Saxophonist | Composer | Educator
Alain Métrailler is a saxophonist, composer and educator born and raised in Chalais, Switzerland. Based in Brooklyn since 2019, Alain is carving his path through the incredibly fertile New York music scene by performing as a bandleader and a sideman.
On his own, Alain leads a trio and a quartet featuring some of the most creative musicians of the New York scene. His latest project, Hommage to Leo Devanthery, was composed toward the end of 2020 and performed at Seeds Brooklyn with his quartet. This brand new repertoire inspired by the music of Swiss singer/songwriter Leo Devanthery, born and raised in Alain’s hometown, sees him embracing his roots and merging them with his most recent American influences.
Alain’s musical activities also include recurrent collaborations with hip hop artists and producers such as the talented singer/songwriter Jennifair, whom he toured North America with. In 2021, Alain Metrailler recorded for hip hop artists and producers Alex Smith and Chris Marcel whose album will be released in March 2022.
So far, Alain’s had the chance to study and play with numerous icons of the international jazz scene such as Reggie Workman, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Ohad Talmor, Ed Neumeister, Mark Turner, Jacob Sacks, Chris Cheek, Jen Shyu, Adam Nussbaum, Vinnie Sperrazza, Matt Pavolka and many others.
Alain Métrailler obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Saxophone in 2015 and a Master of Fine Arts in Saxophone and Music Pedagogy in 2017 at Music Conservatory of Lausanne, with Professor Pierre-Stéphane Meugé. In 2018, Alain won the Langnau Jazz Nights Award, awarded by legendary drummer Adam Nussbaum. This award earned him to study with renowned saxophonist and composer Mr. Mark Turner at the Musik-Akademie Basel. In 2018, Alain studied composition in Mr. Talmor's class at Geneva Conservatory (AMR). In 2019, Alain obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Performance from the New School of Jazz and Performing Arts in New York City.
Being the fifth and youngest of a classically trained music family, Alain naturally followed the path of his siblings, led and inspired by his father Richard, percussionist, conductor, educator and composer. Despite a strong classical European musical environment, Alain picked up the saxophone at 6 years old with a strong will to improvise.
Twenty years later, he emancipated himself from his musical heritage by moving to New York in 2019, in order to further nurture his own musical language and to broaden his scope as a creative artist. Alain’s step into a total deference and consecration to music and to the development of his own creative language as an improviser and a composer was largely facilitated and encouraged by internationally acclaimed saxophonist, composer and educator Ohad Talmor who mentored him since their first encounter in 2016.
From 2009 until 2018, Alain cut his teeth as a performer with the funk band Imperial Tabasco by performing more than 100 live concerts all over Switzerland, sharing the scene with many internationally acclaimed artists like French hip hop band IAM or international hip hop act A State of Mind (ASM).
In 2018, Alain Métrailler performed Philip Glass’ concerto for violin and orchestra as guest soloist with the renowned OVA Symphonic Orchestra in Switzerland. In 2016, he joined The Handcart, a French backing band working with many international reggae stars such as Harrison Stafford and Pablo Moses. With them, he toured all over France performing notably in Paris at Radio France and at the famous New Morning and recorded Raspigaous’ last album Nouvel’R.
In 2017, Alain Métrailler founded the electro-acoustic itinerant artistic concept Tzali alongside his two brothers trombonist Vincent Métrailler and percussionist Didier Métrailler, with whom he created and performed Tzali Traces de Son (2017), Tzali op. 2 (2018), Resonnances (2019) and Tzali op.3 (2020).
In 2019, Alain collaborated with two-time Grammy nominated trumpeter Dave Douglas for the world premiere of his composition Parabels. He was later invited by M. Douglas to perform at Front Yard Fest 2021 alongside legendary saxophonist Joe Lovano.