the legendary jazz funk group of Alain Mion

CORTEX, founded by outstanding jazz pianist, composer, singer, bandleader, arranger, Alain Mion, has become a major cult group for the ‘’jazz funk addicts’’ worldwide and many are the US stars of hip-hop who have sampled the compositions by Alain.

In 2022, for his first USA tour, Cortex was acclaimed at his first show in the NYC Williamsburg Music Hall by an American audience aged 18 to 40:
“It was a wall to wall sold out show, the audience knew all their songs, the whole tour was a triumph.”

DIGGIN’ IN THE CRATES OCTOBER 11, 2022:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cortex-troupeau-bleu-tyler-creator-madlib-1234584701/

How Cortex’s ‘Troupeau Bleu’ Became Hip-Hop’s Favorite French Jazz Album
Tyler the Creator, Rick Ross, and Madlib are all fans of the psychedelic 1975 LP. Now, decades later, the group is ready to take its rightful place as a key influence

Cortex Story: « the most sampled French artist in history »

1974, Alain Mion gathers around him, five of the most talented young French jazz musicians of the time: Alain Gandolfi on drums, Jean Grevet on bass, Alain Labib on alto sax and Mireille Dalbray on vocal.

July 1975, Cortex records in 2 days in Paris, the legendary album TROUPEAU BLEU which will become a world jazz funk reference with psychedelic lyrics.

1975 to 1981, Cortex toured in France, Belgium, Switzerland, performing on national TV and radio programs, recording 3 other albums and 2 singles :Volume 2, Pourquoi, I Heard a Sigh ( Inédits 79), Les Oiseaux Morts, Californie/Caribou

In 1981 The band dissolved and Alain Mion began a new career under his name, playing and recording from USA to China, from Sweden to Moroco, Poland, Belgium, Swiss, UK, Italy etc.

2009 – 2021 in the US, in France and in Japan, the titles written by Alain Mion for Cortex are sampled more and more by the international stars of Rap and Hip-Hop.

More than 170 samples of songs by Alain listed on whosampled.com.

Solicited, by his fans and professionals, Alain decides to reform Cortex the legendary original band of Troupeau Bleu and performs successfully in France and Europe (New
Morning, Petit Journal Montparnasse, Paris, Alhambra Geneva, London Jazz Cafe, Great British R&B Festival, Monaco, Milan …) before America in 2022.

* Alain Mion’s short biography:

He was born in Casablanca in 1947 and raised in Paris. Very young, he discovers the jazz music. At 19 he performed with his own trio at famous Blue Note and then at various festivals gigging with Hank Mobley, Philly Joe Jones or Hal Singer.
Alain’s discography with Cortex or under his name, includes more than 60 records, re-issues and compilations internationally distributed on French, European, Japanese, English and US labels.
His most notable albums under his name: Pheno Men, Alain Mion in New York, Some Soul Food.

More on Cortex & Alain Mion :
A Conversation With Alain Mion of French Jazz-Fusion Legends Cortex: https://www.passionweiss.com/2022/10/17/cortex-interview-alain-mion/

Videos from the original album Troupeau Bleu :

Huit Octobre 1971:

Chanson d’un Jour d’Hiver:

Mary & Jeff: