Julian “J3PO” Pollack is a Los Angeles-based pianist/keyboardist and producer described by Timeout New York as a musician who “deftly balances virtuosity with tenderness.” Julian is known for his innovative use of keyboards and synthesizers in jazz, fusion, hip-hop, and electronic styles of music.
Julian has toured extensively with the legendary Marcus Miller, as well as Chris Botti, and has performed and/or recorded with Herbie Hancock, Santana, David Sanborn, Talib Kweli, Cindy Blackman, Joe Lovano, Mike Stern, Ledisi, David Foster, Lisa Fischer, Eric Harland, Marcus Gilmore, Casey Benjamin, Michael League, Bob Reynolds, Kamasi Washington, Jonathan Butler, Tierney Sutton and many others. Most recently, he played with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters for their 50th anniversary, performing at The Hollywood Bowl.
In 2019 Julian released Small Plates under his moniker J3PO. The album is a collection of 12 compositions that range from simple lo-fi beats to complex jazztronica future house tracks. Inspired by analog synths and sample-based music, the album fuses Julian’s love for today's contemporary production styles with a nod to the jazz tradition and the spontaneity of live music and improvisation. In 2021, Julian released his follow-up album Mains (2021 - Ropeadope) to much critical acclaim.
Julian works closely with Spectrasonics, and has contributed to factory presets as well as releasing his own personal sound libraries for both Ominsphere and Keyscape.