Didier Malherbe

Didier Malherbe (born January 22, 1943, in Paris), is a French jazz, rock and world music musician, known as a member of the bands Gong and Hadouk, as well as a poet.

His first instrument was a saxophone, but he also plays flutes, alto clarinet, ocarina, Laotian Khen, Bawu flute, Hulusi and many other wind instruments.

In 1962, after hearing the first Ravi Shankar album, he travelled to India, where he discovered bamboo flute and learned to play bansuri, Indian bamboo flute.

Back in Paris, he took classical flute lessons, while studying ancient languages at the Sorbonne university.

In 1964-65, he travelled around Morocco, staying in a community in Tangier, playing with other hippie musicians such as guitarist Davey Graham and absorbing elements of Arabic music.

In 1966, he appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Chappaqua, credited to Ravi Shankar, and dabbled with rock music for the first time, electrifying his sax when he appeared, as part of a band called Les Rollsticks, in Marc'o's successful comedy-rock Les Idoles.

There he worked on improving his flute playing, and spent time with Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen, two former members of Soft Machine, whose performance at the Fenêtre Rose festival in late 1967 he later called "a triggering event."

This was such a hit that it was made into a feature film in 1968.

In the summer of 1968, Malherbe left for Majorca, in the Balearic Islands, where he found shelter in the property of writer Robert Graves.

In 1969, back in Paris, he joined a raga-blues-folk trio, Morning Calm, and played free jazz with American pianist Burton Greene, appearing on his album recorded for the BYG label.

The same label released Magick Brother (1969), the first Gong album, on which Malherbe appeared alongside musicians of various backgrounds, whether pop or jazz.

Gong became a real band for an appearance at the Amougies festival in October 1969.

Malherbe received the stage name Bloomdido Bad De Grasse from Daevid Allen, a combination of the title of the Charlie Parker standard and a rough English translation of his surname.

The albums Camembert Electrique (1971) and Continental Circus (1972, soundtrack for Jérôme Laperrousaz's movie of the same name) made Gong, along with Magma and others, a key player on the French underground scene of the early 1970s, pioneering the MJC (youth clubs) circuit.

Allen's faithful right-hand man, Bloomdido stoically survived the band's countless line-up changes, even staying on after Allen himself quit in 1975 following the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy, released by the then-fledgling Virgin label : Flying Teapot and Angel's Egg (1973), then You (1974).

Malherbe achieved a unique sound by electrifying his instrument, and brought to the band many melodic ideas, "which I freely gave away, in a communal spirit. That's one of the features of my character and my music : I am a spontaneous guy, an improviser."

Following the departures in 1975 of Allen then Steve Hillage, Gong moved to a more jazz-fusion style, influenced by Weather Report, with Malherbe adding a world-music flavour, as exemplified by "Bambooji" on the Shamal (1976) album, an early pointer to his later work as a solo artist.

A final line-up with a percussion section and Allan Holdsworth on guitar recorded Gazeuse! (1977).

"'He has always been, and remains, the best musician Gong ever had. He is a true virtuoso - but to the point that he never shows it' - Daevid Allen (1977)"

In 1977, Didier Malherbe formed the band Bloom playing "jazz-rock, but performed in a personal way, with odd time signatures, some funky ideas and crazy lyrics,".

They recorded an eponymous album in 1978, the band regularly toured France.

In 1978, Didier played on 3 songs on Gilli Smyth 's Charly Records release "Mother," also appearing on her "Fairy Tales" LP under the band name "Mother Gong," featuring guitarist Harry Williamson.

In 1980, Didier recorded perhaps his first solo album, "Bloom," with a jazz-fusion sound common to that era, but with distinctly French vocals and artsy oddities.

In 1981, it was replaced by smaller line-ups, Duo du Bas with Yan Emeric Vagh, and Duo Ad lib with Jean-Philippe Rykiel.

In 1982, Malherbe began a partnership with Faton Cahen, former pianist with Magma and Zao, which they logically called Faton-Bloom.

The band was completed by Rémy Sarrazin (bass), Éric Bedoucha (drums) and Roger Raspail.

During that period he also worked with singer Jacques Higelin, on stage (the live album Casino de Paris in 1984) and in studio (the album Ai in 1985).

An eponymous album appeared in 1986, accompanied by copious touring.

In 1990, Didier Malherbe released his first true solo album, Fetish, surrounded by a cast of thousands.

He later called the album "very scattered."

He notably experimented with the wind synthesizer Yamaha WX7.

He also played on the first album by Equip'Out, a band led by ex-Gong drummer Pip Pyle, and joined Daevid Allen in a new line-up of Gong, which resulted in the album Shapeshifter (1992).

He then signed with the Tangram label, releasing Zeff in 1992, which was a major critical and commercial success.

The unique sound of the Zeff, a harmonic bent PVC pipe, also graced Vangelis' soundtrack for Ridley Scott's movie 1492: Christopher Columbus, and was featured on public TV channel France 3.

This was followed by Fluvius (1994), with a quartet including Loy Ehrlich, Henri Agnel and Shyamal Maïtra.

Since 1995, duduk has been his preferred instrument.

Didier Malherbe began playing saxophone at age 13 after hearing Charlie Parker's "Bloomdido", a title he later would adopt as his nickname.

After two years of formal training on saxophone he began to participate in jam sessions at various Paris jazz clubs alongside the likes of Alby Cullaz, Eddy Louiss, Jacques Thollot ... He then moved away from jazz.

"I had grown puzzled about bebop because of so many rules. Then free jazz arrived, which got rid of all the rules... I decided I'd rather look elsewhere".

In 1996, birth of "Hadouk" with Loy Ehrlich, so named in reference to their respective instruments of choice, guembri Hajhouj (bass of the Gnawas of Morocco) and duduk (Doudouk,double-reed Armenian oboe).