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After a long discography and stage experience in the jazz area, where Thierry Maillard already could explore all different facets of this music, from solo piano to septet to trio of course, and several orchestral experiences with strings (Prague’s Philharmonic Orchestra), Thierry Maillard realises his life’s work, with the creation of this exceptional big bang which synthesises all his influences and his many musical experiences, in a big melodical, harmonic and rhythmic whirl, for everybody’s enjoyment, and while pursuing happiness of course!

BIOGRAPHY

Pianist and composer, Thierry Maillard graduated from the Ecole Normale de musique in Paris. He studied in class piano, accordion, harmony and counterpoint.
Of classically trained, he will quickly discover the jazz and its freedom of expression at the end of his studies. Therefore, it will unveil a new musical genre influenced by his experiences, encounters, mingling harmoniously classical, jazz and world music. 

 

Determined composer and orchestrator, he thus recorded 15 albums as a leader. We discover him for the first time in 1998 with her first album « Paris-New York » recorded in New York with Dennis Chambers on drums and John Patitucci on bass, under the Verve Emarcy label.

 

Passionate musician, he worked with great names of jazz such as Bireli Lagrène, Chris Minh Doky, Bobby Shew, Michel Portal, Bernard Lubat, Didier Lockwood, Dominique Di Piazza, Matthew Garrison …

 

His love for the strings and orchestration will lead him naturally to associate with the game of the jazz trio a string quartet, 3 times in the albums « New septet », « Vision » and « Notre Histoire ». 

It is in 2014 that he embarked on the first phase of this project. He recorded the album « The Alchemist » with a Chamber Orchestra and musicians of world music. Critically acclaimed with this new album and strong of its success on stage, Thierry decides to lead the adventure at its peak. 

In 2015 the signature under the label "naïve" puts the starting point to the finalization of the project. In January 2015, studio recording of the jazz trio and guests such as Nguyên Lê, Didier Malherbe, Minino Garay, then registration in the Czech Republic with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Jan Kucera. 

Moments magical and timeless, ultimate outcome in the career of Thierry who thus realized his greatest dream of composer…

In 2017, Alone released his solo piano album: a vibrant tribute to three giants: Brassens, Brel, Ferré. In 2018, he realized a dream and formed the Thierry Maillard Big Band and produced the album Pursuit of Happiness. A second album by Thierry Maillard Big Band was released in June 2020 with 23 musicians. A trio album with André Ceccarelli and Thomas Bramerie is to be released on NoMad Music in April 2021.

 

June 2021 recording of the album Birka released in November 2021 with Sylvain Luc and Stéphane Belmondo. August 2021 an album with 17 musicians and musicians ensemble Chameleon. With 30 years of career as a pianist, composer and orchestrator, Thierry Maillard has built his work around a major axis that is dear to him: the mixture of jazz and classical music. It is this work of mixing jazz and classical music that we will discover throughout this album. In search of new challenges and innovative creativity, Thierry Maillard likes to vary the pleasures, his latest projects testify to this: solo, trio, big bang, participation in the Prague Symphony Orchestra... This time again he innovates by creating a predominantly feminine ensemble, made rare in the jazz scene.

 

 

The challenge and innovation also come from the fact that it is his first time writing for voices, an approach that “gives him a lot of satisfaction” from writing and arranging titles. With this new project, the composer intends to pay tribute to women, to their voices, in order to give them a prominence in a predominantly male universe. Thierry Maillard ensemble Chaméléon album to be released on April 1, 2022. September 2022 an album of solo piano compositions "A Tear of PLUIE". 2023 Thierry Maillard returns to his first loves, Binary music and analog keyboards, Moog analog synths have always been an instrument for Thierry.

 

 

 

With the Moog Project Thierry Maillard set up a new trio Thierry Maillard MOOG PROJECT Thierry Maillard /Synthesizers and Wurlitzer Yoann Schmidt / drums and PAD Roland SPD Amaury Faye / piano, Fender Rhodes and Synthetisers “Moog Project” is a tribute I wanted to pay in the 1970/80 period with artists who used analog synthesizers and keyboards at that time; like the SUPERTRAMP group where I wanted a special place on this album. One of my first vinyl album I bought as a teenager during my classical piano studies was SUPERTRAMP. “BREAKFAST IN AMERICA”

 

Later on at the beginning of my jazz concerts, I used synths, especially Moog like the Minimoog. Music and bands from the 1970/1980 era had no boundaries and was creative, and no Limit. I wanted to recreate this atmosphere on stage where the computer has no place but where the creation of sounds on syntheses has all its place The idea of MOOG PROJECT was born with a tribute to arranging a band that cradled my life and influences as a musician SUPERTRAMP The influence of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Joe Zawinul, Return to forever, Herbie Hancock, Georges Duke and many others.... .

All these genius artists, has extraordinary creativity, we were inspiring for me.

 

Album issued in April 2023…. .

CHRONIQUE JAZZ.CO.UK

(JUNUARY 2021)

>> READ HERE I<<

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