Born in Aneho, Togo on 13. March 1976, Alain Apaloo started from childhood playing traditional drums in traditional ensembles in his home country in West Africa and at a very early age, singing choir in the Catholic Church. He had his first guitar lessons under the guidance of his priest at the age of 11. Wanting to follow in the priest’s footsteps, Apaloo joined the Catholic seminar for priests, the same year where he was introduced to music theory and choir conduction.
Back in Lomé, he was brought to the attention of legendary Togolese blues-rock singer Jimi Hope, who instantly recognised his talent and joined his band. Apaloo spent his late teens playing and touring with Hope, as well as setting out on his own first Afro-rock-fusion band, Azos Pipe’ and playing own original compositions, practiced jazz standards and further developed his bass play. In the late 1990´s Alain moved to Accra, Ghana, where he joined the Sakra band led by keyboard player Kwame Yeboah (Craig Davis Tour, Kat Stevens’s tour) played the guitar. During the same period Alain had a regular Jazz club gig playing standards, switching between guitar and bass together with player Charles. In 1996 Apaloo fell in with Ghana’s leading Afro-pop star, Kojo Antwi. While developing his skills on the Accra music scene, Alain toured extensively with Antwi throughout Europe and North America – a partnership that is on going as Alain continues to guest play in Kojo´s music ventures.
From Africa to Europe.
Alain’s ambition and curiosity to further explore his musical reach brought him in 1997 to Switzerland, where he began to collaborate with the Swiss jazz drummer Gabriel Schiltknecht on an afro-jazz project. In 1999 Alain moved to Denmark to study at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen to further develop his skills as guitar player and composer in all kinds of rhythmic music. He graduated in 2005.
Since his move to Copenhagen in 1999 Alain is performing at Copenhagen's most original and respected blues scene, Mojo’s Blues Bar. Countless gigs were given here. It is here and other music venues in Copenhagen that Alain cut his teeth on the blues scene, building up and strengthening his music by playing regularly his solo
repertoire, writing and composing for his own blues-funk project Mezzy Slide & the Crew, hosting the Thursday jams with the Mojo Blues jam band.
With his rhythmically and melodically different approach to music, his enthusiasm and dedication to his work, Alain soon found himself involved in collaboration with well known musicians like French jazz flutist Marianne Bitran, saxophone players Simon Spang-Hanssen and Jakob Dinesen, Kenn Lending, Dan Hammer, Bob Rockwell, Willi Jonson, Michael Puggaard, Jakob Dinesen,…. In 2006 he joined the Kenn Lending Blues Band, one of Denmark’s finest and most established blues bands.
In addition he performed at various blues and jazz festivals in Denmark (Tonder Blues Festival, Copenhagen Jazzfestival, Spot Festival, Skanderborg Festival, Folk Festival…) and in Sweden ( Åmol, Malmø Blues Connexion )
His continuously growing song repertoire in afro, jazz and blues, has led Alain to working on his own projects, not only as soloist but also with his band Mezzy Slide and the Crew (Afro-funk), his Blues trio APT3 and last but not least his Api Pipo big band, performing fine world music that is inspired by Alain’s African roots and jazz. Especially this project has been successful with two albums and was officially awarded in 2009 with the prize for Denmark’s best World Music Album, called “ Floodgate”, guest starring guitar player Kurt Rosenwinkel.
Already in 2007, he was nominated for Best Danish Blues Album for his Blues record “Flying Vision”.
He received international recognition in 2010, when he represented Denmark internationally in the world’s leading Blues competition, the International Blues Challenge, in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Alain continues to reside in Copenhagen where he concentrates on several ensemble projects and his solo work while fostering the talents of new Danish musicians. He is currently finishing his next Api Pipo album, to be released in February 2012.
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