cortex - Alain Mion

CORTEX
the legendary jazz funk band of Alain Mion,
the most sampled French jazzman by the stars US of the hip hop
Cortex: « a genuine buried treasure » (Mojo UK)
« One of the hippest European dates from the decade » (Dusty Groove, USA)
« Une des 70 perles du groove » (Anthology du Jazz Funky - Editions Jazz Magazine)
« Alain Mion, The Man Behind Rick Ross' Soulful Sound »
(2dopeboyz.com, USA)
« The most sampled French artist in history » (misdigest.tumblr.com, UK)
CORTEX, founded by Alain Mion in the seventies, has become a major cult group for the ‘’jazz
funk addicts’’ worldwide and many are the US stars of hip-hop who have sampled the
compositions by Alain, like Rick Ross in his album « God forgives, I don’t » (Gold Record in the
USA), MF Doom, Madlib or Lupe Fiasco (n°2 US chart hip hop).
Real showman, gifted with a virtuoso pianist technique and a rare infectious energy, composer,
singer, arranger, ALAIN MION has performed in radio and TV shows and at prestigious venues
all over the world, recording in the USA, in Sweden, in Poland, in Switzerland and in France.
Today, on stage, the band Cortex led by Alain Mion, is playing the legendary songs of the
album « Troupeau Bleu » (recorded in 1975) as well as Alain’s new songs, performed by top
level european musicians with amazing credits (Lisa Ekdahl, Chet Baker, Toots Thielemans,
Benny Golson, Stacey Kent, Dimitri Naïditch, Bobby Rangell, Captain Mercier…etc.)
https://youtu.be/XZQJSa2M2a4 Cortex Troupeau Bleu album
https://youtu.be/tlQAG7mBT5c Cortex medley video live in Paris
https://soundcloud.com/grooveyardsounds/cortexalainmionlivemedley Cortex medley audio live
Alain Mion biography
Pianist, composer, singer, arranger, bandleader, he was born in Casablanca in 1947. He raised
in Paris.
1966-1969, at 19 he performed with his own trio at the Blue Note and then at various festivals
gigging with Hank Mobley, Hal Singer or Philly Joe Jones.
1974-1981, he founded « CORTEX » the mythical highly regarded French funky jazz band and
recorded the famous album « Troupeau Bleu ».
The band toured in France, Belgium, Switzerland, performing on TV and radio programs and
recording 3 other albums and 2 singles.
Alain created his own recording studio where he recorded the last album of Cortex. The band
dissolved in 1981 and Alain began a new career under his name.
1984 Release of « Pheno Men », first album under his name. The tune Pheno-Men has been a
hit and signature tune of numerous French national or local radio programs (National
radio France Inter, NRJ and more than 60 local radios). Alain founded a new vocal band,
performed at clubs and festivals in France and in Switzerland and recorded the album No’Mad.
1992 found him in New York recording « Alain Mion in New York » with Marc Johnson, Tom
Rainey and David Binney.
1999 Alain Mion performed at the Fribourg International Festival with his new churchy style
trio, sharing the bill with Mike Stern, Ahmad Jamal and Gilbert Bécaud.
2001 he recorded in Stockholm the album « Some Soul Food » with drummer Ronnie Gardiner
and bassist Patrick Boman (former Lisa Ekdahl producer). Album acclaimed by the jazz media,
elected « CD of the Week » by « Jazz a FIP » (French National Radio).
Alain Mion Trio performed at the 1st Casablanca International Jazz Festival.
China tour: concerts in Beijing, Dalian and Shenyang.
2002-2003 in Poland, the Alain Mion Trio was the leading act at the International Festival
« Jazz w Lesie » witch involved Bennie Maupin, performed at the Gdynia Summer Jazz Days
(amongst other artists, such as Dave Holland, Bill Frisell, Uri Caine) and recorded live at the
Polish National Radio in Warsaw, before touring in France.
Re-issues of the first Cortex recordings in Japan and Europe.
2004-2007 Release of the CDs « Jazz Bar 2005 » (Japanese label DIW Records) and
« Nightmares on Wax » (English label Azuli records) including songs by Alain.
Release of inedit songs by Cortex on « Inedit ‘79 limited Japanese edition» CD and LP.
Release of the CD « Alain Mion Trio, live on tour in Europe ».
Release of the CD « Timeless, Park Hyatt Paris Vendome » including « The Tap Tap » by
Alain Mion’s Trio.
Re-issue of the CD « Some Soul Food » on Japanese Label Ward records.
In the US, in France and in Japan, the titles by Alain Mion w/ Cortex are sampled more
and more by the stars of Rap and Hip-Hop such as Rick Ross Triple C’s, Madlib, MF
Doom, Bob Sinclar, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Curren$y, Wise, DJ Day etc.
ALAIN MION BIOGRAPHY 2
2007-2008 Alain re-forms his trio with the very well known Swedish bassist Patrik Boman and
German drummer Michael Kersting, then performed with a 6 pieces combo during 10 concerts
at the famous Jazz Club Lionel Hampton in Paris.
Several titles by Alain were published on compilations by Caravage.
2009-2011 Following the 4th re-issue of the famous album « Troupeau Bleu », Alain reformed
the legendary band Cortex.
The band performed successfully at New Morning in Paris (sold out).
The band is similar to the band on the album Troupeau Bleu (complemented sometimes by a
top level sax section).
The group is filmed live in concert in Paris by the European musical TV channel Mezzo.
Release of the single « Unreleased Versions » by Cortex, recorded in 1978 at Swiss TV
(TSR).
Re-issue of « Pourquoi », the 3rd original album by Cortex (recorded in 1978).
The band performed one more time at New Morning in 2010.
Re-issue of the single « Huit Octobre/Devil’s Dance » by Cortex (recorded in 1977/1978).
« I Remember Jeff » by Alain illustrates the German film « Birth of Cool » on Arte TV channel.
2012 presentation of the new album « Let’s Groove ! » during a concert at Petit Journal
Montparnasse in Paris.
This album is released both on French label Trad Vibe Rec. and Japanese label Ultra Vybe Inc.
A sampled bootlegged version of « Sabbat » from the album Troupeau Bleu by Cortex, is
selected as signature tune by the French national radio France Inter.
Rick Ross, has sampled another title by Alain, "Prelude a Go Round" in the video
« Amsterdam » from his new album « God forgives, I don’t », elected ’Gold Record’ 2012
in the USA.
2013 worldwide final repress of the « Cortex Trilogy », three first albums recorded by Alain
Mion with Cortex between 1975 and 1978.
Release of Troupeau Bleu ‘Deluxe Version’ in November (Trad Vibe Records).
Alain plays a guest Rhodes Fender solo on the Andre Solemko’s new album.
New sample by Rick Ross on Oyster Perpetual (original tune : Oh Lord ! – Cortex Vol. 2)
2015 Mural by Lupe Fiasco (Atlantic records) becomes N° 2 in the US chart. It includes a
new sample of Alain w/ Cortex: « Chanson d’un jour d’hiver »
Le Panache, fully caps French manufacturer of high quality chose the Alain’s song "Prelude a
Go Round" starring Alain Mion & Cortex to illustrate its promotional video
Alain Mion performed at the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival (UK), elected "Best
Blues Festival" in Europe.
Official website : www.alainmion.com
EPK : http://artistecard.com/alainmion
Info : AM.Music at orange.fr
Alain Mion & Cortex discography
Alain’s discography includes more than 40 records, re-issues and compilations
internationally distributed on French and European, Japanese, English and US labels.
ALAIN MION :
Pheno-Men, T. Bones Square (Caravage/Carrere) single
Pheno-Men, All Along (Caravage/Carrere) single
Pheno-Men (Caravage/Carrere) LP
No’Mad Un autre Be Bop (Olivi/Media7) single
No’Mad (Olivi/Media7) LP/CD
Alain Mion in New York (Elabeth/DAM) CD
Some Soul Food (Caravage/Next Music) CD
Alain Mion Trio live on tour in Europe (Underdog Rec) CD
Alain Mion & His Funkey Combo, Groovin ‘in Paris (Caravage) digital
Alain Mion & The New Cortex : Let’s Groove ! (Trad Vibe) LP
Alain Mion & The New Cortex :Let’s Groove ! (Ultra Vybe Inc. Japan) CD version+bonus tracks
CORTEX w/ Alain Mion :
Troupeau Bleu (Sonodisc) LP
Mary & Jeff (Sonodisc) single
Les Oiseaux Morts (Sonodisc) single
Vol.2 (Sonodisc) LP
Caribou (Arabella/Wea) single
Pourquoi (Crypto/RCA) LP
Medley : Mary & Jeff/Devil’s Dance (Sonodisc) maxi
Cuvee Speciale (Compilation Crypto/RCA) LP
Best of Cortex (Jazz’in/Next Music) CD
Cortex Inedit ’79 (Japanese limited edition) + bonus track LP
Cortex feat. Alain Mion : « Unreleased Versions » (Trad Vibe) single
Cortex I Heard A Sigh (Trad Vibe / Pusher Distribution) LP
ALAIN MION & CORTEX DISCOGRAPHY 2
REEDITIONS :
Cortex Troupeau Bleu (Pulp Flavor) CD and Vinyl
Cortex Volume 2 (Follow Me) CD and Vinyl
Alain Mion in New York (Next Music) CD
Some Soul Food (Ward Records Japan) CD
Pheno-Men (Caravage) digital
Some Soul Food (Caravage) digital
Alain Mion in New York (Caravage) digital
Cortex Troupeau Bleu new re-issue (Underdog) CD+LP
No Mad (Olivi Music) digital
Cortex Pourquoi (Trad Vibe) CD+LP
Cortex Huit Octobre/Devil’s Dance (Trad Vibe) single
Cortex Trilogy (Trad Vibe/Pusher Distribution) CD+LP
Troupeau Bleu (Trad Vibe / Pusher Distribution) LP Deluxe Version + poster, October 2013
COMPILATIONS including titles by Alain Mion (in the UK, in Japan, Italy and France)
La Guepe, Vol.1 (Pulp Flavor) CD, LP
Savoir Faire (Plein Gaz Productions) CD, LP
Operation Heritage (Hutch Prod) LP
Sound of Music (Galaxy Music) CD
Compilation Park Hyatt Tokyo Airflow (Universal) CD, LP
Nightmares on Wax « Late Night Tales » (Azuli Rec) compiled with Quincy Jones + Tom Scott
Sensations Louisiane (Warner) CD
Jazz Bar 2005 (Disk Union) CD
French Groovy Jazz (Caravage) digital
French Cool Jazz (Caravage) digital
French Latin Jazz (Caravage) digital
French Piano Jazz (Caravage) digital
French Organ Jazz (Caravage) digital
French Blue Jazz (Caravage) digital
Coffret « 5 CD Gospel » (Warner) CD
Timeless, Park Hyatt Paris Vendome (Discograph) CD
Fab Five Years (Underdog) CD
Music for silent movies, vol. 2 (Caravage) digital
Modern Gospel & Negro Spirituals (Caravage) digital
Boogie Woogie Train (Caravage) ditigal
REMIX :
Edits Cortex (Trad Vibe / Pusher Distribution) LP Vinyl
Several songs by Alain are very often SAMPLED and used by the stars of the hip hop :
In the USA : Madlib, Jaylib, Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, Lupe Fiasco, Fabolous, MF Doom,
Curren$y, Tyga, DJ Day…
In Japan : Wise, Prisma
In France : Klub des Loosers, Bob Sinclar, DJ Logilo, DJ Cam… And other worldwide.
DISCOVER 60 US major artists who sampled the songs by Alain & Cortex
http://www.whosampled.com/sampled/Cortex/
Label: Trad Vibe Records www.tradvibe.com
Publishing: Sony/ATV – EMI publishing
ALAIN MION & CORTEX press-media-web
WEB
REED SPACE NYC « The Grammy-nominated production team has been a usual suspect for
beautifully Hip-Hop sonics since their early work with Roc-A-Fella Records, Beyonce, Cassidy,
Amerie and collaborations with Dr. Dre. But, this isn’t their first time linking up with Lupe as they
have connected on a myriad of tracks on “Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor,” and “Lupe Fiasco’s
The Cool.” This time around they gifted our ears the pleasure of “Mural” thanks to the
magnificently orchestrated “Chanson D’un Jour D’hiver” by Cortex off their 1975
album ‘Troupeau Bleu.’ Listen to how a peculiar French sample helped a Wordsmith with word
tricks form his masterwork here.
www.lemauvaiscoton.fr "Troupeau Bleu", the legendary album of Cortex… a monument of
French Funk… one of the French Funk jewelry.
2dopeboyz.com « Meet Alain Mion, The Man Behind Rick Ross' Soulful Sound :
Despite whatever opinion you may share on Rick Ross, one cannot deny that the man has a
great ear for incredible, ethereal production. If we dig further beyond the soundscapes of recent
singles from Rozay, such as "Oyster Perpetual," "Amsterdam" or the Cardiak produced "Diced
Pineapples," we come upon one common denominator: a shared love for 70s jazz band Cortex.
Check out a short documentary on the now 67 year old Frenchie Alain Mion, who, in a way,
inadvertently helped Ross create his soulful "coke raps." »
hhstateofmind.com « Mural long de huit minutes et sur lequel Lupe crache toutes ses tripes
sur le fameux sample de la bande de Cortex et Alain Mion, tant utilisé dans le milieu du rap. »
thesocc.org « Stumbling upon this song in search of the sample used on MF DOOM’s “One
Beer,” I cannot get this addicting tune out of my head. I’ve now listened to the rest of Troupeau
Bleu, the album the song is off of, and it is really incredible. »
brandnew-hiphop.com « Après les excellents Amsterdam (produit par J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League,
extrait de God Forgives, I Don’t) et Oyster Perpetual, Rick Ross remet le groupe de jazz-funk
français Cortex à l’honneur sur une prod signée Beat Billionaire,
Pour les connaisseurs, il n’est pas nécessaire de tendre l’oreille pour reconnaître le morceau
d’origine. Extrait du premier album de Cortex qui s’intitule Troupeau Bleu (1975), le titre Sabbat
(3ème partie) n’a quasiment pas été retouché par le producteur de MMG. »
phonographecorp.com « Le patrimoine musical français compte dans ses rangs Cortex, une
formation Jazz Funk menée par Alain Mion. Leur album Troupeau Bleu figure comme un
classique contemporain, constamment repressé qui est naturellement arrivé aux oreilles de
rappeurs comme Rick Ross, Drake ou Tyler. Ceux-ci n’ont pas mis longtemps à l’intégrer dans
leurs productions. »
misdigest.tumblr.com « When Alain Mion recorded Le Troupeau Bleu with Cortex in 1975,
they could not have known how significant the record would be in shaping the sound of hiphop… to becomes the most sampled French artist in history… I feel Cortex are due some
respect. »
(WEB 2)
DJAM meeting with the composer of the most sampled French group: Cortex.
« Alain Mion demande le droit du sample »
http://www.djamlarevue.com/entretiens/2016/alain-mion-demande-droit-du-sample
HUNTING FOR RAPPERS documentary by Gasface on « the now 67 year old Frenchie Alain
Mion, who, in a way, inadvertently helped Ross create his soulful "coke raps." »
https://youtu.be/BoDs0mRNnCY
PORTRAIT of Alain Mion (2015)
http://www.10point15.com/portrait/alain-mion/
DISCOVER 60 US major artists who sampled the songs by Alain & Cortex
http://www.whosampled.com/sampled/Cortex/
PRESS
Mojo (UK) « A genuine buried treasure. »
Dusty Groove America (USA) « A legendary bit of funky fusion from the French scene of the
70s : the standout set from Cortex, a combo who’s very heavy on the keyboards ! … rolling
along in a sound that’s stunningly soulful, and which makes the record one of the hippest
European dates from the decade. Tremendous all the way through. »
The French News (GB) « One of the leading funk jazz groups on the French scene. »
Forum Musica Rock (Italy) « Insomma, praticamente un disco perfetto – non gli manca nulla,
non e troppo astratto, non ha momenti deboli, energetico puo anche fare da soundtrack, puo
essere tenuto « in loudness » ma anche in pieno splendore di una travolgente sezione ritmica,
egualmente crea un atmosfera. Raramente si trovano reperti del genere. »
Metro « Un ovni musical… Un album a ranger aux cotes des Gap Band, Funkadelic, Al
Jarreau. »
Clark « le plus grand groupe de jazz funk de l’hexagone… Chorus divins… Cortex est un met
rare… C’est une revelation, une illumination, souvent imite mais jamais egale. »
Jazz Hot « On se trouve devant une perfection formelle. »
Liberation « Groupe pionnier du jazz-funk français, un combo qui n’a rien a envier aux
Headhunters. »
Chronicart « Cortex fait figure de legende. »
Juke Box Magazine « une reference en matiere de groove français. »
La Voix du Nord « Cortex, precurseur en France de ce courant « jazz funk »… emblematique
de la « french touch ». »
Jazz Magazine « Alain Mion avec Cortex, combo veritablement ‘’culte’’ chez les fous furieux du
genre (et ce dans le monde entier !). »
Coda Magazine « Le jazz funk abyssal de ce groupe pas banal merite bel et bien sa place au
pantheon du groove national. »
Vendee Matin Presse Ocean « Un des meilleurs groupes français des annees 70 … une
reference. »
Edmonton journal (CND) album-review-lupe-fiasco-tetsuo-youth/sample « …That’s followed by a
pitched-up, amped-up sample of Cortex’s Chanson d’Un Jour d’Hiver, with Mireille Dalbray’s
haunting vocals and Alain Mion’s jazzy piano, which forms the backbone of Fiasco’s Mural, an
eight-minute epic referencing Vicodin, vocal cords, hummingbirds, Santa Claus, hooker heels,
and the Nova Scotia landscape. »
(ALAIN MION IN NEW YORK)
Cadence (USA) « I don’t know if the participants on ‘’Alain Mion in New York’’ had played
together before this date, but they click beautifully. » Larry Nai
Jazz Hot « In New York est, de bout en bout, un superbe album… Une heure de bonheur vous
tend les bras… »
Jazzitalia « Alain Mion e un musicista, un cantante, un compositore, ma soprattutto un
ottimopianista. Davvero una piacevole scoperta questo non piu giovanissimo pianista, in grado
di dosare abilmente nel suo mood, soul, be-bop e swing, il tutto connotato da una vigorosa
energia e da un groove tra blues et jazz. Colpisce l’ascoltatore l’energia del suo pianismo, allo
stesso tempo ne sfiora delicatamente la sensibilita, con il suo tocco caldo e convincente, con la
sua voce accattivante et a tratti emozionante, attraverso melodie e temi decisamente originali
non solo dal punto di vista compositivo… Ritmica di gran classe, swing, amore per il jazz ed il
blues, composizioni originali, un interplay attento e sensibile, definiscono un’opera il cui risultato
finale appare davvero piacevole, tanto da consigliarne senz’altro l’ascolto. »
(SOME SOUL FOOD )
The News (GB) « Inside, you will find this kind of soulful, bluesy, straightforward jazz that flows
so smoothly that you may believe that playing this way is no big deal… well you just try, and
we’ll see whether your CD is voted ‘’CD of the week’’ on FIP ! »
Liberation « Instrumentiste confortable, Alain Mion est avant tout un fin melodiste, ainsi qu’en
attesta en 1984 le succes de son theme Pheno Men, hit sur FIP et NRJ, indicatif pour France
Inter… Some Soul Food est de la meme veine. Le petit cousin eloigne du sautillant Horace
Silver s’y livrant a une convaincante demonstration soul-funk, accompagne par un rookie et un
expert : le bassiste Patrik Boman et le batteur Ronnie Gardiner. » Serge Loupien
Jazz Classique « Alain Mion est reellement un formidable pianiste de JAZZ qui s’inscrit dans
un style finalement peu frequente mais dont il est certainement l’un des meilleurs
representants. »
Jazzman **** « Ce nouveau disque enregistre a Stockholm avec le batteur Ronnie Gardiner et
le contrebassiste Patrik Boman, est un univers a lui seul. Les melodies joyeuses prennent leurs
sources dans le blues, le Gospel, la soul… Tous les ingredients sont la pour faire de ce disque
un moment de pur plaisir ».
Charlie Hebdo « Alain Mion est un excellent pianiste de style funky… Il se defonce et swingue
sur son clavier avec un plaisir tellement evident qu’il n’a aucun mal a nous le faire partager. »
Sine
Keyboards **** « Cet echappe du jazz rock degage une energie rare, genereuse et bien
communicative… de beaux voicings, des basses profondes, des soli brillants, un groove
redoutable, son jeu est un modele du genre, fluide et delie avec de belles nuances de
dynamique. »
BOOKS, TV, RADIO
La Discographie du Rock Français (Editions Musea) « Alain Mion ‘’ the Al Jarreau of the
piano.’’ »
Anthology du Jazz Funky (Editions Jazz Magazine) : Cortex, « une des 70 perles du
groove »
Jazz Covers, 650 disques de jazz de 1940 a 1990 (Editions Taschen) « Album rarissime de
fusion française, graal des collectionneurs. C’est un veritable ovni musical, un album
inclassifiable. »
Rare Groove A to Z (Editions Rittor, Japon)
Mezzo TV channel program « Souvent compare a Return to Forever, aux Headhunters, la
renommee de Cortex n’a cesse de grandir depuis les annees 70’s jusqu'a atteindre le statut de
groupe culte pour tous les jazz funk addicts du monde entier. »
France Culture « CORTEX – groupe culte et ‘’mythique’’ du jazz-funk français des annees ’70
– s’est reforme sous la direction de son leader historique, le pianiste ALAIN MION pour un
premier concert qui a ete un reel succes – « sold out » - au New Morning, debut 2009 a Paris. »
Radio Piestany (CZ) « Album Troupeau Bleu je debutovým a zároveň najslávnejším albumom
skupiny Cortex, pretože prispel k rozvoju hip-hopovej kultúry. Vychádzali z neho mnohí hiphopoví producenti a skladby boli použité ako sample v tvorbe známych hip-hopových autorov.
Príkladom uvádzam mená ako MF Doom, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Wiz Khalifa, Tyler The Creator a
ďalší. Napriek tomu, že Cortex sú označovaní ako džezová skupina, v ich hudbe sa miešajú
vplyvy hádam všetkých štýlov. Na albume môžeme počuť funkový rytmus, džezovú klavírnu
improvizáciu, fusionové elektrické piano a napokon originálne texty spievané vo francúzštine,
vďaka ktorej nahrávky vyznievajú veľmi autenticky.
Na Slovensku som sa ešte nestretol s nikým, kto by tento album poznal, a zaručene viem
povedať, že ste ho v slovenskom éteri ešte nikdy nemohli počuť. Odporúčam vám preto vypočuť
si ho už túto sobotu o 21.00 h vo vysielaní Rádia Piešťany. »
Alain Mion & Cortex concerts
During his more than 40 years of musical career, Alain Mion has performed in numerous
countries under his name or with his first band, Cortex.
He played and recorded in the USA, in China, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom,
Belgium, Italy, Poland, Morocco and France, at TV and radio shows as at festivals and clubs.
Some references :
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Great Britain Rhythm & Blues festival (UK)
Concert at Mezzo TV channel
Concert at the National Polish Radio (Warsaw)
French Natl. and Major TVs and Radio
Concert at National Swiss TV
Concert at the Dalian University (China)
Concert at the Jinglun, Beijing (China)
Concert at the Shenyang Music Conservatory (China)
International Gdynia Summer Jazz Days (Poland)
International Festival Jazz w Lesie (Poland)
Casablanca International Jazz Festival (Morocco)
Friburg International Festival (Switzerland)
St Gallen International Festival (Switzerland)
Evening party of the HSG School, St Gallen (Switzerland)
Passage 44, Brussels (Belgium)
Massy International Jazz Festival (France)
Paris Museum of Modern Art (France)
French National Chaillot Theatre (Paris, France), Caen Theatre (France) etc.
New Morning, Jazz Club Lionel Hampton, Petit Journal Montparnasse, Duc des Lombards,
Sunset, Club St. Germain, Blue Note, Cameleon, Caveau de la Montagne, Gibus, Newport
(Paris), Hot Brass (Aix & Paris), CD Jazz Club (Beijing), Jazz Cafe Scena (Gdynia) etc.
Stage Manager: Arnaud Pacary arnaudpacary at gmail.com