François Moutin, Ari Hoenig and Jean-Michel Pilc

Jazz has a great tradition of piano trios extending as far back as the genre itself. The stripped down instrumentation of piano, bass and drums maximizes the room for interplay among musicians while maintaining a softness and intimacy that might be lost in larger ensembles. One of today’s most inventive trios, featuring pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, drummer Ari Hoenig and bassist François Moutin, will make an appearance tonight at Blues Alley as part of the club’s French jazz series.

“Ari made a great comparison recently, saying that this trio was like family — talking, laughing, crying and arguing musically,” said Pilc, during a recent interview with DCist. “We are brothers in music, and our playing comes quite simply, directly and organically from our love of playing with each other.”

Pilc brought the trio together after he made the move to New York from his native France in 1995. The chemistry between the three was immediate and their 2000 release, Together – Live at Sweet Basil, NYC – Vol. 1 & 2 immediately put them on the map as one of the most innovative trios on the scene. In 2004, the three took a break from touring together and instead focused on individual projects. However, they often appeared on each other’s albums, and continued to perform as a unit through Hoenig’s long-running Monday night gig at Smalls in New York. The group reconvened in the studio this year to record Threedom, an album due for release this fall on the Motéma label.

“We are in the mixing stage and extremely happy with the results,” Pilc said of the forthcoming recording. “It is an honest and natural reflection of how we make music together.”

If there is one characteristic that sets this group apart from most others, it is the freedom with which the three players interact. A program can range from free improvisation to time-honored standards. There is never a set list and the group is committed to the music of the moment, with each member understanding an appreciating that it can go in any direction at any time. The result is an intensely personal exploration from each musician that somehow combines to form a coherent group expression.

As Pilc put it, “we just let the music play us, not the other way around.”

For the audience, their sound is engaging, but it requires active listening in order to truly appreciate the nuance and subtlety of the improvisation. Just as the band has no expectations going into a performance, the listener should have an open mind as well in order to participate in the exploration. The band’s philosophy is that once music is played, it no longer belongs to the people on stage, but instead belongs to the audience. Pilc hopes that this inviting approach will affect everyone in the room tonight.

“I believe this is how the best music has a chance to happen,” he said. “And when it does, it changes us and the listeners at the same time, making all of us different, which is a very powerful feeling.”

Pilc-Moutin-Hoening will perform 8 and 10 p.m. sets tonight at Blues Alley. Tickets are $25 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge.