Born in Paris, self-taught pianist Jean-Michel Pilc relocated to New York City in 1995. Soon after, he teamed up with bassist François Moutin and drummer Ari Hoenig. The disc Live at Sweet Basil (2000) demonstrates the intensity of the trio's live performances. Alongside his activities with Moutin and Hoenig, Pilc collaborated with a number of seasoned musicians, including Roy Hanes, Richard Bona, Dave Liebman and Harry Belafonte, who hired Pilc as his musical director. In 2000, the French Jazz Academy awarded him the Prix Django-Reinhardt, for Best French Jazzman of the Year. Follow Me, released in 2003, was his first solo disc. True Story (2010) featured bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Billy Hart.