Michel decided, as a challenge, to set off for America. He landed in New York where a friend gave him the address of a musician living on the West Coast. When he arrived at Charles Lloyd's Californian retreat two weeks later, he wasn't aware that it was Charles who had first discovered the young pianist Keith Jarrett back in the 1960s. Once he heard that Michel was also a jazz pianist, Lloyd suggested that he should play something on his Steinway. After hearing a few bars Charles went and fetched his saxophone. For two days they played together non-stop. This shared adventure lasted five years and resulted in three albums. Charles Lloyd really opened every door for Michel—it could not have been a better start for his American career. Moving to California in 1982, he joined Charles Lloyd's new quartet. A solo performance by Michel at Carnegie Hall as part of the Kool Jazz Festival resulted in widespread critical acclaim.

SOME BALLADS SOME BLUES is probably my favorite out of all the records that I've made. It's just like, it's not because it's on my own record label, but because it's one I listen to the most. It's the one that I feel is the most centered. I've really, there's this interview with Keith Jarrett. I think it's in TIME Magazine this week and it says, because he was sick with chronic fatigue, "that I was so exhausted that I didn't have any energy to try to be hip." He just said he just made his favorite record. That's kind of about how I feel about this record. I got so tired after twenty-five years of trying to be hip and fast and this and that, I was starting to feel like a gunslinger and I just let myself do exactly what I wanted. I didn't have any record producers to try and please. I didn't have any market niches to try to fill and that's why it just is what it is. It's pure, without makeup.

She is one of the top jazz pianists of today, a powerful virtuoso whose complete control of the keyboard, wit, and solid sense of swing have combined to make her a particularly notable player. Although she appeared on Charlie Rouse's final record and gigged steadily, Williams was largely off record (outside of her own private label) until re-emerging in the late '80s as a brilliant solo acoustic player. She is a giant ...consistently brilliant

Is there such a thing as Israeli jazz? If so, how does it measure up to American or European jazz?

Israel has many talented and dedicated musicians that measure up to any that I heard in New York. Jazz is the high art form of spontaneous
group improvisation developed in America by African-Americans. Its rhythmical roots go as far back as the oldest African tribal music and its harmonic complexities draw upon the rich European tradition. Israeli jazz is witnessing a rejuvenation as we see more musicians that are coming back from New York and passing on their experiences to the younger generation. There are a few talented and dedicated local young musicians that I am sure will make an impact on the global jazz scene.