Julian Waterfall Pollack

Julian Waterfall Pollack / J3PO (born June 28, 1988) is an American pianist, keyboardist, composer, and producer associated with jazz, classical, and hip hop music.[1][2]

Julian Waterfall Pollack
Background information
Also known asJ3PO
Born (1988-06-28) 28 June 1988
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsPiano, synthesizer
LabelsJunebeat, Berthold
Associated actsJ3PO, The Lesson, Marcus Miller
Websitewww.julianpollack.com

Biography

Early life

Raised in Berkeley, California, Pollack was introduced to music through his parents, Susan Waterfall (an accomplished concert pianist), and Allan Pollack (a conductor, saxophonist, and music professor at University of California, Berkeley).[3][4] He began formal study of the piano at age of five with his mother, and was called a child prodigy, able to play difficult pieces of classical music well beyond his years. He attended The Crowden School in Berkeley, California, for his middle school years, where he received training in orchestral playing, chamber music, harmony, and counterpoint, as well as a courses in the liberal arts.[1]

He later attended Berkeley High School where he developed his love for jazz, playing as principal pianist for four years in their award-winning jazz ensemble. He released his debut jazz trio album, Goin' for It, to much critical acclaim in the San Francisco Bay Area and achieved national recognition by being featured on Jazziz magazine's monthly CD.[5]

After completing high schooling in 2006, he was offered a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music, but opted to instead attend New York University in New York City.[1]

2006–present

In 2007, he appeared as a guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz radio show aired on NPR.[6] He released his second trio album, Infinite Playground, to great critical acclaim in 2010. The album featured bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer Evan Hughes.[7] The album showcased Pollack's growing interest in blending multiple genres with jazz improvisation and classical composition. It included Pollack's original pieces with "My Funny Valentine" by Rodgers and Hart, "Cherokee" by Ray Noble, and "And I Love Her" by the Beatles.[7] He continued this trajectory with the trio's 2013 album, Waves of Albion, which included a polyrhythmic arrangement of "What Sarah Said" by Death Cab for Cutie, "Flume" by Bon Iver, and the American folk song "Oh Shenandoah".[8]

Pollack composed a three movement piano concerto in 2012. It was premiered by the Camellia Symphony in Sacramento. The work's style and form drew heavily from jazz, minimalism, and French impressionism.[3]

In 2013, Pollack composed "Brooklyn Boomerang", a piece for two pianos which premiered at the Greenwich House in Manhattan in November by Pollack and acclaimed pianist Natalie Tenenbaum.[9] He also completed a string quartet that was commissioned by the Telluride Chamber Music Festival and the Ives String Quartet.[10][11]

Pollack premiered a new composition for orchestra, entitled Night Flower at the 2014 Mendocino Music Festival.[12]

In 2019, Julian (as J3PO) released his album Small Plates, a collection of 12 tracks that range from simple lo-fi beats to complex jazztronica future house joints. Inspired by analog synths and sample-based music, the album fuses Julian's love for today's contemporary production styles with a nod to the jazz tradition and the spontaneity of live music and improvisation.[13]

Collaborations

In 2006, Pollack met singer-songwriter Grace Weber[14][15][16] They formed the band Grace & Julian and recorded their eponymously-titled debut shortly after. The duo added additional musicians and evolved into the Grace Weber Band, as Pollack relinquished his role as a co-leader before the release of their four-song EP, Sparrows.[17] Pollack has continued to serve as a co-writer for many of Weber's songs, including all twelve songs featured on Weber's 2011 album Hope & Heart (album)|Hope & Heart, which debuted number 8 on iTunes in the Singer-Songwriter category.[18]

Pollack has also collaborated with Broadway singer Carrie Manolakos. In April 2012, they performed at the (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City for Manolakos' CD Release concert. The concert concluded with a performance of Radiohead's "Creep" which Pollack arranged for the occasion. A video recording of the performance became a viral sensation on YouTube and has received over two million views.[19][20]

Discography

As leader
Title Year Label
The Sound of the Wind (Motion Picture Soundtrack) 2020 Sound of Wind Movie, LLC[21]
Small Plates 2019 Bridge and Water[22]
Waves of Albion 2013 Berthold[8][23]
Infinite Playground 2010 Junebeat[7][24]
Goin’ For It 2006 Jazzschool[5]

As sideman
Album artist Title Year Label
Chase Baird (feat. Steve Lyman, J3PO & Dan Chmielinski) Pulsar 2020 Outside In Music
Steve Lyman Revolver 2013 Independent[25][26]
Peter Schwebs In-Between Seasons & Places 2012 Berthold[27]
Grace Weber Hope & Heart 2011 Junebeat[18]
Chase Baird Crosscurrent 2010 Junebeat[28]
Peter Schwebs Stories from Sugar Hill 2010 Laika[29]

References
  1. Wiegand, David (22 July 2010). "Julian Pollack in Mendocino for family biz". SFGate. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  2. "Take Five with Julian Waterfall Pollack". All About Jazz. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  3. Ortiz, Edward. "Camellia Symphony premieres jazz artist's piano concerto". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  4. Bullock, Ken (26 September 2013). "Around & About Jazz: Julian Pollack Trio CD Release Concert at Yoshi's: Waves of Albion. Category: Arts & Events from The Berkeley Daily Planet". Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  5. Scheinin, Richard (August 3, 2006). "Bay Area pianist, 17, records solid jazz CD". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  6. "Julian Waterfall Pollack on Piano Jazz". NPR.org. 28 June 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  7. Wiegand, David (6 June 2010). "CD: Julian Waterfall Pollack, 'Playground'". SFGate. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  8. Lindsay, Bruce (1 March 2014). "Julian Waterfall Pollack Trio: Waves Of Albion". All About Jazz. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  9. "Concert: Music for Two Pianos". Greenwich House. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  10. Klingsporn, Katie (8 August 2013). "40 Years of Intimate Chamber Concerts". Telluride Daily Planet. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  11. Bratman, David (25 April 2014). "What Would Charles Ives Do?". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  12. "Festival Orchestra: Mendocino Music Festival". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  13. "Julian Pollack". Sequential. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  14. Gilbertson, Jon (22 April 2010). "Local music talent tunes up". archive.jsonline.com. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  15. "Grace Weber On Mountain Stage". NPR.org. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  16. Post, Maureen (2 January 2009). "Sultry sounds of Grace Weber this weekend". OnMilwaukee.com. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  17. Gilbertson, Jon. "Local music talent tunes up". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  18. Lorenz, Renee. "Grace Weber brings "Hope & Heart" to Milwaukee". On Milwaukee. Retrieved 2014-08-02.
  19. "Radiohead 'Creep' Covered By Ex-Broadway Singer Carrie Manolakos". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  20. Carrie Manolakos (2012-01-01). Creep (Radiohead) - Carrie Manolakos. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  21. The Sound of the Wind (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), retrieved 2020-12-21
  22. Track, Inside. "Small Plates". JAZZIZ Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  23. "Julian Waterfall Pollack: Waves of Albion". All Music. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  24. "Julian Waterfall Pollack: Infinite Playground". All Music. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  25. "Steve Lyman: Revolver". All Music. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  26. Lindsay, Bruce. "Steve Lyman: Revolver". Smalls Live. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  27. "In-Between Seasons and Places". All Music. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
  28. Silsbee, Kirk (2011-03-01). "Chase Baird Crossurrent". Downbeat. Elmhurst, Illinois: Maher Publications.
  29. "Stories From Sugar Hil". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2014-08-01.
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