Jean-Michel Blais

Jean-Michel Blais is a Montreal-based pianist and composer. His work, while primarily improvised, recalls the influence of composers such as Erik Satie and Maurice Ravel, as well as minimalists like early Philip Glass. Born in 1984, Blais studied piano as a teenager; but after two years at the Trois-Rivières Music Conservatory, he decided to abandon formal instruction which he found too restrictive. Blais’ works sound spontaneous and emotional, as evidenced by “Dada” from his 2016 debut offering Il, rather than clinical and technically precise, and he often incorporates experimental production techniques into his recordings. His discography includes the collaboration with CFCF (Michael Silver), Cascades (2017), the Polaris-nominated Dans ma main (2018), and Aubades (2022).