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Meeco
Meeco is a French/German pianist, producer and composer based in Berlin, Germany as well as in Paris, France. He is also an active DJ and photographer. Meeco has recorded with jazz greats (such as Benny Golson, Gregory Porter, Ron Carter, John Scofield, Hubert Laws, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Kirk Whalum, Richard Bona, Casey Benjamin, Mary Stallings, Freddy Cole, Kevin Mahogany, Bennie Maupin, James Moody, Eddie Henderson, Shedrick Mitchell, David “Fathead” Newman, Eric Reed, Vincent Herring, Victor Lewis, Stefon Harris, Lionel Loueke, Cedar Walton, Charlie Mariano, David Friedman), hip hop and soul legends (such as Talib Kweli, Masta Ace, Smif n Wessun, Lil Fame of M.O.P., Yahzarah, Jean Baylor, DJ Stylewarz), along with big names of the latin and pop genre (such as Joe Bataan, Jane Birkin, Jaques Morelenbaum and Romero Lubambo).
He released four albums: “Amargo Mel” (2009), “Perfume e Caricias” (2010) and "Beauty of the night" (2012) - on German label Connector as well as on US label Spectra Jazz. (“Perfume e Caricias”) - and "Souvenirs of love" (on Double Moon Records). He also contributed music for the major German motion picture “Soloalbum” written by Benjamin Stuckrad-Barre and directed by Gregor Schnitzler.
His new single ODE TO THE EAST COAST is scheduled to be released on May 22, 2020 and will be followed by Meeco's fifth album in September 2020. On his new album, Meeco will be featuring some very special guests, including Lil Fame of M.O.P., Masta Ace, Smif n' Wessun, Big Shug amongst many others, showing respect to classic 90ies hip hop.
All of his releases received international acclaim and were reviewed by numerous international jazz magazines such as JAZZTHING, JAZZTHETIK, JAZZ ZEITUNG, JAZZPODIUM, JAZZ MAGAZINE, ALL ABOUT JAZZ and many others. German magazine "STEREO" selected "Beauty of the night" to be CD OF THE MONTH as well as AUDIOPHILE HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH.
Meeco’s music is first and foremost an emotional thing, for while at the piano, Meeco lets his feelings flow in order to create the soundtrack that corresponds with the pictures of his mind. His music has been described as "impressionistic", "romantic", "intimate" as well as "fragile and introspective".
As a young child, Meeco was heavily influenced by his father who played classical piano and his mother, a poet and artist, thereby making it completely natural to follow their footsteps. Beginning piano lessons at 6 years old, and after several years of studying classical music, Meeco, sought other musical outlets. It was after a friend introduced vintage Ella Fitzgerald, Horace Silver and McCoy Tyner recordings, that he became enamored with black American music.
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Meeco: Keeping It Real
![Read "Meeco: Keeping It Real" reviewed by Chris May](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/a_small/da2c3e15207336c7f0ac29b52371ee91.jpg)
by Chris May
The Berlin-based producer and composer Meeco has a niche but devoted following, built up over a series of romantically inclined and elegant albums released between 2009 and 2014. The discs, which have pronounced Latin flavours, are Amargo Mel (Connector, 2009), Perfume E Caricias (Connector, 2010), Beauty Of The Night (Connector, 2012) and Souvenirs Of Love (Double Moon, 2014). Each has been enthusiastically reviewed at All About Jazz. The good news, Meeco reveals in this interview, is that the series is ...
read moreMeeco: Souvenirs of Love
![Read "Souvenirs of Love" reviewed by Edward Blanco](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/meeco_souvenirsoflove_db.jpg)
by Edward Blanco
Pianist, composer and producer Meeco alias Michael Maier delivers his fourth album with Souvenirs of Love offering a collection of love songs that tell my life" story as the artist states, through a range of R & B, intimate jazz ballads and a touch of the hip-hop influence provided in a tasteful elegant platform. Not a conservative musician by any stretch, Meeco is used to doing things big, out of the norm and striking a new approach. On this venture, ...
read moreMeeco: Souvenirs Of Love
![Read "Souvenirs Of Love" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/meeco_souvenirsoflove_db.jpg)
by Dan Bilawsky
Meeco doesn't skimp on star power when he puts a record together. The personnel listings from his previous projects--Amargo Mel (Connector Records, 2009), Perfume E Caricias (Connector Records, 2010), and Beauty Of The Night (Connector Records, 2012)--read like the invite list for the NEA Jazz Masters Awards Ceremony: Jazz elders--bassists Ron Carter and Buster Williams, flautist Hubert Laws, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, saxophonist Benny Golson, and pianist Kenny Barron, to name a few--joined in at one time or another, and younger ...
read moreMeeco: Beauty of the Night
![Read "Beauty of the Night" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/2010/meeco_beautyofthenight_cm.jpg)
by Dan Bilawsky
While danger, intrigue and excitement are often born beneath a silvery moon, love, loss and regret seem to come first to Meeco's mind when his thoughts turn to the night. The Paris-based composer/producer gathered what can only be described as a dream team of jazz's crème de la crème to help him bring life to eight of his sensitive compositions on this, his third album. The concept behind Meeco's music, which deals in whispering, pensive Euro-Brazilian sounds, ...
read moreMeeco: Meeco: Beauty of the Night
![Read "Meeco: Beauty of the Night" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/2010/meeco_beautyofthenight_cm.jpg)
by Raul d'Gama Rose
Extraordinary songwriter/producer Meeco's Beauty Of The Night comes with a hidden cautionary note which is not visible or audible until the first strains of the music is heard. It is an elementally sad album and a box of Kleenex may be de rigueur. However, this is not to say that the album is not beautiful. After all, in immense sadness there is beauty as well. Meeco should know this. He is smitten with things Brazilian--the incredible vocalist, Eloisia, for one. ...
read moreMeeco: Beauty of the Night
![Read "Beauty of the Night" reviewed by Edward Blanco](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/2010/meeco_beautyofthenight_cm.jpg)
by Edward Blanco
Paris-based composer/producer Michael Christian Maier, alias Meeco, has never truly delivered a standard jazz album, preferring instead to craft musical projects that are creative, innovative and different from the rest, described as neither classical nor jazz" (Jaques Morelenbaum). A follow-up to Perfume e Caricias (Connector, 2010), Beauty of the Night is Meeco's third disc and his most impressive project to date, certainly qualifying as a non-standard recording.This enchanting recording captures romantic melodies and beautiful love songs on a ...
read moreMeeco: Beauty of the Night
![Read "Meeco: Beauty of the Night" reviewed by Chris May](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/2010/meeco_beautyofthenight_cm.jpg)
by Chris May
Anyone unfamiliar with Paris-based composer/producer Meeco and his gorgeous, sophisticated jazz can get approximate bearings from two other artists. One is Antônio Carlos Jobim, partly for the influence of bossa nova on Meeco's writing, partly for the heart-on-sleeve romanticism his songwriting shares with Jobim. The second is Astrud Gilberto, who is suggested by the Brazilian vocalist Eloisia, Meeco's regular collaborator. That said, Meeco is more jazz centered than either of those bossa stylists. Beauty of the Night ...
read more(Latin Jazz Network)
“Transboundary, musicality and sensitivity”
(All About Jazz)
These are just but a few of the accolades describing the talents of the German-born, producer/composer and citizen of Paris, France - “Meeco” aka Michael Maier