Marc Moulin

Instruments : Piano, Keyboards, Composer, Arranger, Producer
Date of birth : 16/08/1942 - Bruxelles (Ixelles)
Date of death : 26/09/2008

See his

Marc MOULIN was a man of many talents. Jazz musician from the sixties on, he also had his jazz radio shows, and more recently wrote as a columnist in several publications. He was also active as a record producer and occasionally wrote for theater !

As a jazz musician, pianist Marc MOULIN learnt his trade in the vibrant European jazz scene of the early 60's. He formed his own trio in 1961, winning prizes at various jazz festivals before joining the Alex SCORIER Quintet in 1963.
But he had also the opportunity to play in the sixties and seventies with several famous jazz musicians who were on tour in Europe, such as Dexter GORDON, Slide HAMPTON, Benny BAILEY,Don BYAS, Johnny GRIFFIN or Clark TERRY etc..., and to work with guitarist Philip CATHERINE, with whom he played a.o. in a band called Casino Railway, which already integrated funk ingredients.
He appears on Philip's first album as a leade, "Stream", recorded with Jiggs Whigham (tb), Freddie Deronde (el. bass) and Freddy Rottier (drs).
His collaboration with Philip continued until very recently but under another form, as a producer for several albums of the guitarist.

Combining his jazz background with influences ranging from the electric Miles DAVIS, Herbie HANCOCK, etc... to funk and soul music (James BROWN, Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi HENDRIX, etc...), he rapidly formed a fusion band which has now become a reference for fusion jazz in Belgium : PLACEBO.
The band, in which he played Wurlitzer electric piano, was formed with well known Belgian jazzman : Richard ROUSSELET, Nick FISSETTE (tp), Alex SCORIER and Johnny DOVER (saxes) Nicolas KLETCHKOWSKY (el. bass) and Freddy ROTTIER (drums) or later Bruno CASTELLUCCI (drs).
The band won a prize at the 1972 Montreux Jazz Festival.

Several albums were made in the seventies :

"Ball of Eyes" (CBS S64625) (1971)

"Placebo 73" (CBS 65683) (1973)

"Placebo" (EMI Harvest C064-95378) (1974)

Some tracks have been reissued by the British "Counterpoint" label as :

"The Placebo Sessions 71-74 / Counterpoint CD CRCD005 '99)

He also made the album "Sam Suffy" in 1974 (CBS 80753, now available again as Counterpoint CRC003).

"Picnic" (1986 /A 277)

These albums now fascinate a whole new generation of acid jazz fans and house music DJs.

Just prior to the 1980's, Marc MOULIN changed styles and began to innovate by creating electro pop with the TELEX group, in the vein of the German Kratfwerk band. The result was five fresh albums that would influence electronic new wave music. The signature smash hits "Moscow Diskow" and "Rock around the Clock" are still a huge success on the dance floors of Chicago, Paris or Tokyo.

He also worked as a producer/arranger for pop artists such as Alain CHAMFORT and LIO.

1992 was marked by a change of direction. The album "Maessage" illustrates the artist's interest in ambient music.

In 2001, Marc MOULIN makes a comeback on the music scene, as he has recently signed with Blue Note and introduced his new album Top Secret, a techno-jazz concept album with a combination of samples, computer sequences and jazz soloists.

In Sept. 2004, Marc MOULIN introduces his new album "Entertainment", a new venture in his jazz & groove concept, followed up in 2007 by "I am you", still on Blue Note records. Both albums were a remarkable success.

In 2002, Marc MOULIN received a Zamu award as best composer.

He died on September 26, 2008, from cancer.

More infos on his .

"I want to combine my preference for jazz with my passion for electronic music. There have always been artists at Blue Note in particular who have latched on to the more modern forms of popular music and who have adapted it to jazz. So I feel close to artists ranging from Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Eddie Harris to today's US3, Erik Truffaz and St. Germain". (Marc MOULIN)

On his website, watch a live video from his concert at Flagey, Brussels (click on the image to play it).