Jacques Bailhé

Raised in Wilton, Connecticut until thirteen when family moved to Thailand. Attended International School in Bangkok. Started playing drums in bands—parties, clubs, backed up a fire-breathing stripper in a roller rink. Parents soundly discouraged pursuing music, though my grandfather, George Bailhé, made a career as a pianist and arranger for Cecil B. DeMille. Took up electric bass. Followed Beatles, Hendrix, Traffic, Aretha, Smokey Robinson, then dove into jazz: Mingus, Brubeck, Getz, Monk, and later, Miles Davis, Weather Report and Joni Mitchell. Took sitar lessons in Benares, India and Kathmandu, then became a monk. Ordained as a novice Buddhist priest in the Patriarch's temple in Bangkok. Moved Wat Chedi Luang, a temple from the 1300's in Chiengmai, Thailand Chanting prayers is an intriguing way to experience the overtone series.

Left Bangkok for Pomfret School in Connecticut, graduated Valedictorian. Co-founder of Big Lost, a band of acoustic guitars, cello, flute, vocals, me on electric bass and chief mechanic for our broken down tour bus. A critic described us a “Baroque-folk-rock band.” Three national tours, bars all over New England, starved, made a record, “Big Lost Rainbow,” reissued in 1998 on CD and vinyl by Gear Fab Records. All the usual and unusual. Decided music was not my calling based on utterly wrong belief that musicians were either prodigies, rock stars, or spent miserable lives playing bars. Gave up.

Graduated Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, BFA in Film Production, Magna Cum Laude. Went on to award-winning career in documentaries and commercials. Taught film and advertising design at Art Center. Found myself producing tons of music, and sometimes composing, in every conceivable style with LA’s finest session players and composers. Became fascinated with orchestral music. Bought myself an old grand piano though I had no inkling of how to play. Simply loved the sound. Began playing more and more for relaxation which soon turned to bliss. Next thing I knew, I had closed my film production company, bought a rack of synthesizer gear, and concentrated on composing. No formal training, other than a UCLA Extension class in Harmonic Analysis. Some tell me I should count my blessings, but I'm not so sure and read everything I can. Taruskin, Schoenberg, Rameau, Fux, Forsyth, Piston, Korsakov, Bernstein and Wynton Marsalis in their Harvard lectures are my teachers—that and listening to all styles and genres.

Principal Compositions: The Dragon In Love, suite of Dances for Orchestra and Chorus for dance – Shiva In Flagrante, dance for jazz orchestra – Aha!, dance for 2p4h and 2 celli – A Mother’s Tears, dance for 2p4h and 2 celli – The Peano Propositions, rhapsody for solo piano – Fortuna Imperatrix, dance for 2p4h and 2 celli – Farewell My Love, dance for solo piano adaptation of Bach’s Chaconne, Partita No. 2 for solo Violin – Colorless green ideas sleep furiously for solo piano – The Maker, dance for jazz orchestra.

Dance Commissions: Fortuna Imperatrix, variations on songs from the Carmina Burana for 2p4h and 2 celli for ballet. Aha!, variations on Pawel Syzmanski’s Dwie Etiudy na Forte Pian for 2p4h and 2 celli for ballet. A Mother’s Tears, variations on Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater for 2p4h and 2 celli. Mains du Diable, 2P4H, premiere 2006 Zipper Hall, Los Angeles.

Scores: http://www.issuu.com/jacquesbailhepublishing, http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/jacquesbailhe. Transcription of Pawel Syzmanski’s Dwie Etiudy na fortepian published by Chester Music, London.

Awards in Music: De la Creatividad al Piano, Colorless green ideas sleep furiously for solo piano.

Professional Memberships – Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). AFTRA and AFofM signatory. American Composers Forum. Awards and Honors in Film – EFFY, CLIO, IBA, BONNIE, IAAPA Best in the World, FILMEX, USIA Cine Golden Eagle, Austin Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, New York International Film Festival, Robert Flaherty Foundation, Zaragosa International Film Festival (Spain), FOCUS, among others.

Awards

De la Creatividad al Piano, Colorless green ideas sleep furiously for solo piano