Mino Cinelu

Mino Cinelu
Cinelu performing with Miles Davis, Palais des congrès de Paris, 1983
Background information
Origin	Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine France
Genres	Jazz, blues, Afro-pop, jazz fusion, rock and roll
Occupations	Musician Composer Producer
Instruments	Drums, percussion. flute
Labels	Blue Thumb
Associated acts	Miles Davis, Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius
Website	Mino Cinelu.com

Mino Cinelu (born 1957) is a French musician. He plays multiple instruments. He is a composer, programmer and producer; and is most often associated primarily for his work as a jazz percussionist.

Biography

Cinelu was born in Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine. He was involved with music from childhood (his father and two brothers were musicians) and started spending time and playing in various concert halls (such as the Chapelle des Lombards) in the suburbs of Paris. He became interested in various styles of music such as jazz, rock, salsa and even in more esoteric varieties like Egyptian chants and Romani music. He would later expand his repertoire to include fado, flamenco, African music, Japanese music, and Slavic music.^[1]

The first instrument that Cinelu took to was the bongo drums, which led him to decide to try and live from his music. He often played the bongos in the streets where he first experimented with improvisation. At the end of the 1970s he became more and more interested in the French jazz fusion scene where he made many connections with other musicians and members of the music industry. At varying times he worked with Jef Gilson, Chute Libre, and Moravagine. Shortly thereafter he began playing with artists such as Bernard Lavilliers, Colette Magny, Gong, and Toto Bissainthe.

In 1979 he moved to New York. After a difficult start he met several musicians living in and around the city such as George Benson, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Barron, and Cassandra Wilson. He continued to learn new instruments in different contexts; for example he played the bass in a gospel choir and earned some money by giving drum lessons. In the beginning of the 1980s he met Miles Davis while playing in a soul band at the New York club Mikkel's. Miles offered him a job as percussionist in his group, playing alongside the group's drummer Al Foster. After a month of rehearsals, Cinelu went on tour with Miles Davis' band.

His stint with Miles Davis led to more recognition; during a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, Joe Zawinul contacted him to join Weather Report as percussionist, which he accepted. During this period he began composing music, with the help of WR members Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul.

Cinelu also played with Michel Portal after Michel saw him play at the Théâtre du Châtelet with Miles Davis.

Starting in the 1990s Cinelu began working on a solo career. His first solo album self-titled Mino Cinelu was released in 2000. He followed it up with Quest Journey in 2002 and La californie in 2006.

Discography

With Gong

• Gazeuse! (1976)

With Miles Davis

• We Want Miles (1982)
• Decoy (1984)
• Star People (1986)

With Weather Report

• Sportin' Life (1985, Columbia Records)
• This is This! (1986, Columbia Records)

Solo career

• World Trio (1995)
  • With Kevin Eubanks and Dave Holland
• Mino Cinelu (2000)
  • With Moun Madinina
• Quest Journey (2002)
• California (2006)

With other artists

• Michel Portal - Turbulence, 1987
• Sting - ...Nothing Like the Sun, 1987
• Kenny Barron/Mino Cinelu - Swamp Sally, 1995
• Layo & Bushwacka!/Mino Cinelu - Feels Closer, 2006
• Serge Forté - Thanks for All, Ella Productions 2004
• Anna Maria Jopek - Farat, 2003

References

1. ^ Souvenirs d'un homme de mains, article take from Jazz Magazine, September 2007. A portion of the biography is sourced from an article in Jazz Magazine.

External links

• Mino Cinelu's website
• Quest Journey Review of the Album 'Quest Journey'

Persondata
Name	Cinelu, Mino
Alternative names
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Date of birth	1957
Place of birth
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