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