Didier Malherbe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Didier Malherbe
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Bloomdido Bad de Grass |
| Born | 22 January 1943 Paris, France |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | Saxophonist, flautist |
| Instruments | Flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, duduk, hulusi, keyboards |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Associated acts | Gong, Hadouk |
Didier Malherbe (born January 22, 1943) is a talented French musician and poet. He plays many different instruments, especially wind instruments like the saxophone and flute. He is known for being a member of the bands Gong and Hadouk. Since 1995, his favorite instrument has been the duduk, which is a special Armenian wind instrument.
Didier plays a wide variety of wind instruments. These include the saxophone, flute, alto clarinet, and ocarina. He also plays unique instruments like the Laotian Khaen, the Bawu flute, and the Hulusi.
Contents
Didier's Early Life and Musical Journey
Didier Malherbe started playing the saxophone when he was 13 years old. He was inspired by a song called "Bloomdido" by the famous jazz musician Charlie Parker. Didier later even used "Bloomdido" as his nickname!
After two years of lessons, he began playing in jazz clubs in Paris. He played with musicians like Alby Cullaz and Eddy Louiss. However, he soon felt that jazz had too many rules. He wanted to explore other types of music.
Discovering World Music
In 1962, Didier heard music from Ravi Shankar and decided to travel to India. There, he found the bamboo flute and learned to play the Indian bansuri flute. When he returned to Paris, he took classical flute lessons. He also studied old languages at Sorbonne University.
From 1964 to 1965, Didier traveled through Morocco. He lived in a community in Tangier and played with other musicians, including guitarist Davey Graham. This trip helped him learn about Arabic music.
First Bands and Inspirations
In 1966, Didier played saxophone with a band called Les Rollsticks. They were part of a comedy-rock show called Les Idoles. A film version of Les Idoles was released in 1968.
In the summer of 1968, Didier moved to Majorca, an island in Spain. He lived on the property of writer Robert Graves. During this time, he practiced his flute and spent time with Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen. They were former members of the band Soft Machine. Didier later said their music was a big inspiration for him.
In 1969, back in Paris, Didier joined a band called Morning Calm. He also played free jazz with American pianist Burton Greene. He appeared on Greene's album. The same record label also released Magick Brother (1969), the first album by the band Gong. Didier played on this album too.
Didier's Music Career
The Gong Years (1969–1977)
Gong became a full band in October 1969. Daevid Allen gave Didier his stage name, Bloomdido Bad De Grasse. This name combined the title of the Charlie Parker song and a fun translation of Didier's last name.
Gong became a very important band in France in the early 1970s. Their albums like Camembert Electrique (1971) and Continental Circus (1972) helped them become famous in the underground music scene. Didier stayed with Gong even when other members left. He continued to play with them after Daevid Allen left in 1975.
After Allen and Steve Hillage left in 1975, Gong's music changed. It became more like jazz-fusion, similar to the band Weather Report. Didier added a "world music" feel to their sound. You can hear this on the song "Bambooji" from the Shamal (1976) album. This song hinted at the kind of music Didier would make later as a solo artist.
Bloom and Other Projects (1977–1981)
In 1977, Didier Malherbe started his own band called Bloom. They played a mix of jazz and rock. They released an album in 1978 and toured France often. In 1981, Didier started playing in smaller groups, like Duo du Bas and Duo Ad lib.
Didier also played on two albums by Gilli Smyth under the band name "Mother Gong."
In 1980, Didier recorded his first solo album, also called "Bloom." It had a jazz-fusion sound with French singing.
Faton Bloom and Collaborations (1982–1987)
In 1982, Didier started working with Faton Cahen, a pianist from other bands. They called their group Faton-Bloom. They released an album in 1986 and went on tour.
During this time, Didier also worked with singer Jacques Higelin. He played on Higelin's live album Casino de Paris (1984) and the studio album Ai (1985).
He also played on the first album by Equip'Out, a band led by former Gong drummer Pip Pyle. Didier also rejoined Daevid Allen in a new version of Gong, which led to the album Shapeshifter (1992).
Solo and Duo Work (1990–1998)
In 1990, Didier Malherbe released his first solo album, Fetish. He tried out new sounds, like the Yamaha WX7 wind synthesizer.
He then released Zeff in 1992, which was very popular. The unique sound of the Zeff, a special PVC pipe, was even used in Vangelis' music for the movie 1492: Christopher Columbus.
This was followed by Fluvius (1994), which he recorded with a quartet. In 1996, Didier formed "Hadouk" with Loy Ehrlich. The name came from their favorite instruments: the guembri Hajhouj (a bass from Morocco) and the duduk (an Armenian oboe).
Throughout the 1990s, Didier continued to tour with Classic Gong in Europe and the USA. He left the band in 1999 but still appeared as a guest musician sometimes. He also toured and recorded with singer Brigitte Fontaine and guitarist Pierre Bensusan.
Hadouk Trio (1999–2012)
In 1999, Didier and Loy Ehrlich were joined by American percussionist Steve Shehan. They released the album Shamanimal as the Hadouk Trio. The trio played at many music festivals. In 2001, Djivan Gasparyan invited Didier to play at an international duduk festival in Armenia.
That same year, Didier published a book of poems called L'Anche des Métamorphoses. He later turned this book into a solo show, where he read his poems and played music.
The Hadouk Trio released more albums, including Now (2003) and Utopies (2006). They also released live recordings. Their final album, Air Hadouk, came out in 2010. They toured in Great Britain and India and played at the Paris Jazz Festival.
In 2010, Didier also formed a duo with guitarist Éric Löhrer. They released a double-CD called Nuit d'Ombrelle. Since 2012, he has been playing with classical pianist Jean-François Zygel. They perform live as a trio called A World Tour In 80 Minutes.
Hadouk Quartet (2013–2020)
The Hadouk Quartet started in 2013, growing from the Hadouk Trio. It includes Didier Malherbe, Loy Ehrlich, Eric Löhrer, and Jean-Luc Di Fraya.
The quartet released their first CD, Hadoukly Yours, in November 2013. For this group, Didier added two more Chinese wind instruments: the Bawu and the Hulusi.
Music and Poetry
Didier Malherbe has published two books of poems: L'Anche des Métamorphoses and Escapade en Facilie.
He created a special show that combines poetry and music. He uses his favorite instruments like the saxophone, Bawu flute, Chinese Hulusi, alto clarinet, ocarina, Laotian khên, Ukrainian sopilka, Moldavian pipe, and Armenian duduk. This show has been performed at many festivals and concert halls.
In 2020, he performed with poet Zeno Bianu. He also appeared on a radio show called "Ocora Couleurs du Monde," where he read his poems.
Discography
With Gong
- 1970: Magick Brother (BYG)
- 1971: Camembert Electrique (BYG)
- 1973: Flying Teapot (BYG/Virgin)
- 1973: Angel's Egg (Virgin)
- 1974: You (Virgin)
- 1976: Shamal (Virgin)
- 1977: Gazeuse! (Virgin)
- 1992: Shapeshifter (Mélodie/Celluloïd)
- 2000: Zero to Infinity (Snapper Music)
- 2009: 2032 (G-Wave)
- 2016: Rejoice! I'm Dead! (Madfish)
Solo Albums
- 1980: Bloom (EMI-Sonopresse)
- 1990: Fetish (Mantra)
- 1992: Zeff (Tangram)
- 1994: Fluvius (Tangram)
Duo Albums
- 1986: Faton Bloom (with Faton Cahen) (Cryonic)
- 1995: Hadouk (with Loy Ehrlich) (Tangram)
- 1997: Live at New Morning (with Pierre Bensusan) (Acoustic Music)
- 2011: Nuit d'Ombrelle with Éric Löhrer (Naïve Records)
With Hadouk Trio
- 1999: Shamanimal (Mélodie)
- 2002: Now (Mélodie)
- 2006: Utopies (Naïve Records)
- 2010: Air Hadouk (Naïve Records)
With Hadouk Quartet
- 2013: Hadoukly Yours (Naïve Records)
- 2017: "Le Cinquieme Fruit" (Naïve Records)
Filmography
Didier Malherbe has contributed music to several films:
- 1967: Chappaqua (music by Ravi Shankar)
- 1968: Les Idoles (music by Stéphane Vilar and Patrick Greussay)
- 1972: Continental Circus (with Gong)
- 1992: 1492: Christophe Colomb (music by Vangelis)
- 2005: Kirikou et les Bêtes sauvages (music: Manu Dibango)
- 2010: The Lady (music by Éric Serra)
- 2013: La danza de la realidad (music Adan Jodorowsky)
