Hailed as a “tremendous pianist” by Downbeat Magazine, Michel Reis has paved his way into an artist of international acclaim. Performing mainly with the Reis Demuth Wiltgen Trio and with the Michel Reis Quartet, Michel Reis has appeared in many of the world’s most famous venues and festivals. With these bands, Michel Reis has released seven albums as a leader and co-leader. He also leads the Paris Quartet.

After a musical training at the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, Reis moved to Boston to study jazz piano and composition at Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. During his training, he worked and performed with Joe Lovano, Danilo Perez, Dave Holland, George Garzone, Ran Blake, Frank Carlberg, Esperanza Spalding, Hal Crook and Greg Hopkins.

In 2005, Reis was a finalist in the First Moscow Competition for Jazz Performers. A year later, he took second prize at the Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition. Two years in the row, Michel Reis won the Export Artist of the Year Award from music:LX, in 2013 with the Reis Demuth Wiltgen Trio and in 2014 as a solo artist.

 

: Michel Reis Quartet

Michel Reis Quartet strives to build atmospheres which go deep into lyrical dimensions, yet having still the full rhythmic energy of a modern jazz group, where composition and spontaneous improvisation take the listeners to levels of a deep romantic and emotional journey with melodies which has been created as a "total art work".
Formed by Stefan Karl Schmid (saxophone/clarinet), Robert Landfermann (double bass), Jonas Burgwinkel (drums) and Michel Reis (piano & compositions), the quartet’s second album "Capturing This Moment" (Double Moon Records, DE) has been released in early 2015.

 

: Reis Demuth Wiltgen Trio

Pianist Michel Reis, bassist Marc Demuth and drummer Paul Wiltgen formed the Reis Demuth Wiltgen Trio in 1998 while in High School. In 2003, the Trio took a break from performing when the three musicians moved different places across Europe and the United States.
Now reunited, RDW Trio is a true collective project, in which each band member composes music and aims to create a fresh and forward-thinking overall sound. The band's music is strongly influenced by popular music and the singer/songwriter genre. The core of it all remains modern jazz, which profoundly enriches the compositions and improvisations without ever burdening them.

The trio has recorded two albums. The second one "Places In Between", was recorded in New York City and released on Double Moon Records (DE) in 2016 (Laborie Jazz for France & Mocloud Records for Japan).

RDW Trio has been awarded the "Luxembourg Export Artist of the Year 2013" by music:LX.

 

: The Paris Quartet

The Paris Quartet led by Michel Reis, is composed by a stellar band of some of the very prominent musicians of the French jazz scene, including drummer Louis Moutin, bassist Mauro Gargano and saxophonist Jonathan Orland. The music mostly written by Michel Reis is inspired by film music, 'Third Stream Jazz', by the great French composers like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel as well as more traditional music from France.

 

Has played:

Festival en Sol Mineur, Luberon Jazz, l’Olympia Paris, Les Rendez-Vous de l’Erdre de Nantes, Crest Jazz Vocal (FR), Kiochijoji Jazz Festival, Blue Note Jazz Club (JP), Montreux Jazz Festival, Cully Jazz Festival (CH), Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the 55 Bar, the Knitting Factory (US), United Islands Festival (CZ), Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival (SE), Jazz am Rhein, Jazzwerkstatt (DE), Casa Musica (PT), UK tour 2016...

 

Press:

“Reis is a tremendous pianist with classical chops, and maybe even a better composer, possessing a clear, expansive vision. Point of No Return shows off both sides of this exciting artist.”, Frank Alkyer, Downbeat Magazine

“Michel Reis has an unique jazz piano sound, and his place in the realm of jazz pianists is assured.”, Lee Prosser, Jazzreview

“Reis is a musical storyteller”, Dan McCleneghan, All About Jazz

“Tempered impressionism with mounting rhythmic suspense.” Nate Chinen, New York Times