Gwilym Simcock at Toledo Museum Of Art

While traveling the world as a member of Pat Metheny's quartet, British pianist Gwilym Simcock has used time away from the stage to compose pieces that have become his second solo album, Near and Now. He will give a series of solo concerts in the U.S. to debut the work as well as material yet to be recorded. Each piece is dedicated to a fellow pianist -- Billy Childs, Brad Mehldau, Russell Ferrante, Egberto Gismonte -- and his first jazz teacher, Les Chisnall. Recorded at his home, the music has Simcock's signature sound of rich, modern harmony, driving rhythm, and melodic narrative.

A virtuoso pianist and imaginative composer, Simcock is a leading artist on the European music scene. Trained as a classical pianist from his youth, at the age of fourteen he turned his attention to jazz and composition, putting his musical foundation to work in a quest for a new and original sound. That his endeavor has borne fruit is confirmed by a myriad of awards, including the UK's Parliamentary Jazz Awards and the BBC Jazz Awards designation as “Jazz Musician of the Year.” Moving effortlessly between classical and jazz forms, he has been described as reminiscent of Keith Jarrett, complete with “harmonic sophistication and subtle dovetailing of musical traditions.” Chick Corea called him “a creative genius.”...

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While traveling the world as a member of Pat Metheny's quartet, British pianist Gwilym Simcock has used time away from the stage to compose pieces that have become his second solo album, Near and Now. He will give a series of solo concerts in the U.S. to debut the work as well as material yet to be recorded. Each piece is dedicated to a fellow pianist -- Billy Childs, Brad Mehldau, Russell Ferrante, Egberto Gismonte -- and his first jazz teacher, Les Chisnall. Recorded at his home, the music has Simcock's signature sound of rich, modern harmony, driving rhythm, and melodic narrative.

A virtuoso pianist and imaginative composer, Simcock is a leading artist on the European music scene. Trained as a classical pianist from his youth, at the age of fourteen he turned his attention to jazz and composition, putting his musical foundation to work in a quest for a new and original sound. That his endeavor has borne fruit is confirmed by a myriad of awards, including the UK's Parliamentary Jazz Awards and the BBC Jazz Awards designation as “Jazz Musician of the Year.” Moving effortlessly between classical and jazz forms, he has been described as reminiscent of Keith Jarrett, complete with “harmonic sophistication and subtle dovetailing of musical traditions.” Chick Corea called him “a creative genius.”

Among his newest fans is Pat Metheny, whose early albums were part of Simcock's inspiration to pursue jazz. While in London on tour, a radio producer gave Metheny a copy of one of Simcock's albums and mentioned that Simcock had often remarked about the influence of Metheny's music on him. Metheny loved what he heard and, in 2014, the two met up. What was planned for an hour or two became an entire afternoon of music making, and led to Simcock joining Metheny's quartet and touring worldwide.

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