contemporary jazz

The style of my music for the Bill Gilliam Ensemble is loosely defined as "contemporary jazz" which combines angular melodic lines over rich harmonies and driving grooves. To achieve this, I use jazz forms and idioms such as jazz fusion, blues, Latin, swing, ballads etc as well as combine elements of new music composition such as extended harmonies, chromatic motif development and different time signatures to create (for me) a fresh sounding music that is rich in vitality and interest. The orchestration is for acoustic instruments that make up a jazz quintet (sax, trumpet, bass, drums and piano) with an emphasis on linear writing and variety of timbre. In these compositions I experiment with different approaches to musical forms; such as improvising on altered chord progressions of the tune, or over repeated sections based on variations of the tune's harmonic structure and melodic content.


Spirit Matter (2001)

This CD was recorded in 2000 and released in 2001. On this album, Bill continues to explore the musical possibilities between contemporary jazz and new music with compositions that are inspired by a desire to reconcile the irrational with the inevitable. This CD features a heavy hitting line-up of hot Toronto jazz talent with composer/pianist Bill Gilliam, Ernie Tollar (sax), Kevin Turcotte (trumpet), Duncan Hopkins (bass), Toronto-based Ben Riley (drums) and guest percussionist Mark Duggan. “Spirit Matter” was co-produced, mixed and mastered by two time Juno award winner recording engineer of the year (1992, 2001) Jeff Wolpert.
Urban Undercurrents (1998)

The rich and eclectic music of this ensemble has evolved from Bill’s unique piano playing and writing style that combines contemporary jazz with nuances of new music performed by some of Toronto’s hottest jazz players. Ernie Tollar’s lyrical sax improvisations on these bitter sweet melodies with Lina Allemano on trumpet and Bill’s compelling piano style, are underscored on this album by Howard Gaul on drums and Dave Young on bass engaged in a masterful interplay of driving grooves and sensitive accompaniment.