Jaume Vilaseca (Barcelona, 1968) studied piano and harmony at the Barcelona Municipal Conservatoire and at the Liceu. He rounded off his training with courses and seminars at the Taller de Músics, the Liceu Conservatory and the ESMUC. He also holds a degree in Hispanic Philology from the University of Barcelona.
He has worked as a pianist in various jazz and Brazilian music ensembles in the city, making his mark in numerous live performances and on notable recordings. Examples include “Makaroff” (18 Chulos, 2002), “Bossanovando” (Subterfuge, 2004) and recordings with the jazz singer Anna Luna, such as “Spring is here” (New Mood Jazz, 2004), “Sketches” (New Mood Jazz, 2007) and “Femenina” (Quadrant Records, 2011).
Since the release of the album “Aquí i allà” (Discmedi 2002), he has led a jazz-fusion quartet that has remained true to the roots of jazz whilst exploring rhythms and melodies inspired by Latin music and flamenco. This highly personal yet musically agile approach, combined with the release of their third album, “World Songs” (Discmedi 2005), has led them to perform at jazz festivals around the world, including: the Manizales Jazz Festival (Colombia, 2005), the Beijing Jazz Festival (China, 2007), the Penang Jazz Festival (Malaysia, 2008), the Manchester Jazz Festival (England, 2009), the Marni Flagey Festival in Brussels (Belgium, 2010), the Naguanagua Jazz Festival (Venezuela, 2010), the Ajazzgo Festival – Cale Jazz Festival (Colombia, 2010), Barranquijazz (Colombia, 2010), Jarasum Festival (South Korea, 2010), Kosice Jazz Festival (Slovakia), Santo Domingo Jazz Festival (Dominican Republic) and, in Spain: San Javier Jazz Festival (Spain, 2011), Barcelona Jazz Festival (2011 and 2014), Lugo Jazz Festival, Almería Jazz Festival, Madrid Jazz Festival and the Fabrica de la Isleta Festival in the Canary Islands, etc.
Also worth noting is their appearance at the 2006 Barcelona Griego Festival, which marked the start of the “World Songs” tour with Violetta Curry, a singer from Philadelphia now based in Barcelona.
In 2008, the quartet released an album, “Jazznesis”, featuring compositions by Genesis (1970–1974) reimagined in a jazz style. They performed once again at Plaça del Rei as part of the 2009 Barcelona Grec Festival, presenting the music of Genesis, this time with vocalist Gerard Quintana as a guest.
In 2010, their first live album was released, recorded at Blue Frog in Mumbai, India.
2012 saw the release of “Coming hombre”, the quartet’s sixth album, the result of an intense collaboration with sitar player Ravi Chary.
In 2014, the band released their seventh and final album: “JAZZNESIS II”, in which the composer revisits his unique tribute to Genesis and presents a fresh take on the songs of the legendary English band, featuring Vilaseca’s now-classic jazz arrangements.
In 2018, he released an album alongside Manel Fortià and Roberto Faenzi: “Moments” (Discmedi 2018). He also released the second album with the group Alma Brasileira, “Viagem nova” (Fresh Sound 2018), and his latest work with Anna Luna, “Urubú” (2018).
This year, the trio began an intensive collaboration with the singer Karen Souza on numerous international tours: Japan, Korea, China, Italy, France, Spain, etc.
In 2019, Jazznesis’s third album was released, marking the conclusion of the trilogy.
In 2020, they launched a new project with JV Trio, called Tarkology, a jazz tribute to the music of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
And in 2021, a highlight was their performance with Karen Souza at the Sack von Sound Festival in Saku, Estonia, in collaboration with the ÜENSO Orkester.
In 2022, he released an electronic jazz album based on the music of The Alan Parsons Project, “Jazz & Parsons Project” (Discmedi 2022), and in 2023, “Four Suites”, dedicated to the music of Yes, recorded with young musicians from the Barcelona jazz scene.
Other artists he has collaborated with include the group The Moonrivers, vibraphonist Geni Barry, clarinettist Anais Pasanau, vocalist Xavi Casellas, singer-songwriter Hugo Arán, and musicians such as Ramiro Pinheiro, Celeste Alias, Mar Vilaseca, Benny Benack III, and others.
His latest collaboration with the singer Anna Luna is entitled “Argentina besa el Mediterráneo”, an album released in 2023.
Also worth noting is his recording with renowned Brazilian artists on the album “Donateando” (Fresh Sound 2026).
He currently combines his teaching work with his projects as a bandleader, pianist, keyboardist and arranger.