Love You Better - Music

Whether Performing Composing Or Interviewing World-Famous Musical Figures Michael Gallant Relies On A Potent Combination Of Guts And Musicality Learning And Improvisation To See Him Through — And His First Album With The Michael Gallant Trio Completely Is No Exception. The Album Features Gallant On Piano And Keyboard DownBeat Critics Poll Winner Linda Oh On Bass And New York Session Drummer Chris Infusino On Percussion. The Album Was Engineered And Mixed By Grammy Award-Winning Engineer Mario J McNulty And Produced By Gallant And Rachel Rossos. And Though Completely Is Gallant’s First Release Captaining A Keyboard Trio It’s Far From His First Statement When It Comes To Improvisational Music. The Son Of A Musical Household Gallant Began Studying Piano At Age Five. Improvisation Followed Eight Years Later Thanks To A Fiery Teacher At The Levine School Of Music Named Maria Rodriguez. “She Taught Me The Blues How To Improvise Long Melodic Lines And How To Say A Lot With Just A Single Note Or Rest ” Says Gallant. When Rodriguez Passed Away From Cancer Gallant Wrote The Real Maria In Her Memory. “Rather Than Paying Tribute To Her By Composing Something Mournful I Wanted That Tune To Capture Her Grace Her Energy And Her Swagger — All The Qualities That Inspired Me ” Says Gallant. By The Time Gallant Graduated From The Sidwell Friends School In Washington DC He Had Played Music At The White House And The Kennedy Center And Toured To New Orleans With A Dixieland Jazz Band Performing At Preservation Hall. Gallant Also Began A Decade-Long Relationship With The District’s Studio Theatre Recording Music For What Would Be The First Of Five Collaborative Productions There. Gallant Studied Anthropology Composition And Computer Music At Columbia University. Shortly After Earning His BA In 2003 He Wrote A Blind Email To The Editor Of Keyboard Magazine Offering To Be A New York Correspondent For The Publication He Had Loved Since He Was A Child. “The Editor Must Have Seen Something In Me Because Within A Month I Was On A Plane To Vermont To Write A Cover Story On Page McConnell From Phish ” Says Gallant. “Page Had Been My Keyboard Hero For Years So It Was A Total Pleasure To Get Thrown In The Deep End Like That.” Gallant Joined The Magazine’s Staff As A Full-Time Editor In 2005 Penning Cover Stories On Major Artists Like Dave Brubeck Herbie Hancock Billy Joel Tori Amos Ben Folds And Chick Corea. While Working At Keyboard Gallant Continued To Play In Clubs And Recording Sessions Producing A Critically Acclaimed Album With Indie Band The Simple Things. After Leaving Keyboard Full Time In 2009 To Launch His Company Gallant Music He Began Creating Culture And Arts Advocacy Articles For The National Endowment For The Arts And The US Department Of State. He Also Recorded An Album With Indie Band Aurical A Collaboration With His Wife Singer Rachel Rossos Who Co-Produced Completely. Aurical Released Their Debut Album Something To Say In 2011 To Critical Praise. Gallant’s Recent Composition Projects Include Creating Music For The World’s First Interactive IPad Graphic Novel As Well As Scoring Video For The Anti-Defamation League. Gallant Is Currently Scoring His First Feature Film Entitled Remedy Which Will Also Include Music From Completely. Recent Journalism Credits Include DownBeat Cover Stories On Esperanza Spalding And Diana Krall And Regular Columns In Keyboard And M Music And Musicians Magazines. By Night Gallant Continues To Gig With The Michael Gallant Trio And Aurical The Latter Of Which Recently Played Showcases At Both The CBGB And CMJ Festivals. The Michael Gallant Trio Plays A Monthly Residency At The Underground Lounge On New York’s Upper West Side. Official Website Gallantmusic.Com Follow On Twitter @Michael_Gallant read less