User:Chungquanh

Manu Domergue

Manu DOMERGUE, also known as Manudo, is a singer, mellophone player and storyteller born in France on May 24th, 1985

Biography

Son of sculptor Jean-Paul Domergue and poet Monique Domergue, and the youngest of four musician siblings, Manu Domergue started his musical studies early, at the Valence Conservatory, learning classical French horn with Yves Stocker. At the age of thirteen, he applied to Jazz Action Valence, got his musical training diploma the following year, and then earned two diplomas in both classical and jazz French horn (unusual for this style) and two certificates: jazz piano and classical singing. His discovery of the sound of singer-trumpeter Chet Baker and his encounter with the trombonist Francesco Castellani encouraged Manu to practice his voice as an instrument, and to approach the instrument like a voice. He then moved to California to widen his vocal jazz knowledge with educator Roger Letson. When he returned to his homeland, he brought back with him a rare musical instrument from the US, the marching French horn, also known as the mellophone. He has been exploring the instrument’s possibilities in jazz and other types of music ever since. In 2009, he was accepted to the Jazz Department of the National Superior Conservatory of Paris headed by Riccardo Del Fra. Over the following years, he developed Raven, a jazz quartet exploring the theme of the blackbird’s myths and symbols, through two albums and a hundred concerts around the world. Manu’s research into tales would lead him to meet numerous storytellers and make new partnerships within the Renewing of Storytelling’s scene (Abbi Patrix, Pepito Mateo,…). His concerns about ecological issues also led him to found, with Raven’s members, the Slow Tour concept, a way of touring with minimal carbon emissions. This critically acclaimed project named “Opération Modestine” took place in the summer of 2016 on the famous Stevenson Trail, traveling on foot with donkeys, and all the equipment and instruments for the tour’s events and concerts. A regular instrumentalist at the Cité de la Musique in Paris and teacher at the Didier Lockwood Music Center since 2015, he holds a keen interest for education and became a partner of Voicingers on Tour, directed by vocalist Grzegorz Karnas, then organized the French edition of the festival in 2019.

Manu has been involved in a large number of collaborations with musicians such as : Riccardo Del Fra, Thierry Eliez, Carine Bonnefoy, Mônica Passos, Roy Hargrove, Samy Decoster, Magma. He has also worked with the Franco-Malian group Lanaya and the pop band B R OAD WAY among others.

Prizes

• 2006 : 1^st Prize and Soloist Prize at FNEIJMA’s competition (with Sir Oswald)

• 2006 : Fulbright Scholarship

• 2007 : Winner of the Vocal Jazz Festival in Reno, Nevada (with Vocal Flight)

• 2008 : DownBeat Magazine Award (with Vocal Flight)

• 2013 : 1st Prize and Audience Favorite Award at Crest Jazz Vocal (with Raven)

• 2015 : “Indispensable” Mention in Jazz News magazine (with Raven)

Discography

• 2005 : with Robin Nicaise, Lumière
• 2007 : with Vocal Flight, Make the Move
• 2013 : with The Road to you, The Road to You (Lilananda)
• 2013 : with Loïs Le Van Sextet, The Other Side (Hevhetia)

• 2018 : with the large ensemble of Carine Bonnefoy, Today is Tomorrow (MusicBoxPublishing)

Featuring

• 2005 : with Mes Anjes Noires, Le phare des allumés (Label Folie)
• 2009 : with Laurent Montagne, Mes pas (Quasi Indestructible)
• 2010 : with B R OAD WAY, Days of Reckoning (6AM)
• 2013 : with Laurent Montagne, A quoi jouons nous ? (Quasi Indestructible)
• 2015 : with Les Yeux de Berthe, Feuilles et Nuages (E.P.M.)
• 2016 : with Samy Thiebault, Symphonic Tales (Gaya Music)
• 2019 : with Louise Thiolon, N’obéir qu’à la terre

• 2019 : with Govrache, Des murmures (Inouïe Distribution)

Musical Creation For Storytelling

• 2017 : with Jacques Combe, Pour la vie
• 2020 : with Rachid Bouali, Braslavie Bye bye (Cie La Langue Pendue)

References

http://www.ravenmusic.fr/