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Simon Moullier

Award-winning vibraphonist, composer, arranger, and producer Simon Moullier has distinguished himself as one of the leading voices of his generation.

Mentored by Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Jimmy Heath at the Thelonious Monk Institute, as well as Darren Barrett at Berklee College of Music, Moullier has since collaborated with artists including Gerald Clayton, Terri-Lyne Carrington, Ben Wendel, Kendrick Scott and the SFJAZZ Collective.

Simon was voted Rising Star Vibraphonist of the Year in DownBeat’s 71st Annual Critics Poll, named 25 for the Future in DownBeat’s 90th Anniversary Issue, and selected as Up-and-Comer of the Year by the New York City Jazz Record.
In 2023, he was recognized for his work as an arranger on Terri Lyne Carrington’s GRAMMY® Award–winning New Standards Vol. 1, followed by a GRAMMY® nomination for his performance on her album We Insist 2025! and another GRAMMY® recognition for his participation in Laufey’s Bewitched in 2023.

His sixth album as a bandleader, CEIBA, will be released in April 2026

An active touring musician, Moullier has performed worldwide at many of the most respected jazz clubs and festivals, including the Village Vanguard, Blue Note Tokyo and Beijing, Jazz en Tête, Festival Radio France Montpellier, the Chiapas Marimba Festival (Mexico), International Jazz Day in Havana, Cuba, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

As an educator, he has given masterclasses around the world and has taught at institutions such as Berklee College of Music, the University of Southern California, The New School and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.


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5
Album Review

Bennie Wallace: French Postcard

Read "French Postcard" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


In 2001, saxophonist Bennie Wallace released a breakout album, Moodsville (Groove Note). It was Wallace in the quartet setting, with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums--an all-star cast. What was striking about the sound was its immediacy, its authenticity. It was a bunch of time-tested Great American Songbook tunes and jazz standards laid down with an insouciant grace and relaxed confidence. No bells and whistles, but rather an unpretentious trip into the tradition ...

7
Album Review

Ben Wendel: BaRcoDe

Read "BaRcoDe" reviewed by Neil Duggan


BaRcoDe marks the formation of a new ensemble and the debut album from tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel. An electroacoustic project for saxophone and mallets, it brings together a stellar cast of contemporary vibraphonists and percussionists in Joel Ross, Simon Moullier, Patricia Brennan and Juan Diego Villalobos. A two-time Grammy nominee and co-founder of Kneebody, Wendel has performed and recorded with artists as varied as Bill Frisell, Tigran Hamasyan and Prince, accumulating numerous awards along the way. The ensemble ...

2
Album Review

Simon Moullier: Elements of Light

Read "Elements of Light" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Nel quinto disco da leader, il vibrafonista francese--da tempo residente negli Stati Uniti--torna a proporre molte sue composizioni, come aveva fatto in Spirit Song, il debutto del 2020. Per l'occasione Simon Moullier sostituisce anche l'organico, confermando solo Jongkuk Kim, l'emergente batterista coreano che lo segue dall'album d'esordio. Il nuovo quartetto comprende il talentuoso giovane pianista Lex Korten (allievo di Benny Green e visto di recente con Tyshawn Sorey, Jaleel Shaw, Melissa Aldana) e il bassista Rick Rosato, (già ...

5
Live Review

Simon Moullier at Takoma Station Tavern

Read "Simon Moullier at Takoma Station Tavern" reviewed by Robert Bellafiore


Simon Moullier Takoma Station Tavern Washington, DC October 5, 2024 Vibraphonist Simon Moullier was honest with his uncertainty about what was about to happen: “I met these musicians for the first time two hours ago." But the audience at Takoma Station witnessing his Washington, DC debut had nothing to worry about. The challenge, and the thrill, of performing with strangers--pianist Janelle Gill, bassist Obasi Akoto, and drummer Lenny Robinson--made for two outstanding sets of standards ...

Album Review

Simon Moullier Trio: Inception

Read "Inception" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Il giovane vibrafonista vincitore dell'ultimo Critics Poll di Down Beat nella categoria rising star, torna al trio e agli standard con cui aveva pubblicato nel 2021 Countdown. Ritroviamo quindi Luca Alemanno al contrabbasso e Jongkuk Kim alla batteria che avevano lasciato spazio al quartetto di Isla dove Simon Moullier presentava molte sue composizioni. Inutile ribadire che il trentenne francese -con studi al Berklee College of Music e oggi residente a Brooklyn-è l'astro nascente del vibrafono, tanto quanto lo ...

3
Album Review

Karl-Henrik Ousbäck: Confluence

Read "Confluence" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


Drummers do not always get the respect they deserve and yet, in a jazz context, their contributions are an integral part in the overall success of the music. Aside from genre leaders such as Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, and Art Blakey, relatively few drummer-led sessions have entered into the upper echelon of recorded jazz history. However, those who cast a wider net will probably remember that drummers Art Taylor, Bill English, Grady Tate, Joe Chambers, and Roy Brooks ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

Simon Moullier: The Enchantment of Brittany

Read "Simon Moullier: The Enchantment of Brittany" reviewed by David Bixler


Vibraphonist Simon Moullier's new recording Isla reflects the raw landscape of the islands off the coast of Brittany that shaped him in his youth. In this episode of LINER NOTES Simon talks about his journey from France to New York as well as his transformation from drummer to vibraphonist. This episode features music from Simon Moullier's Isla (Self Produced, 2023). ...

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1

Contest

7 Virtual Jazz Club's Contest 2019 Edition: Winners Announced!

7 Virtual Jazz Club's Contest 2019 Edition: Winners Announced!

Source: Valerio Pappi

The 7 Virtual Jazz Club is proud to announce the winners of the 2019 edition of the contest. Pros & Amateurs’ Category The jury prize for the best musician (€ 2,000 plus a live concert in the Jazz Club Ferrara- Italy) has been assigned to the French vibraphonist Simon Moullier which presented the song “Thriller- Workin Day & Night". Second Prize: French band Abraham Rèunion for “No Danger". Third Prize: Swedish Tolvan Big Band for “Effortlessly". Under 25 ...

“Best vibes player I’ve heard...” - Quincy Jones

“His music is fresh. Never heard anyone play vibes like that before.” - Herbie Hancock

“Simon Moullier is the unchallenged new star of jazz vibraphone […] The playing is out of this world...”  - Brian Morton, DownBeat

Eric Zabala
vibraphone

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

BaRcoDe

Edition Records
2026

buy

French Postcard

BackCountry Jazz
2025

buy

Elements of Light

Candid Records
2024

buy

Isla

Self Produced
2023

buy

Confluence

Fresh Sound Records
2023

buy

Inception

Fresh Sound Records
2023

buy

Videos

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