Excellent pianist, composer and arranger Hila Kulik, active in the New York jazz scene, brings music inspired by swing, jazz, soul and Latin sounds, with subtle traces of funk, Middle Eastern rhythms and classical harmony. Her performances exude warmth and lyricism, often invoking a touch of Chopin's Piano Romanticism.

At the concert, he presents music from his acclaimed debut album "More Than a Change", recorded in New York with top American jazz musicians. Combining tradition and modernity, Kulik brings a fresh, virtuoso and highly personal musical experience.

At this concert, Hila Kulik will present, among other things, the music she recorded for her debut album "More Than a Change", which she released in 2023 for the MishMash record label. The album, which represents her personal approach to music, was recorded in New York with renowned American jazz musicians, with whom she has collaborated and performed all over the world. In addition to singing and playing the piano, she also played the Fender Rhodes on this recording. In realizing her musical vision, she was joined by trumpeter Wayne Tucker, flutist Itai Kriss, trombonist Corey A. Wallace, alto saxophonist Antonio Hart, tenor saxophonist Alexander Levin, double bassist Tamir Shmerling and drummer Dani Danor. With them, she achieved an innovative musical approach, connecting the past and future of the music world, while at the same time demonstrating her virtuoso piano playing and musicianship. She dedicated the album to the late saxophonist, composer and music pedagogue Erez Barnoy. Most of the songs were written by Hila Kulik, and for this release she also covered the songs "When Light Glows Through Your Window" by Sasha Argov, "Are You Too Barnoy" by Erez Barnoy, "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder, and "Wonderful World" by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss.

He performs with his trio of musicians with rich biographies: bassist Josh Ginsburg and drummer Marc Michel.

Israeli pianist, composer and arranger Hila Kulik creates music influenced by swing, jazz, soul and Latin sounds, with subtle hints of funk elements, Middle Eastern rhythms and classical harmony. Namely, she often refers to classical music that she was introduced to as a child; her performances seem to bring a touch of Chopin's piano romanticism. In addition to her virtuosity, she also stands out for her sensitive musicality. Her performances are characterized by a special charm, melodiousness, lyricism, dynamics and drama. She delivers them in a relaxed, refined, optimistic, expressive, compact way, with a firm rhythm, and playful and disheveled, with a constant swing. In her work, she is dedicated not only to musical, but also to deeply human themes such as peace, freedom and international understanding, building bridges between cultures and people, which brings a particularly strong expression of her universal musical language.

Born in Afula, Israel, Hila Kulik began playing the piano at the age of seven and soon began her classical education. She studied classical music at the Mizra Conservatory in her youth and studied at the Rimon School of Music and the Striker Israel Conservatory in Tel Aviv, graduating in 2010 from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. She has participated in various competitions in Israel, Russia and the United States, and in 2009 won first prize at the Israeli Jazz Performer of the Year competition. At the age of 18, she experienced the magic of jazz and fell in love with the music. After performing with many top Israeli musicians, she moved to New York in January 2014, where she received her Master of Music degree in Jazz Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York in January 2016. She has participated in a number of jazz competitions and conferences such as: the "Roland Hanna Jazz Award" of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College (2015), the International Jazz Composition Competition in Rostov-Russia (2012), the AICF Foundation Scholarship Competition (2007 and 2011), the Jerusalem Academy of Music Scholarship Competition (2010), the IASJ International Jazz Conference (Lucerne, Switzerland, 2009), and the Rimon School of Music Jazz Competition (Israel, 2009).

An important shift in her career took place in 2011, when she performed at the Red Sea International Jazz Festival in Eilat and participated in the jazz production of the event "A Tribute to Louis Armstrong" with the Dutch trumpeter Michael Varekamp. At the same festival, she participated in the production of the Nina Simone Tribute (2014) and "Hot Jazz Concerts": Charlie Parker Tribute (2016). In addition, she has shared the stage, recorded and toured the world with some of today's greatest jazz musicians of diverse backgrounds and worldviews, including Israeli musicians: vocalist Ahinoam Nini, trombonist Yonathan Voltzok and saxophonist Erez Barnoy, Canadian trumpeter Bria Skonberg, French vocalist Cyrille Aimee, German pianist and singer Jan Luley, Haitian vocalist Pauline Jean and American musicians: drummer Shirazette Tinnin, trumpeter Wayne Tucker, singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson, alto saxophonists Donald Harrison and Antonio Hart, and others. She currently performs with her own band and in collaboration with renowned jazz musicians in New York and abroad.

She has performed at countless concerts and festivals around the world, from Israel to Europe and the USA, including the Red Sea International Jazz Festival, the “Hot Jazz Concerts” and the Poland Jazz Festival in Israel, the Jazz Cruise Festival in the Caribbean, the Canary Islands Jazz Festival in Spain, the Northwest Jazz Festival in the USA, Milan and Beijing, Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai in China, City Winery in Chicago and the Blue Note Jazz Clubs, BB King, Birdland Jazz Club, Jazz Gallery, Smalls Jazz Club, Bric TV and Mezzrow Jazz Club in New York and many others. In addition to her piano career, she works as a consultant and coordinator of the jazz program at the Aaron Copland School of Music. Hila Kulik has quickly gained a reputation since moving to Berlin. Today, she is one of the most sought-after pianists, both locally and internationally.

Bassist, composer and band leader Josh Ginsburg is a regular on the world's concert stages and in jazz clubs. In his musical expression, he brings a beautiful tone, a strong rhythmic sensibility, a mastery of musical language and the open spirit of a true improviser. The Irish Times has described his music as "powerfully fresh", and JazzTimes has noted that it "reveals itself in gradually developing layers". The Financial Times of London describes his bass playing as "rock counterpoint, funk and swing". New York City Jazz Record chose his album "Zembla Variations" as album of the year. He studied with jazz legends Jackie McLean, Buster Williams, and John Patitucci, as well as with Pulitzer Prize-winning classical composer David Del Tredici. Ginsburg has performed around the world with bands led by such distinguished jazz musicians as Tom Harrell, Kenny Barron, Bobby Watson, Billy Hart, Lennie White, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ambrose Akinmusire, Mark Turner, Robert Glasper, Mulgew Miller, David Friedman, Jeremy Pelt, EJ Strickland, Aruán Ortiz, and others. He has participated in countless album recordings by equally esteemed musicians: Theo Croker, Aaron Parks, George Colligan, Jim Rotundi, Tim Green, and others.

Born in Lyon, French jazz drummer and composer Marc-Michel was introduced to music by his father, a guitarist, at the age of four. He learned to play the guitar as a child, and at the age of ten he switched to drums. He studied at the conservatories in Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon and Paris, under the mentorship of Sangoma Everett, Ari Hoenig and Clarence Penn. He then completed a master's degree in jazz at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In London he played with, among others, Larry Goldings, Dave Holland, Nikki Iles, John Taylor and John Hollenbeck, and later with Joe Locke, Jim Rotondi, Damon Brown, Zhenya Strigalev and Rachael Cohen. With the EYM Trio, which he founded in 2010 with pianist Elie Dufour and bassist Yann Phayphet, he performed throughout Central and Western Europe, as well as in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and India. Michel and the EYM trio have won awards at the Saint Germain des Prés Jazz Festival, the La Défense competition and the Getxo Festival.

Davor Hrvoj

Photo: Maya Iltus