by Nick DiGiacomo
Bill Laurance is a modern day musical renaissance man. In addition to being the long time pianist of the internationally-acclaimed and Grammy-award winning jazz ensemble Snarky Puppy, Bill Laurance has released multiple acclaimed solo albums, works extensively with dance companies, owns his own music production company specializing in scoring for film, TV and commercials, and is a specialist lecturer at the Institute of Contemporary Music in London. His music, much like that of Snarky Puppy’s, seamlessly blends several genres into a transcendental journey that takes you to a new other-worldly state of mind with every song. A fantastic example of this is the live studio recording of his song “December in New York” off of his 2015 solo album Swift. His articulate piano playing perfectly captures the ebb and flow of the city that never sleeps as he gracefully and effortlessly maneuvers through intricate melodies and graceful harmonic textures behind a dynamic jazz ensemble. His playing is so precise and impeccable it’s hard to believe someone can play that well in a studio, let alone live! The journey his music takes you on just listening to it is extraordinary, so one can only imagine what it would be like to experience that live, which is why you should catch him downstairs at WCL Philly on January 31st!
