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The trio of bassist Michel Donato, violinist Helmut Lipsky and pianist James Gelfand - has come a long way since it’s kick start at the Maison de la Culture Rosemont in Montreal in February 1993, then assisted by a grant from the Québec Ministry of Culture. They have performed four years running at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, appearing before a 60,000 person crowd at the outdoor stage in front of Place des Arts as well as touring across Canada and the US.

Tricycle has recorded for Radio-Canada’s Jazz sur le Vif (Montréal’s number one jazz radio show) and Bravo! Television shot the ensemble at Montréal’s Lion d’Or for national broadcast in Canada and rebroadcast on TFO in France.

In 1996 Tricycle’s eponymously named CD was nominated for a Félix award by the Québec music industry’s academy (ADISQ) and has been selling well to music lovers.

Tricycle performs only original compositions written exclusively for the trio by each of its members. This is a new genre which evokes the rich musical and multicultural experience that has shaped the three musicians who are bound by a shared love of quality music in all its forms, regardless of conventional boundaries. Their language has been formed by, and has assimilated characteristics of American and European jazz, classical and contemporary music, drawing inspiration from various ethnic influences. Thus in a spirit perfectly in tune with the end of the century they offer a synthesis of old values and future trends.

The lyrical and nuanced acoustic sound of the group renders the music as accessible to a classical music audience as to people who are into jazz or contemporary music. Tricycle is truly a chamber music ensemble - a "3 x 3" all-terrain vehicle that makes crossing boundaries a pleasure.

December 1997

Helmut Lipsky - Violin

Helmut Lipsky was born in Germany and graduated from the Winterthur Conservatory in Switzerland where he had studied under Abraham Comfort. Upon leaving the Conservatory he made a name for himself on classical and jazz stages in Switzerland and started recording for disc, radio and television. At age 19 scholarships allowed him to travel to the States where he studied with the renowned Ivan Galamian, Professor at the Juilliard School and Itzhak Perlman at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music. After receiving a Master’s from Brooklyn, New York City Council’s Presidential Scholar Award allowed him to travel through the U.S., Europe and Canada on concert tours.

Montreal has been home since 1981 where Helmut Lipsky is active on the classical, jazz and new music scenes as a violinist, composer and teacher. He has performed for many radio and television shows for Radio-Canada, CBC, TV Québec and Toronto-based Bravo!. Both as soloist and with his group Melosphere he’s opened for Stéphane Grappelli and Dave Brubeck and has appeared at numerous festivals, notably the International Jazz Festival at Montreux, Switzerland where he represented Canada in the 1987 New Jazz series, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Festival d’été de Québec, the Orford Festival and the Festival International de Lanaudière. In 1985 he won the first prize in the international competition sponsored by the Communauté des radios publiques de langue française.

Helmut Lipsky has recorded many albums, among them one for CBC Records. His latest album, Moontide, has just been released in Europe and will be available in Canada this fall. It was recorded in Switzerland and features Canadian and European musicians. Andreas Vollenweider, the Swiss harpist, had him play on his latest CD Kryptos. He’s also sought after as a composer: Lipsky has composed for such well-known artists as Gilles Vigneault, Karen Young, Sylvie Tremblay and the group Repercussion. His compositions for other media include the sound-track to the film L’homme perché by Stefan Pleszczynski, and work for video, radio, television and special events. He teaches violin at the Conservatoire de musique de Montreal and improvisation at Concordia University.

James Gelfand - Piano

When James Gelfand was only four he began showing musical proclivities that led him to piano lessons. Since then he’s never looked back and his creative evolution has earned him kudos around the world.

Jazz Report named him Keyboard Player of the Year three years running (‘95,’96 and ‘97). In ‘95 he won a Juno Award for best contemporary jazz album of the year with the group "Merlin Factor" of which he was a member and a composer. In 1992 the James Gelfand Trio won first prize at the Montreal International Jazz Festival and second prize at the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville. The James Gelfand Trio also won the 1991 international competition of the Communautés des radios publiques de langues françaises and in 1987 James Gelfand represented Canada at the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition. He’s also performed at some of the most prestigious jazz festivals of the world: the Festival international de Le Mans and the Festival de Mulhouse in France and, with the group Melosphere at the Montreux International Festival in Switzerland. James Gelfand has played widely in the States, in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, Hawaii, Kansas City and Dallas. In Canada he’s performed at both the Montreal and Toronto festivals as well as at others. Gelfand is a graduate of Montreal’s McGill University and holds a Masters from the Eastman School of Music where he studied wit Richie Bierach, Don Thompson and Bill Dobbins. Over the last few years he’s been the musical director at Montreal’s Petite école de Jazz.

Michel Donato - Double Bass

Michel Donato can boast that since his birth in 1942 to today he’s never been idle. He was born in Montreal and began accordion lessons at the age of 10 and pursued formal classical studies in double bass at the Conservatoire de musique in Montréal from 1958 to 1961. In 1963 he performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and for four years worked at the Jazz Hot where he was privileged to play with Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. From 1960 to 69 he spent much time in Paris where he was hard at work alongside such European megastars as Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel and the Double Six de Paris. He recorded albums with Sonny Greenwich, Don Thompson and Terry Clark and got to tour with the greats of the late 20th century jazz: Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans (at Carnegie Hall), Moe Koffman, Louis Belson. In 1972 Donato was invited to tour around the world for two years with Oscar Peterson. In Japan they recorded "Live in Tokyo" with Columbia Records. In 1982 Donato won first prize at the Montreal International Jazz Festival and teamed up with singer Karen Young. Together the Young-Donato duo recorded four acclaimed albums.

Michel Donato has been teaching music at McGill University, the Université de Montréal and the École Vincent D’Indy since 1979. Besides his work with Tricycle and Karen Young he works with harmonica player Alain Lamontagne. He’s also released a solo album in France on the Bleu label.

HELMUT LIPSKY ABOUT HIS MUSIC

"A virtuosic example of jazz fusion...fusion fans are sure to enjoy his work. The compositions are solid,the performances are flawless, and the production is top-notch."
Keyboard Magazine (Los Angeles)

"To the short list of Canadian fusion bands - Manteca, Skywalk, Uzeb - add one more, Helmut Lipsky's group Melosphere...The compositions on this strong debut recording have shape, mood, dynamic and texture..."
Mark Miller, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

"Images put into music and delivered with virtuosity... Having both popular and sophisticated appeal, and, most of all, full of surprises!"
Pierre Boulet, Le Soleil (Quebec)

"The best Canadian record production of the year"
Ginette Bellavance, Radio-Canada

"A Canadian [Leonard] Bernstein"
Compact (France)

"The music is inspired, sophisticated and cosmopolitan...
a true reflection of it's founder Helmut Lipsky"
Michel Laverdière, La Scène musicale (Montreal)

"Music of extraordinary beauty"
Le Devoir (Montreal)

"It is music where the body dances while the head dreams."
Entr'acte (Quebec)

"Spectacular music, it is nevertheless music that comes from the heart. Astonishing and captivating."
Le Nouvellist (Trois-Rivieres)

HELMUT LIPSKY ABOUT HIS PLAYING

"There are enough similarities to sustain a comparison with Jean-Luc Ponty... but there is much more here..."
Mark Miller, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

"Lipsky is virtuosity, pure and simple... He must be heard; he must be seen!"
Pierre Boulet, Le Soleil (Quebec City)

"Astonishing and ravishing the violonist, who knew how to give the strongest impulses to the music."
Berner Bund, (Bern, Switzerland)

"A world class violinist... having musicality and virtuosity reminiscent of Jean-Luc Ponty or Jerry Goodman."
Zürcher Oberländer (Switzerland)

"The phenomenal Lipsky doesn't just play the violin, he makes it come to life."
Le Peuple-Tribune (Lévis)

"An exciting performance of upbeat jazz-fusion...The soloists were able to push their solos to the edge. Lipsky's playing was reminiscent of Jean-Luc Ponty."
Martin Siberok, The Gazette (Montreal)

"... the wailing violin of virtuoso Helmut Lipsky"
New York Native (New York City)

"devilishly good"
POP Magazine (Switzerland)

"A fine violonist and a very good musician"
Itzhak Perlman

"The Swiss Jazz-Rock Paganini"
Schweizerische Radiozeitung (Switzerland)

"Lipsky's playing is less bombastic than that of Ponty and less strident then the late great Seifert's."
The Gazette (Montreal)

"Helmut Lipsky convinced with his high musicality and the warmth of his sound. He presented himself as a gifted virtuoso."
Der Landbote (Switzerland)

One of Canada's best kept secrets, Helmut Lipsky knew to make the voice of his violin a truly original one that distinguishes itself from the traditional jazz violin, owing in its delicacy a lot to his classical training.
Voir (Montreal)

The audience was literally spellbound by the beauty of the music and the impeccable execution of the group. A magnificent concert.
Le Nouvellist (Trois-Rivieres)