by Deanna Byck
Grand Baton
an Afro-Caribbean, progressive rock and jazz fusion band is now famous as the band playing iconic rock and roll songs reinvented to live up to the primal force that is
Lisa Fischer’s voice.
Like all great bands, it did not simply arrive. Rather, Grand Baton was first created by JC Maillard in France and the French Caribbean where he collaborated with various artists. The name originates from the Creole nickname M’Butu, meaning “stick” that Maillard was given by Toure Kunda, a Senegalese band he played with years before. Grand Baton is aptly named as Maillard is the stick, the baton, that conducts this band.
Just after releasing his second album, Le Grand Baton (Big Stick), Maillard moved to New York and a new evolution of Grand Baton was created — performing in clubs in New York with Thierry Arpino on drums. Maillard and Arpino go back many years. They were friends in their 20’s, and they have a history of collaborating from when they played together in Paris.
Maillard and Aidan Carroll met in 2010 when they played together for Chiwoniso, a famous Zimbabwe singer. When Maillard heard Carroll play he realized, “Aidan was a bass player that really understood this music, and that was what Grand Baton really was about. The band needed musicians; ones who have minds that understand rock and roll music in addition to jazz and African-Caribbean grooves, and he had that understanding.” Maillard kept Carroll in the back of his mind, and when Grand Baton started collaboration on the Lisa Fischer project, Maillard called him.
Members
JC Maillard grew up in Pointe-à-Pître, Guadeloupe and created Grand Baton in 2006. He released the album Le Grand Baton in 2007. Moving to the US in 2009, JC and Thierry Arpino began performing in clubs in NY with different line-ups and configurations over several years. He met Aidan Carroll, who understood African-Caribbean music, in 2010, but it wasn’t until 2013 that Grand Baton and Lisa Fischer joined forces to become the band that we know today.
Photo Credit: Kati Greaney Photography
At age eight, Aidan Carroll had a vision that he would play music for the rest of his life. He started playing drums in his father’s band when he was just ten years old. Originally Aidan studied percussion, but he eventually picked up and created a career out of playing bass. For Aidan the bass encapsulates all areas of music including rhythm, harmony and melody.
Photo Credits: Kati Greaney Photography & Deneka Peniston
Thierry Arpino has percussion in his blood. A fourth-generation drummer from Paris, France, Thierry has been playing the drums since he was three years old. He and JC Maillard have a history of collaborating and have been playing together since the late 1980’s, starting in Paris. Thierry joined Grand Baton in 2009 when the band was relocated to the US.
Photo Credit: Bibian Odhiambo
Lisa Fischer is a critically acclaimed singer and songwriter. Fischer was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom.
Shortly after the film premiered to wide acclaim, Fischer launched her solo tour with Grand Baton.
They have been mesmerizing audiences worldwide ever since.
To learn more about Lisa Fisher visit her website: lisafischermusic.com
When Grand Baton began collaborating with Lisa Fischer, “It was about jamming with these songs that she already knew.” According to Maillard, “ I took the SazBass in my hands, and the first song that we jammed on was the Led Zeppelin Immigrant Song. It came out naturally. I was inspired to play what first came to mind — I was not thinking at all. Lisa would sing the song and was not disturbed by these different sounds, and new flavors, or new arrangements on the spot. She would instantly find a very personal way to match these new flavors with her singing… That’s what is uncommon about her, she is incredibly interactive.”
Rock and Roll + Symphony = GRAND and with two BATONs no less
Maillard and Fischer recorded all of the new sounds and jam sessions. In the course of a week or two, they had rearranged and transformed songs from the repertoire of the Rolling Stones, Tina Turner and Sting.
They continued to record everything and did their homework – elaborating from the recordings and creating new arrangements for the collaboration that would become “Ms. Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton” that includes Maillard, Fischer, Arpino and Carroll. Just three weeks later, they played their first show together.
Since beginning their tour in 2014 The Ms. Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton Tour has performed in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Today, you can find them performing in diverse venues; intimate clubs, large outdoor concerts, jazz festivals and even with the Seattle Symphony.