Primary Instrument: Piano
Of Portuguese and Italian origins, Jean-Marie Machado was born in 1961 in Tangiers, Morocco. He studied classical and contemporary music with famous French concert pianist Catherine Collard and, at the same time, musical theory (harmony, counterpoint, fugues). Alternating with his classical training, he became increasingly involved in composition and improvisation.
He has been recognized in the mid-eighties as one of the most talented French jazzmen thanks to the success of the Trio Machado. He recorded several albums for the famous Label Bleu. Also very appreciated as a composer, he has worked with classical and contemporary ensembles and led several original groups such as “Vibracordes” >> (with guest Nana Vasconcelos) or “French Piano Trio” with Martial Solal. In 2000, Jean-Marie Machado created a group called Lyrisme >> with great European jazzmen: acoustic bass player Riccardo Del Fra, drummer Jacques Mahieux and alternately in this group, English saxophonist Andy Sheppard, Sardinian trumpet player Paolo Fresu, and trombonist Glenn Ferris. The group played at prestigious festivals in 2001: Orléans, La Villette Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac and Jazz à Vienne.
At the same time as he worked as a composer he led ambitious artistic projects in France, which were, more often than not, a mixture of music, poetry and theatre.
In 2003, Jean-Marie Machado formed a European sextet dedicated to Andalusian music with musicians such as Andy Sheppard (sax), Gary Valente (tb), Claus Stötter (tp), Bart de Nolf (db) and Jacques Mahieux (drums).
The group was supported by 3 AFIJMA* festivals, (Nevers, Le Mans and Grenoble), and it performs regularly in France and also in Liege, London and so on. In March 2005, Andaloucia >> is releasing its first CD on the Le Chant du Monde label, sold throughout Europe.
Since 2003, Jean-Marie Machado has also been performing in duet with the American saxophonist, David Liebman >> , with a repertoire inspired by the Portuguese fado. In 2006, the outcome of this joint collaboration will be the creation of a work for David Liebman and a symphony orchestra.
He appears regularly in various performances: solo, duets with the saxophonist, Andy Sheppard, with a repertoire of French melodies from the beginning of the 20th century, with the French saxophonist, Jean-Marc Padovani, and with the Spanish singer, Antonio Placer.
