Julian Pollack a.k.a. J3PO is an established pianist/keyboardist and producer. Described by Timeout New York as a musician who “deftly balances virtuosity with tenderness”, Julian is an in-demand sideman as well a leader of his own projects. When he was 18 years old, having just moved to New York City from his native California hometown of Berkeley, he was featured on Piano Jazz, hosted by Marianne McPartland—the syndicated NPR show.
While in New York, he studied with pianists Brad Mehldau, Kenny Werner, and Jean-Michele Pilc. Professionally, Julian has recorded/performed with the likes of Marcus Miller, Michael League (Snarky Puppy), The Lesson GK, George Garzone, Chris Bullock (Snarky Puppy), Nani, Bob Reynolds, Rodney Green, Tierney Sutton, John Pizzarelli, Louis Cato (The Tonight Show), Grace Kelly, Ari Hoenig, Nir Felder, Gil Goldstein (Esperanza Spalding), Chase Baird (Antonio Sanchez), Amanda Brown (Adele), Evan “EMAR” Marien, Grace Weber, and many others.
This year sees the release of “Small Plates” under Julian’s moniker J3PO. The album is 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.
In addition to his two piano trio albums—Infinite Playground (2010 – Junebeat Records) and Waves of Albion (2013 – BERTHOLD records) Julian has also written music for orchestra, including his own Piano Concerto (2012) and Night Flower (2013), and has performed internationally with orchestras around the world. This year he completed his first feature film score for the movie The Sound Of The Wind, which will premiere in late 2019.
