Michael William Gilbert

Michael William Gilbert's musical journey has transcended boundaries from an early age. Growing up between Connecticut and Brussels, his ears were opened to the avant-garde experimentalism of Varese, Stockhausen, and Pierre Henry, as well as the rich tapestries of Indian, African, and Japanese traditions. But it was his immersion in Miles Davis' pioneering electric period that truly sparked his passion for melding jazz and electronic frontiers.

After studying electrical engineering at MIT and electronic music at the Boston School of Electronic Music, Gilbert's talents as a synthesizer composer, designer, and teacher took root. He served as technical director of electronic music studios at Amherst College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and UMass/Amherst. Over his career he has experience teaching electronic music at UMass Amherst, Holyoke Community College, and Hampshire College. In parallel, he had a nearly 30-year career as the Adviser for Technology Initiatives and Services at UMass Amherst before retiring to focus full-time on music.

But his calling as a composer burned brightest. In 1978, he released "Moving Pictures", a debut album aimed at "humanizing electronic music" by weaving wooden flutes, percussion, and vocals amid synthesized atmospheres.

This seamless melding of acoustic and electronic realms continued to deepen. On "The Call", Gilbert's improvised solo lines danced amid washes of drone, percussion and avant-garde soundscapes inspired by Asian tonalities. The dreamlike textural landscapes of "In the Dreamtime" took this approach even further, blending new jazz, world music influences, and imaginative collaborations with artists like Tim Moran and David Moss.

One of the first independent artists to transition to CDs, Gilbert's "The Light in the Clouds" fused rhythmic influences from African, Jewish, Christian and Shinto music into a mesmerizing, crystalline whole. The follow up solo tour-de-force "Point of Views" captured an ethereal ensemble sound, with Gilbert's deft MIDI sequencing creating an "ethereal and beautiful blend" of jazz, world, and electronic elements.

After reemerging with the eclectic "Other Voices" and "I Can See from Here" (featuring Peter Kaukonen of Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, Black Kangaroo, and Johnny Winter), Gilbert reached new heights of ambition on "Secret Stories." Conceived for live performance, it's a kaleidoscopic opus spanning electronic music's past and future, jazz, classical, and world traditions.

His most recent offerings have only pushed his genre-blurring farther. From the radiophonic-inspired "The Vanished Day" to lush, immersive collaborations with Miles and Steven Wilson alumnus Adam Holzman like "Saṃsāra", Gilbert's music remains an ever-evolving, boundaryless frontier of sound and spirit. His most recent release, “Enhanced Surround(ings), is an album and compilation of music originally in stereo, totally remixed and remastered for both Dolby Atmos™ and binaural immersive sound.

Now able to dedicate himself entirely to music, Gilbert's pioneering journey continues unabated. He serves as an occasional consultant for his son Daniel's company Tall Dog Electronics, which produces a growing line of Eurorack modules featured in the composer's recent recordings and immersive live performances.

Throughout his prolific solo and collaborative works, Michael William Gilbert has etched a unique sonic imprint - one born from a lifelong drive to blend cutting-edge technology with the human element, and forge connections across cultures and eras.