Michel Graillier
| Michel Graillier | |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 October 1946 Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France |
| Died | 11 February 2003 (aged 56) Paris |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1960s–2000s |
| Labels | Saravah, Musica, Le Chant du Monde, EmArcy |
| Associated acts | Jean-Luc Ponty, Magma, Chet Baker |
Michel Graillier (18 October 1946, Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France – 11 February 2003, Paris) was a French jazz pianist.
From the ages of four to eighteen, Grallier studdied classical piano in Lens, France. During adolescence, he worked as a drummer with the amateur yéyé group, Les Chaps ("The Guys").
After some preparatory classes, he enrolled in the engineering school at the ISEN in Lille, where he met the bassist Didier Levallet through whom he discovered jazz. In 1968, with a diploma in electrical engineering, , he moved to Paris. He played in clubs, most notably at the Caméléon, in a trio with Aldo Romano and Jean-François Jenny-Clark. He made his first recording in 1969 with Steve Lacy. For three years, he accompanied violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. His first album for Agartha Records appeared in 1970, on which he was accompanied by Alby Cullaz and Bernard Lubat. During the same he year, he recorded Pianos Puzzle with Georges Arvanitas, René Urtreger, and Maurice Vander. Due to personal problems, he withdrew from performing for a period of time.
In 1972, he was invited by drummer Christian Vander to play piano in his group Magma, which he did for two years. Following that, he played with Christian Escoudé, François Jeanneau, and others. For several years, he was the regular pianist at the club Riverbop. Here he had the opportunity to play Americans in Paris who were on on tour, such as Philly Joe Jones and Steve Grossman. He performed at the club Dréher in Paris and at Magnetic Terrasse, usually in trio with Alby Cullaz and Christian Vander, but also with Barney Wilen or Jacques Pelzer.
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