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Widely
acclaimed as one of the great masters of wind
instruments, Parisian Didier Malherbe started on
saxophone when he was 13, after hearing Charlie
Parker's Bloomdido, from the Bird and Dizz album. 12
years later,
Bloomdido Bad de Grass
became his
nickname in the
group
GONG
incorporating
the literal translation of Malherbe into
franglais.Between ages 13 and 20, he studied alto,
then tenor saxophone with a classical teacher as well
as jamming jazzmen at 'Le Chat qui peche' club. A trip
to India & Afghanistan in the early sixties
introduced him to ragas, modal music and the bamboo
flute. Back in France, he studied classical flute with
René Leroy. His rock education started in 1967, when
he performed in Les Idoles, a comédie musicale
influenced by the Living Theater.
Listening to
a
Soft Machine
concert turned
him on to a fusion approach of music.
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In
the ambience of the freaky revolution in Paris
in May 1968, he met Australian singer,
guitarist and poet, ex-Soft Machine member,
Daevid Allen with whom he was to
create
GONG.
This international community band incubated in
Deya, Mallorca, and toured France and Europe
before it was taken on to the British scene
starting at the first Glastonbury Festival in June
1971. Virgin Records
signed
them, and their album Camembert Electrique hit the
charts.
GONG
toured
extensively around the U.K. and Europe, while
producing the albums of their legendary Radio
Gnome trilogy:
Flying Teapot, Angel's Egg and You
During this
time Didier also played sessions for the
soundtrack to 'Chappaqua" with Ravi Shankar, free
jazz with austere vegetarian and yogi, Burton
Green- Aquariana (BYG vol 8529308 - '69),
contributed to Kevin Ayers Whatevershebringswesing
(Harvest SHVL800 - '72) and COMUSTo keep from
crying (Virgin V2018 - '74).
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In
1975, when Allen split
from
GONG
,
Didier formed other line-ups with Steve Hillage,
Mike Howlett, Pierre Moerlen 1976's
Shamal
.
then Alan
Holdsworth, Mino Cinelu 1977's
Gazeuse.
Two masterpieces of Jazz-rock legend
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Didier's turn to
leave
GONG
came in
1978. Back in France, he put together his
5-piece
BLOOM
.
band,
releasing an eponymous jazz-rock style album on
E.M.I.
Throughout the early 1980's, he was touring and
recording with numerous artists.
From 1985 to 1988, he was part of
Faton-Bloom, along with Faton Cahen, the original
pianist for
Magma. This group played big jazz festivals and
released a
CD
Faton Bloom
(Cyronic
MAD3029).
In the later 80's, he toured the U.S. with
Pierre
Bensusan
, and Japan with Brigitte Fontaine.
In
1989 he added the WX7 Yamaha wind
synthesizer to his set-up.
He met
Daevid Allen
again
and started
Gongmaison. 1990
saw the release of
FETISH, his second solo album, even though it involved
the participation of 15 musicians.
This album explores passion and other aspects of
Fire through a great diversity of moods, including
folky, jazzy, French Rap, and electronic jungles....
In
1991 and 1992, he was a member
of
Shapeshifter Gong
and
currently part of
Shortwave
with
Hugh Hopper, Pip Pyle, and Phil Miller.
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His third
album
Zeff
was
released in October 1992, for the
label
Tangram.
The title
of the album is derived from Zephyr, and is also
the name he gave to a plastic, circular bass flute
which he played for VANGELIS on the soundtrack of
Ridley SCOTT's movie "1492 Conquest of Paradise"
as well as on the daily jingles for France
Television
3
.
The album
was acclaimed with a ffff in
Telerama, one of the best french awards.
Having spent many years absorbing musical and
rhythmic influences from around the world, Didier
developed an avid interest in collecting exotic
instruments, each of which offers the opportunity
to explore and embrace new styles of playing and
approaches to composing.
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1994
saw the
release of his fourth solo album
FLUVIUS,
which
featured :
Loy
EHRLICH
on
keyboards and ethnic string instruments like
hajouj and bolong, Henri AGNEL on guitar, mandolin
and sarod Shamal MAÏTRA on tablas and
percussions.
Didier
played sopranino and soprano Saxophones,
classical, piccolo and bamboo Flutes.
Fluvius
is a
pastoral album that depicts the life and times of
a river, and all the different places through
which the river flows.This record completed a
series on the elements : Bloom-earth, Fetish-fire,
Zeff-air, Fluvius-water.
With each solo album, Didier surprises the
listener with newly discovered or mastered
instruments and sounds, making every record unique
to itself, filled with a fresh excitement and
spirit of adventure.
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1996's
album is really a duet with
Loy EHRLICH
from the
Fluvius
band,
Hadouk
is a word composed of :
Ha
jouj
- an African three stringed bass, played by the Gnawas
from Morocco - and
Doudouk
- an Armenian double-reed instrument.They use both of
these instruments in a very personal way.
.
Other instruments are / bamboo flutes, bamboo
clarinet,ocarinas, Ukrainian double-flute, soprano
saxophone, kora, bolong, sanza, a touch of synth and
percussions, Steve Shehan on one number. The
inspiration is based on nature simplicity and
feeling.
The result is
yet another adventurous musical journey, quietly
couched in simple melodies and structures. In 1999
Hadouk is Released in the States on Zebra
Acoustic
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" Didier delves
deeper into his unique Malherbian cosmos with fellow
travellers
Ahost of unfamiliar instruments are on display. You
know what these are?:- Guimbarde, Hajouj , Aouicha,
Bolong,
Sanza-m'bira, Sapilka, Pekou, Kaval and the Doudouk !
Anyway they all seem to make wonderful noises in the
expert hands of Didier & Loy. I assume track
seven, 'Montaulieu' is inspired by the place of the
same name in France. Where long ago one of the first
versions of GONG used to gather round the fire pit and
make music under the stars and where Dr Mishra had
his'ashram'. Didier does not stay still for long, the
series of CDs Fetish, Zeff, Fluvius and now Hadouk are
all different but the spirit of adventure, melodies
and the general ambience are all just wonderfully
Didier. Warmly recommended. " Tim Flatus
The
25th Birthday Party for Gong
in 1994
created a resurgence of interest in the classic
70s lineup. In addition to several world tours
96/97/98/99 with
GONG
since then,
Didier still finds time to record and tour with
other atists who are best-known in France such
as Brigitte
Fontaine and with guitarist
Pierre
Bensusan
, with whom he published the duet album
Live at the New
Morning
.
which is also released in the United States
as
Live in Paris
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Since 96
Didier toured with
Hadouk
Trio,
DM on wind instruments
Loy Ehrlich
on strings and
Steve Shehan
on percussives,
a trio of adventure-seeking multi-instrumentalists
who are adroit at freeing both your mind and your
body.
1999
-
Shamanimal
label
Celluloïd,
this time by the
Hadouk
Trio
with
Loy
Ehrlich
and
Steve Shehan.
1999
finds
also Didier performing in several contexts (duo, trios,
and Gong) Participating along with Annie Whitehead
in
Robert Wyatt's Project
Soup Songs
for the
London Jazz Festival
When he's
not busy playing, recording and rehearsing, Didier
spends his time working on an extensive collection
of
sonnets
which he
has composed over the years.
"With a
passion for always forging ahead into uncharted
territory, Didier desires to liberate the spirit
of each wind instrument he encounters. The act of
liberating the spirit of the instrument is what,
in turn, liberates the spirit of the listener.
Because of the mastery of myriad instruments and
his ability to blend styles seamlessly, he has
remained one of the most-demanded studio session
musicians in France, and is admired the world
over."
2000
-
New
CD
Gong
02 Infinity,
Hadouk
Trio and
Classic Gong tours
Summer 2000
Didier Malherbe Trio
with
Patrice Meyer
Guitares
Philippe Foch
Percussions
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2000 -
Concerts Hadouk
avec Loy Ehrlich et Steve Shehan :
Café de la Danse, Satellit, Égypte
Nouveau
CD Gong
02Infinity
Didier a composé 2 morceaux - à écouter
en exclusivité ! Classic Gong tour
Été 2000 Nouvelle formation Didier Malherbe
Trio
avec
Patrice
Meyer Guitares
Philippe
Foch Percussions
Fête de l'Huma, résidence aux Nancy Jazz Pulsations
oct 2000
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Didier
presenting his Doudouk
© Christian Ducasse photo
JazzMan Dec 2000 |
1st
International
Duduk
F
estival Armenia
Didier, who
plays armenian duduk in a self-taught way since
quite a few years and has played it on three of
his CDs already, has been invited to participate
to the Yerevan Duduk Festival, august 3, 4 & 5
, 2001.The great virtuoso of the duduk,
Djivan
Gasparian
, is interested to hear other ways of playing this
marvelous instrument than the one of the
tradition, productive of such wonderful musics,
since many centuries....Are also invited an
english musician, Dirk Campbell, a german one and
an american......
Publication
L'AN
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M
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T
A
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book of 128 sonnets about the reed and others
musical subjects.
April
2002 in Russia
!!!
Didier
is invited
in
Russia
to
participate a collective creation under the
direction of the great duduk player
Djivan Gasparian
: the
prestigious Bolchoï Theater in Moscow, on
april the 8th, and St Petersburg on the
10th. There will
be italian , russian, israelian and armenian
musicians. Didier is going along with his friend
guitarist Patrice Meyer.
2002
- Recording
of a new CD
HADOUK NOW,
L'AN
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A
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poem and music performances
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-
Hadouk
Now
CD by Hadouk Trio, D.M. , Loy Ehrlich and Steve
Shehan.
Shows poetry/music
L'AN
C
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M
É
T
A
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Concerts in Russia at Bolchoï with Djivan
Gasparian
Travel in Laos, for a creation and workshops with
laotian musicians
Musée de la Musique Cité de la Villette -
Peaux et Vent :
Musical tale for children
Concerts
Hadouk Trio
tour- Ile de la Réunion -
Festival des
Clarinettes -
Sunset - Rotterdam
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2004 -
Hadouk Trio CD Live
à Fip, concerts Jazz sous
les Pommiers, Festival of San Sébastian, résident at théâtre
of Briançon 2005 -
Hadouk Trio
DVD Live au Satellit
café on label Naïve, recording CD album Utopies,
concerts in Luxemburg and in France, Tertulia Poetry Festival in Deia, Mallorca,
playing at the
UNCONVENTION GONG in Glastonbury with the band GILLI SMYTH
and FRIENDS and for the final jam.
2006 - June 2006: CD Utopies on
Naive label
Festivals with Hadouk : Mexico city, Iéna (All),Sani
(Greece)
Playing a lot at GONG
UNCONVENTION in Amsterdam (Nov. 3-4-5)
with
Hadouk Trio, Mother Gong, Sacred Geometry, Classical
Gong and others.
2007 - May, 22 & 23,
Hadouk Trio played
at Cabaret Sauvage and recorded a
CD live + bonus DVD released on Naïve: BALDAMORE with three guests: Mauritanian
female singer MALOUMA, NICOLAS GENEST (trumpet) and BACHAR KHALIFE
(percussions)
June
9 :broadcast France 3 TV
: Trophy "best artists of the year" of "Les Victoires
du Jazz.
Hadouk Trio won this award. |
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