Julian Waterfall Pollack
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Julian Waterfall Pollack
| image = Julian J3PO Pollack.png
| caption =
| image_size =
| landscape = yes
| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name =
| alias = J3PO
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1988|06|28}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| origin =
| instrument = Piano, synthesizer
| genre = Jazz
| occupation = Musician
| years_active =
| label = Ropeadope, Berthold, Junebeat
| associated_acts = J3PO, The Lesson, Marcus Miller
| website = {{URL|www.julianpollack.com}}
}}
Julian Waterfall Pollack / J3PO (born June 28, 1988) is an American pianist, keyboardist, composer, and producer associated with jazz, classical, and hip hop music.{{cite web|last1=Wiegand|first1=David|title=Julian Pollack in Mendocino for family biz|url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Julian-Pollack-in-Mendocino-for-family-biz-3181303.php|website=SFGate|accessdate=21 June 2014|date=22 July 2010}}{{cite web|title=Take Five with Julian Waterfall Pollack|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/take-five-with-julian-waterfall-pollack-julian-waterfall-pollack-by-aaj-staff.php#.U9wQ9VbXnFK|website=All About Jazz|accessdate=1 August 2014|date=1 June 2010}}
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).{{cite web| last =Ortiz| first =Edward| title =Camellia Symphony premieres jazz artist's piano concerto| publisher =Sacramento Bee| date =| url =http://blogs.sacbee.com/ticket/archives/2012/02/camellia-sympho-2.html| accessdate =2014-08-01}}{{cite web|last1=Bullock|first1=Ken|title=Around & About Jazz: Julian Pollack Trio CD Release Concert at Yoshi's: Waves of Albion. Category: Arts & Events from The Berkeley Daily Planet| url= http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2013-09-27/article/41472?headline=Around-About-Jazz-Julian-Pollack-Trio-CD-Release-Concert-at-Yoshi-s-Waves-of-Albion--By-Ken-Bullock|website=Berkeley Daily Planet|accessdate=1 August 2010|date=26 September 2013}} 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.
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.{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-16257305_ITM|title=Bay Area pianist, 17, records solid jazz CD|last=Scheinin |first=Richard|date=August 3, 2006|work=San Jose Mercury News|accessdate=2009-01-11}}
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.
=2007 – 2014=
In 2007, he appeared as a guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz radio show aired on NPR.{{cite web|title= Julian Waterfall Pollack on Piano Jazz| url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15123076 | website = NPR.org| accessdate=1 August 2014|date=28 June 2007}} He released his second trio album, Infinite Playground, to great critical acclaim in 2010. The album featured bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer Evan Hughes.{{cite web|last1=Wiegand|first1=David|title=CD: Julian Waterfall Pollack, 'Playground'| url = http://www.sfgate.com/music/article/CD-Julian-Waterfall-Pollack-Playground-3185746.php| website =SFGate| accessdate=1 August 2014 |date=6 June 2010}} 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. 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".{{cite web|last1=Lindsay|first1=Bruce|title=Julian Waterfall Pollack Trio: Waves Of Albion|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/waves-of-albion-julian-waterfall-pollack-berthold-records-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php#.U9vtx1bXnFI|website=All About Jazz|accessdate=1 August 2010|date=1 March 2014}}
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. 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.{{cite web|title=Concert: Music for Two Pianos|url=https://www.greenwichhouse.org/announcements/concert-music-for-two-pianos|website=Greenwich House|accessdate=1 August 2014|date=23 November 2013|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204815/https://www.greenwichhouse.org/announcements/concert-music-for-two-pianos|url-status=dead}} He also completed a string quartet that was commissioned by the Telluride Chamber Music Festival and the Ives String Quartet.{{cite web|last1=Klingsporn|first1=Katie| title=40 Years of Intimate Chamber Concerts|url=http://www.telluridenews.com/arts_and_entertainment/article_3c5dcb1c-01d3-5950-a38c-d701c59fc2d0.html| website=Telluride Daily Planet| accessdate=2 August 2014|date=8 August 2013}}{{cite web|last1=Bratman|first1=David|title=What Would Charles Ives Do?|url=https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/what-would-charles-ives-do|website=San Francisco Classical Voice|accessdate=1 August 2014|date=25 April 2014}} In 2014, Pollack premiered a new composition for orchestra entitled Night Flower at the Mendocino Music Festival.{{cite web| title =Festival Orchestra: Mendocino Music Festival| publisher =San Francisco Classical Voice| url =https://www.sfcv.org/event/mendocino-music-festival/festival-orchestra-with-stephen-prutsman-0| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140810050707/https://www.sfcv.org/event/mendocino-music-festival/festival-orchestra-with-stephen-prutsman-0| url-status =dead| archive-date =August 10, 2014| accessdate =2014-08-02}}
= 2015 – 2018 =
In 2015, Pollack began exploring his interest in electronic music, synthesizers, sounds design and production, releasing music under the moniker "J3PO." The name came from his trio mate Evan Hughes:
“He called me up one day and randomly left me a voicemail starting with ‘Hey J3PO’ – and ever since then that was my alter-ego music nickname. What’s cool is that if you look at the logo (designed by Emily Hoerdemann) the ‘3’ is actually a ‘w’ on its side. So you have J.W.PO which are my initials in addition to referencing the droid C3PO from ‘Star Wars,’ which I love.”{{Cite web|date=2019-06-24|title=Mendo-born Pollack travels Europe with "Small Plates" and a Miles Davis partner|url=https://www.mendocinobeacon.com/2019/06/24/2676484|access-date=2021-05-19|website=The Mendocino Beacon|language=en-US}}
He released The 90s EP in 2016, a collection of nineties pop songs re-harmonized, rearranged, and sung on the talkbox.{{Cite web|last=WORKS|first=GF|title=GF WORKS {{!}} J3PO Talkbox Story|url=http://www.gfworks.jp/talkbox/j3po.html|access-date=2021-05-19|website=GF WORKS {{!}} J3PO Talkbox Story|language=en}} In 2017 he released three original songs in the same vein, entitled Memory EP.{{Citation|title=Memory EP - J3PO {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/memory-ep-mw0003127433|language=en|access-date=2021-05-19}}
Starting in 2016 Pollack joined New York's celebrated Lower East Side underground hip-hop band The Lesson GK, a weekly jam session that seamlessly blends elements of experimental Hip-Hop, Jazz, Funk and Soul.{{Cite web|date=2019-10-11|title=The Lesson GK|url=https://www.europejazz.net/event/lesson-gk|access-date=2021-05-19|website=Europe Jazz Network|language=en}} In 2018 he began touring with legendary bassist and composer, Marcus Miller, joining his residency at The Blue Note Tokyo,{{Cite web|title=【BLUE NOTE TOKYO】MARCUS MILLER|url=http://www.bluenote.co.jp/jp/artists/marcus-miller/2018_12/|access-date=2021-05-19|website=Blue Note TOKYO|language=ja}} and continuing on for several tours of the United States and Europe.
= 2019 – Present =
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.{{Cite web|title=Julian Pollack|url=https://www.sequential.com/artists/julian-pollack/|access-date=2020-12-21|website=Sequential|language=en}}
He began working closely with Clavia Nord Keyboards, designing a signature patch library for the Nord Stage 3.{{Cite web|title=J3PO Signature Sound Bank {{!}} Nord Keyboards|url=https://www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-libraries/product-libraries/stage-pianos/nord-stage-3/j3po-signature-sound-bank|access-date=2021-05-19|website=www.nordkeyboards.com}} He also released a signature pack for the Nord Wave 2.{{Cite web|title=J3PO Signature Sound Bank {{!}} Nord Keyboards|url=https://www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-libraries/product-libraries/synthesizers/nord-wave-2/j3po-signature-sound-bank|access-date=2021-05-19|website=www.nordkeyboards.com}}
In 2020, Julian scored the indie film The Sound of the Wind, directed and written by Jared Douglas.
Julian was part of the sound design team to create patches for the new Prophet 5 reissue from Sequential.{{Cite web|title=Prophet-10|url=https://www.sequential.com/product/prophet-10/|access-date=2021-05-19|website=Sequential|language=en}} During the Coronavirus pandemic, Julian released a free bank of sounds for the Disco DSP synthesizer OB-Xd.{{Cite web|title=Julian Pollack / J3PO releases free OB-Xd synth bank|url=https://www.kvraudio.com/news/julian-pollack-j3po-releases-free-ob-xd-synth-bank-48050|access-date=2021-05-19|website=KVR Audio|date=19 March 2020 |language=en}}
In 2021, Julian was asked to create presets for the Softube Model 84 Polyphonic Synthesizer{{Cite web|title=MATRIXSYNTH: J3PO - Softube Model 84 - "Delorean Fantasy"|url=https://www.matrixsynth.com/2021/04/j3po-softube-model-84-delorean-fantasy.html|access-date=2021-05-19|website=www.matrixsynth.com}} which is a circuit-modeled emulation of a 1984 six-voice synth.{{Cite web|title=MATRIXSYNTH: Introducing Model 84 Polyphonic Synthesizer by Softube|url=https://www.matrixsynth.com/2021/04/introducing-model-84-polyphonic.html|access-date=2021-05-19|website=www.matrixsynth.com}}
He signed with Ropeadope Records for his full length album, MAINS, released June 4, 2021.{{Cite web|title=J3PO|url=https://ropeadope.com/j3po|access-date=2021-05-19|website=ropeadope|language=en-US}}
Discography
= As leader =
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#ffdead;"
! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Title ! width="10" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | ! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Year ! width="10" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | ! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Label |
| MAINS
| |2021 | |
| The Sound of the Wind (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
| |2020 | |Sound of Wind Movie, LLC{{Citation|title=The Sound of the Wind (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/1CXOmMFAAaBeUTqzDHMphR|language=en|access-date=2020-12-21}} |
| Small Plates
| |2019 | |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Waves of Albion
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2013 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Berthold{{cite web| title =Julian Waterfall Pollack: Waves of Albion| publisher =All Music| url =http://www.allmusic.com/album/waves-of-albion-mw0002579963| accessdate =2014-08-01}} |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Infinite Playground
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2010 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Junebeat{{cite web| last =| first =| author-link =| title =Julian Waterfall Pollack: Infinite Playground|publisher =All Music| url =http://www.allmusic.com/album/infinite-playground-mw0002054352| accessdate =2014-08-01}} |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Goin’ For It
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2006 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Jazzschool |
= Select albums as sideman =
| class="wikitable" |
| style="background:#ffdead;"
! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Album artist ! width="10" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | ! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Title ! width="10" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | ! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Year ! width="10" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | ! align="left" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | Label ! width="10" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey; border-top:1px solid grey;" | |
| Evan Marien
| |Parallels | |2020 | |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Chase Baird (feat. Steve Lyman, J3PO & Dan Chmielinski)
| style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| | style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Pulsar | style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| | style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| 2020 | style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| | style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"| Outside In Music |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Steve Lyman
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Revolver | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2013 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Independent{{cite web|title=Steve Lyman: Revolver |first= |last= |publisher=All Music |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/revolver-mw0002520215 |accessdate=2018-08-01}}{{cite web|title=Steve Lyman: Revolver |first=Bruce |last=Lindsay |date=14 May 2012 |publisher=Smalls Live |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/revolver-steve-lyman-self-produced-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php |accessdate=2018-08-01}} | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Peter Schwebs
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | In-Between Seasons & Places | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2012 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Berthold{{cite web| title =In-Between Seasons and Places| publisher =All Music| date =| url =http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-between-seasons-places-mw0002540396/credits| accessdate =2014-08-01}} | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Grace Weber
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Hope & Heart | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2011 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Junebeat{{cite web|last=Lorenz|first=Renee|title=Grace Weber brings "Hope & Heart" to Milwaukee|date=18 September 2011 |url=http://onmilwaukee.com/music/articles/weberhopeandheart.html|publisher=On Milwaukee|accessdate=2014-08-02}} | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Chase Baird
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Crosscurrent | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2010 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Junebeat{{cite journal |last=Silsbee |first=Kirk |date=2011-03-01 |title=Chase Baird Crossurrent|journal=Downbeat |location=Elmhurst, Illinois |publisher=Maher Publications}} | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | |
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Peter Schwebs
| style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Stories from Sugar Hill | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | 2010 | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | Laika{{cite web| title =Stories From Sugar Hil| publisher =All About Jazz| date =13 October 2010| url =http://www.allaboutjazz.com/stories-from-sugar-hill-peter-schwebs-laika-records-review-by-bruce-lindsay.php#.U9vui1bXnFI/credits| accessdate =2014-08-01}} | style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" | |
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
- {{Official website|www.julianpollack.com|Official website}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollack, Julian Waterfall}}
Category:Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni
Category:American jazz pianists
Category:American male jazz pianists