Michaël Attias

A thoughtful, forward-thinking improviser, saxophonist Michaël Attias is an internationally recognized performer known for his harmonically nuanced, avant-garde jazz. Born in 1968 in Haifa, Israel to a family of Moroccan heritage, Attias grew up first in Paris and then moved with his family to Minneapolis at the age of nine. It was during this period that he first started playing saxophone and discovered jazz. Influenced early on by the free jazz of Ornette Coleman, he excelled quickly, and by his teens was an accomplished performer. He eventually sought out Anthony Braxton, studying with the esteemed composer and multi-instrumentalist for several years at Wesleyan University. In 1994, Attias relocated to New York City full-time, where he played often with Braxton and found himself a welcome presence in the avant-garde community centered around the Knitting Factory. He worked with Anthony Coleman, appearing on the pianist's Self Haters album, alongside John Zorn, Marc Ribot, and Elliott Sharp. Also during this period, he recorded with artists like Edward Ratliff, Bruce Eisenbeil, Walter Thompson, and others. In 2005, he made his debut as leader with Credo, which featured his group with bassist Chris Lightcap, trombonist Reut Regev, violinist Sam Bardfeld, and French horn player Mark Taylor. Also that year, he released Renku, his first album with his pianoless trio of the same name, featuring bassist John Herbert and drummer Satoshi Takeishi. There were also more albums with Coleman, as well as sessions with drummer Paul Motian, and bassist Ken Filiano. In 2010, he returned to his solo work with Twines of Colesion, which found him expanding his Renku trio with saxophonist Tony Malaby and pianist Russ Lossing. Two years later, he paired with bassist Sean Conly for Spun Tree and Think Shadow. The Owls Are Not What They Seem followed in 2016. He then delivered the quartet album Nerve Dance with bassist Herbert, pianist Aruan Ortiz, and drummer Nasheet Waits. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi