Michelle is a performing musician and composer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her music includes piano-based Latin Jazz and electronic music. 

In 2024, Michelle releases the EP "I'm Just Happy to Be Here," which marks her first musical release in 7 years, and her first release of new original music in 11 years. During her hiatus, Michelle homeschooled her son, who needed a change of educational scenery for a while. This time segued into the pandemic shutdown, and this was when Michelle learned how to produce electronic music, something she had been wanting to do for some time. Eventually Michelle honed the sound you hear on this EP, which merges electronic-production values, jazz sensibilities, and Latin and Brazilian rhythmic roots to come up with her unique collection of  compositions that can best be described as electronic jazz fusion.  

Sometimes the pieces on "I'm Just Happy to Be Here" veer more toward straight-ahead dance, as with "Tal Vez Para Voar" (deep house). Sometimes, they are harder to put into one genre, like "Alone Together,"  composed as for the San Jose Jazz organization's Jazz Aid Fund grant, which Michelle was awarded in 2023; the version here has elements of leftfield and broken beat. Hints of reggaeton ("Be Right Back-Remixed") and bossa nova ("New Brighton") also make an appearance. 

Prior to this EP, Michelle released her Latin Jazz CD, New Beginning (2013), which honors the roots of jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban music with originals compositions as well as arrangements of standards. The album garnered favorable press as well as worldwide airplay on around 200 satellite, public, and college radio stations, plus made JazzWeek's chart for "Top Adds" (among the CDs most added to playlists of chart-reporting radio stations). 

Michelle also released a Latin Jazz Christmas EP in 2017, a fun collection of classic holiday tunes reimagined with Latin and Brazilian rhythms. Featuring Ron Sotelo on bass, Sam Sotelo on drums, Willie Garza on percussion, and Michelle on piano, this EP remains a listener favorite in the holiday season.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Pollace’s music overflows with a strong artistic command, an authentic connection to the source material, and an infectious sense of cool...." -- by Chip Boaz, Latin Jazz Corner

"Pianist Michelle Pollace has a strong commanding presence on New Beginning. Like a baker, she has a way of gently whipping rhythms until they are cohesive and taut. ... Pollace digs in on every track, and songs like 'Forro' and 'Bright Eyes' evolve into mini-suites." -- by Marc Myers, JazzWax

"Striking out on her own and being a mom are not the only beginnings pianist Michelle Pollace has to be proud of; with New Beginning Michelle reveals the depth of her compositional skills and her talents as a Latin jazz pianist of note." -- by Edward Blanco, AllAboutJazz.com

www.michellepollace.com

Howard Ng is following