Steinway Two Pianos Festival

Gwilym Simcock & Pablo Held

Event Has Passed

Last Show: Tuesday 19 th March 2019

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

Gwilym Simcock has carved out a career as one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the European scene. He moves effortlessly between jazz and classical music, with a ‘'harmonic sophistication and subtle dovetailing of musical traditions'’ (john Fordham, The Guardian). Since bursting onto the German scene in 2006, Pablo Held has earned widespread plaudits as an outstanding pianist, recognised by media and musicians alike as one of the most interesting young talents in German jazz. 

“Gwilym’s an original. A creative genius”

Chick Corea

Gwilym Simcock

Gwilym’s influences are wide ranging, from jazz legends including Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny, to classical composers including Maurice Ravel, Henri Dutilleux, Béla Bartók and Mark-Anthony Turnage. Although principally a jazz artist, Gwilym has composed numerous works for larger Classical ensemble that combine through-composed elements with improvisation, creating a sound that is distinctive and very much his own.

In the last few years, Gwilym has become renowned for his solo performances, releasing a critically acclaimed album ‘Good Days at Schloss Elmau’ in 2011 and touring throughout Europe and to places as far afield as Australia, the USA, Canada, Korea and China to name but a few.

Gwilym has toured extensively with the cream of British and international jazz artists including Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, Bob Mintzer and Bobby McFerrin. He co-leads the Anglo-American Supergroup ‘The Impossible Gentlemen’ with British Guitar legend Mike Walker, Steve Rodby and Adam Nussbaum. He has toured with Classical virtuoso Nigel Kennedy. He is currently touring with Pat Metheny, Antonio Sanchez and Linda Oh.

Pablo Held

He collaborated with the likes of John Scofield, Chris Potter, Dave Liebman, Tom Harrell, Anders Jormin, Jorge Rossy, Nasheet Waits, Marcus Gilmore, WDR Bigband & NDR Bigband, Jim Beard, Nils Wogram, Johannes Enders, Tim Hagans and many more.

 Concert tours took him to the USA, China, Korea, England, Ireland, Columbia, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Greece, Turkey, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, Austria and Luxemburg.

Pablo has appeared on over 30 records. His own CDs have been and gained worldwide praise in the music media i.e. DOWNBEAT Magazine included the record „The Trio meets John Scofield“ in their „best albums of 2015“ list.