Thierry Maillard - Behind The Mirror (2011)

Thierry Maillard was 8 years old when he started playing music. At the age of 14, he enrolled in "Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris" (Normal School of Music of Paris), taking classes in harmony, counterpoint, piano, and accordion, and obtained his diploma when he was 17 years old. He then revealed a new musical style, touching on his experience and musical collaborations, a mix between classical composition and jazz.

In 1992 he met Debora Seffer, marking the formation of Debora Seffer Quartet, a band who toured around France and abroad between 1992 and 1997.

In 1998, Thierry Maillard recorded in New York his first album as a lead musician, entitled Paris New-York, with double bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dennis Chambers (Polygram – Emarcy label).
In 1999, with the support of Yamaha Musique France, he created a new project in septet. The album New Septet was released in 2000 by RDC Records.

In 2001, the release of the album Time's Color by RDC Records marked the creation of a new Quartet, including more jazz bop influences. In this new project, Nicolas Genest accompanies Thierry Maillard on the trumpet. This collaboration was noticed by the Arte television channel, who decided to promote this atypical pianist in a documentary. Director Patrick Savey filmed Thierry during the recording of this album, highlighting his strengths and creating a portrait of him as an artist. See the video

In 2002, Thierry Maillard set up a new septet, consisting of a trio and a string quartet. The band played at New Morning in Paris, where he recorded his fourth album Vision, which was released by RDC Records in January 2003.

In 2004, the album Entre deux mondes (Cristal Records) revealed an extraordinary collaboration with American drummer Robin Di Maggio and bassist Jean Marc Jafet. This album reflects a jazz style infused with groove and ethnic influences.

2005 marked the return of Debora Seffer to the stage with Thierry Maillard, where the duo once again demonstrated their musical talent. It was with the album Heliotropes, released by Cristal Records, that they toured France from 2005 to 2007. A compilation of these performances was released as a live record.

In 2008, Thierry Maillard recorded Notre Histoire, his third album in septet, with the trio and string quartet. The collaboration aimed to link the freedom of a jazz trio with the composition of a classical string quartet. "Notre Histoire" is the original soundtrack of an imaginary film, and has been critically acclaimed as Thierry's album of maturity. "Notre Histoire" was released by Cristal Records and distributed by Harmonia Mundi.

In 2010, Thierry formed the "4 Essential" Quartet with Debora Seffer, bassist Dominique Di Piazza and drummer Yoann Schmidt. The band toured festivals in France, including Toulon, Montpellier, Rhinojazz, Festival of Rive-de-Gier, and even opened for Herbie Hancock during Sete Festival. A recording session brought 4 Essential together during the summer of 2010, producing their eponymous album, which was released in January 2011 by Plus Loin Music/Harmonia Mundi.

2010 was also the year of Thierry Maillard Trio's formation with double bassist Jerome Regard and drummer Laurent Robin. The two-disc album Behind the mirror was released on September 8th 2011 by Plus Loin Music. The album consists of a Trio CD as well as a Piano solo CD, recorded as a tribute to Miles Davis.

In February 2012, Thierry Maillard headed back to the studio with a new trio, comprised this time of Yoann Schmidt on drums and Matyas Szandai on double bass, to record a new opus called Beyond the Ocean. The album features prestigious guests on multiple tracks, including Didier Malherbe playing doudouk, Abdenour DjemaI playing oud and Debora Seffer. This album is due to be released by the end of 2012.

In 2012 and 2013, Thierry Maillard Trio will tour in France and abroad with Yoann Schmidt behind the drums, Matyas SzandaI on double bass and Thierry Maillard on piano. Thierry will also play solo. The story continues…