About the artist
Gwilym Simcock
“Simcock’s playing has an iridescent quality; dense harmony and rhythmic surety allied to classical training lends it poise and gravitas. His improvisation exhibits the crystalline, halting touch of Keith Jarrett and indicates that, for all his chops, Simcock has that attribute, not so common in jazz, to significantly rein in licks and let the mood exquisitely resonate” Downbeat 2017
Winner of many awards for his playing and composition Gwilym Simcock moves effortlessly between jazz and classical creating a sound that is very much his own. He works with orchestras, choirs, big bands, small ensembles and musicians from all areas of music including jazz, folk, pop and classical combining through-composed elements with improvisation.
Described as a pianist of ‘exceptional’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘dazzling’ ability, he is renowned for his solo performances, releasing a Barclaycard Mercury nominated solo album ‘Good Days at Schloss Elmau” on ACT in 2011 which was lauded as “dazzlingly fresh”, “world class”, “stupendous” “phenomenal” “a cause for huge celebration”. His music is widely acclaimed as ‘engaging, exciting, often unexpected, melodically enthralling, complex yet hugely accessible’, and above all ‘wonderfully optimistic’.
Gwilym is often on radio and TV including The Proms on BBC2 TV, as guest presenter on ‘Saturday Classics’ and “Composer of the Week” on BBC Radio 3, and with the finalists at the first BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year Awards on BBC4 TV. In 2018 he is Artist in Residence with the NDR Big Band.
In 2014 he released two highly acclaimed albums on ACT “Instrumation” with the City of London Sinfonia and “Reverie at Schloss Elmau” a duo with his long time collaborator bassist Yuri Goloubev. Gwilym co-leads Anglo-American Supergroup ‘The Impossible Gentlemen’ (with Mike Walker, Steve Rodby and Adam Nussbaum) who were nominated as Best Ensemble in the 2013 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. He is currently touring the world with US guitar legend Pat Metheny’s new quartet. He is Professor of Jazz Piano at his alma mater The Royal Academy of Music.
“No young musician outside the pop world has moved as fast into the upper reaches of his profession as Simcock”. Stuart Nicholson, Observer
Release(s)
Live Dates
No shows booked at the moment.