Skip to content

Bill Gilliam

Experimental & New Music
  • Compositions
  • Recordings
  • Videos
  • Improvisations
  • Poems
  • Concerts
  • Bio
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Contact

Recordings

Urban Undercurrents

Record Details

Artist
Bill Gilliam Ensemble
Release
1988
Genre
Contemporary Jazz
cd_cover_urban_under

Record Tracklist

  1. Alecia -:-- / -:--
  2. Paradiso Perdido -:-- / -:--
  3. When the Sun Turned Radiant Blue -:-- / -:--
  4. Night Sight -:-- / -:--
  5. Desert Fall -:-- / -:--
  6. Cat Walk -:-- / -:--
  7. Pleasure -:-- / -:--
  8. South of the River -:-- / -:--
  9. Santina -:-- / -:--
  10. Ebb & Flow -:-- / -:--

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.

personnel and instrumentation…

Bill GIlliam – piano
Ernie Tollar – sax, bamboo flute
Lina Allemano – trumpet
Dave Young – bass
Hward Gaul – drums

liner notes…

Recorded and mixed at Inception Sound
Engineered by Mike Roper
Produced and mastered by Ron Allen, Hypmelodics

About Bill

Bill is a Toronto based composer / pianist who creates and improvises new music compositions blending contemporary harmony and jazz idioms with his unique style of piano and prepared piano playing.

Originally from London UK, he studied jazz and film composition at Berklee College of Music. His diverse compositions, performances and recordings, with support from the Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council, have been showcased at Canadian venues as well as in London, UK and the USA.

He is active in Toronto as a composer, improvisor and presenter of innovative performances combining composed and improvised music, spoken word and visuals.

Upcoming Concerts

Date
September 28, 2025 Sep 28
Art of Improv presents John Gzowski & Julia Alpin
Annette Studios, 566 Annette St, Toronto, M6S 2C2
Note

Art of Improv is very excited to present the well known composer / guitarist John Gzowski and his partner and dancer, Julia Alpin performing improvised music and dance at Annette Studios on Sunday Sept 28th at 8pm.

The opening set will feature cellist Kye Marshall improvising with Eugene Martnec (electroacoustic) and Bill Gilliam (piano).

Art Of Improv
Set 1:Kye Marshall (cello), Eugene Martynec (electroacoustics), Bill Gilliam (piano)
Set 2: John Gzowski (guitar) and Julia Aplin (dance)

Annette Studios
566 Annette St, Toronto, ON M6S 2C2
Sunday, Sept 28th, 8pm
$20 / PWYC

Composer, sound designer, musician and instrument maker John Gzowski worked on over 300 theatre, dance and film productions for which he has done composition, sound design, live foley, live music and as musical director. He has played banjo for opera in Banff, studied Carnatic classical music in India and played oud and guitar in jazz and folk festivals across Canada and Europe. His theatre work has won him 6 Dora’s, from 18 nominations for companies like Stratford, Shaw Festival, Luminato, National Arts Centre, the Mirvishes, MTC, the Arts Club, Canstage, Soulpepper, Dancemakers, Red Sky, Tarragon, Factory Theatre and YPT. Gzowski has played on numerous CD’s, with recent releases with Patricia O'Callghan, Tasa, and Autorickshaw as well as a Juno nomination with Maza Meze. He has run Canada’s first microtonal group, touring Canada playing the works of Harry Partch, composed and performed with several new music groups and worked as co-artistic director of the Music Gallery. 

Julia Aplin has created dances with theatres, rivers, boxing rings, wading pools, cyberspace, neuroscience labs and forests.  Julia works with a wide range of people from elite performers to beginners and has created work with organizations such as Canadian Opera Company, Urbanvessel, Moonhorse Dance Theatre, Dancemakers, Wild Soma, Double Pendulum and The Grove Collective.

Kye Marshall is a professional composer, cellist and nature photographer. She has written for full orchestra and numerous chamber ensembles. Her Dora nominated full length opera Pomegranate was presented by the Canadian Opera Company in June 2023. An eclectic musician, Kye performs jazz, classical and free music with six CD’s to her credit.

www.kyemarshall.com

More
View All Gigs

Recent PostsFeed

  • Marbyllia – Uncountable Spheres – Media Quotes & Reviews
    March 4, 2024
  • Marbyllia – Margaret Maria & Bill Gilliam release “Uncountable Spheres”
    November 18, 2023
  • “Outside The Maze” – media comments & album reviews 2023
    August 18, 2023
Obsidian music theme by AudioTheme.