of Shostakovich as a starting point and in 2005 premiered a piano concerto especially written for him by Tim Garland. Aside from his renowned solo piano work, Gwilym has worked extensively throughout Europe playing with the cream of British and international jazz artists including Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Bill Bruford’s Earthworks and Bob Mintzer among others. His own groups as a leader range from trio to big band to a 40-piece ensemble featuring a gospel choir and strings. His composing and playing strengths in are evidence in every dimension of the music for his quintet which features Stan Sulzmann (saxophones), John Parricelli (guitar), Phil Donkin (bass) and Martin France (drums). This band has been critically and widely acclaimed as ‘engaging, exciting, often unexpected, melodically enthralling, complex and wonderfully optimistic’. A previous winner of the Perrier Award, BBC Jazz Awards and British Jazz Rising Star Awards 2005 and participant in Take Five – the UK’s unique artist development initiative, Gwilym is currently a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist – the first jazz artist to be selected. He was voted “Jazz Musician of the Year” at the 2007 Parliamentary Jazz Awards and is again nominated for the 2007 BBC Jazz Awards as Best Instrumentalist. He has an impressive formal education which includes stints at the Trinity College of Music (London), Chetham’s School of Music (Manchester) – where he studied classical piano, French horn and composition and the Royal Academy of Music (London) where he graduated from the jazz course with first class honours and the coveted 'Principal's Prize' for outstanding achievement. BANDS GWILYM SIMCOCK SOLO PIANO GWILYM SIMCOCK TRIO GWILYM SIMCOCK QUINTET GWILYM SIMCOCK BIG BAND Recent and forthcoming Projects include: · Performances throughout the UK with his Trio
including a date at the Wigmore Hall during the London Jazz Festival,
2006 to be broadcast 7th July 2007 on BBC Radio 3. Press Quotes: “Gwilym’s an original. A creative genius” Chick Corea “This album has all the ingredients that signify the start of what has already promised to be a dazzling career”. Mark-Anthony Turnage "As a pianist alone, Gwilym Simcock would have deserved all the hype, but this performance confirms that he doesn't see his composer's identity as his second string". The Guardian "Gwilym Simcock frequently dazzling, especially
on a tumultuous unaccompanied feature", "a jaw-droppingly exciting pianist" “…I'll be watching our finest young piano-player Gwilym Simcock - don't miss him while you can still see him in venues without ushers”. Jamie Cullum, The Guardian "Though still in his early twenties, Gwilym Simcock has already played with the cream of the jazz world, including Kenny Wheeler and Tim Garland, with whom he appears in both Bill Bruford's Earthworks and Acoustic Triangle. He looks like being a piano star of the future". The Independent "This … pianist is exceptional, as both player and composer." The Observer "The Waterman band was preceded by recently risen
star Gwilym Simcock's piano trio. Simcock has rocketed through jazz
education and out into a creative world of his own almost overnight.
In a varied set, he included a typically flowing tribute to his
teacher John Taylor's harmonically demanding Ambleside Days. But
it was a fast exploration of a standard (How Deep Is the Ocean)
that cried out for a recording machine to be running, in its headlong
momentum, occasional classical flourishes, and melodic queries resolved
or left quizzically suspended in space". The Guardian www.gwilymsimcock.com Discography:
All Albums available at www.jazzcds.co.uk |