Patricia Dallio

by Craig HarrisA member of French avant-garde rock band, Art Zoyd, since 1981, Patricia Dallio has explored a diverse range of music on her own. Her seven solo albums, since 1992, have continued to become increasingly complex. Material for her 1999 album, Que Personne Ne Bouge, was composed for, what Dallio calls, "non-existent choreographies", and recorded solely by keyboards, samplers and computer programming. Dallio initially attracted attention, in July 1979, when she and her then-boyfriend, guitarist Alain Eckert unsuccessfully auditioned for British band, National Health. Although she impressed the group with her imaginative playing, her commitment to the acoustic piano conflicted with the band's desire to play electric music. Accepting an invitation to join Art Zoyd, Dallio made the transition to electric piano and joined gerard Hourbette (viola, violin, keyboards, samplers), Thierry Zaboytzeff (cello, bass guitar, keyboards, percussion, samplers, vocals), Jean-Pierre Soarez (trumpet, percussion), Didier Pietton (soprano saxophone, flute), Andre Mergenthaler (cello, alto saxophone, vocals), Daniel Denis (percussion, keyboards, samplers) and Thierry Willems (keyboards) to create an innovative synthesis of rock, free jazz and contemporary classical music.