Swiss born PATRICK MORAZ is the only musician in the world to have been an official member of “YES” and The “MOODY BLUES”, as well as “REFUGEE”.

 

In 2016, Patrick Moraz, at the request of UNESCO - USFUCA, was invited to take part in a worldwide charity project. He has contributed and performed a music piece and poem of his own composition, sung and spoken by Annie Haslam of the famous group, “Renaissance”. Along with over 300 artists, from over 30 countries, a major work of 45 different pieces was created under the name of Action Makes People United.

 

To date, Patrick Moraz has recorded hundreds of his own compositions as a soloist on piano and keyboards, and has worked with many extraordinary musicians from all over the world. In earlier years, having studied with Music Masters as diverse as Nadia Boulanger, John Lewis (MJQ) and Stephane Grappelli, Patrick won several awards at European Jazz Festivals, and was invited with his own quartet to open for the John Coltrane quartet.  

 

He then formed the group “Mainhorse” with Jean Ristori in 1968 and released a self-titled album on Polydor. Then, after a long tour of Japan and the Far-East as musical director of a Brazilian Ballet Company, he came back and moved to England in the early Seventies to form “Refugee” with Lee Jackson and Brian Davison, both previously of “The Nice”. They produced one album titled “Refugee” which to date is still revered as one of Prog-Rock's monumental works known for Moraz's highly inspired compositions and keyboard virtuosity.

Moraz rose to prominence in 1974 as a new member and keyboardist of “Yes”. He co-composed along with Yes's band members and played on the album “Relayer”, which led to what was to be Yes's most successful ever world tour, playing to crowds which numbered from 25,000 to 130,000 at JFK Stadium during the bi-centennial year of 1976. In 1975-1976 all of the then- members of Yes released solo albums. In the interim Moraz had moved to Brazil and composed the music for the “I” album aka “The Story of I” which incorporated 16 Brazilian percussionists, making it an important staple of “world music”. “ i ” was Moraz's first solo album and in 1976 it was voted the #1, “Best Keyboard Album of the Year” by “Keyboard Magazine”. Patrick was also voted “Best New Talent” that year.

 

After his departure from Yes, Patrick recorded his second album “Out In The Sun” on the “famous” Charisma Record Label, and moved officially to Brazil.

 

From late 1977 to early 1978, his 3rd solo album simply titled “Patrick Moraz” was composed and recorded in the company of the percussionists of Rio-de-Janeiro and Djalma Correa, who, several years later, were referred by Patrick to his friend Peter Gabriel for his Album “SO”.

Moving back to Europe via a concert at the famous “Montreux Jazz Festival” in Switzerland, Patrick was invited on two world tours with ”The Moody Blues” supporting the album “Octave", replacing their former keyboardist Mike Pinder. The two world tours, 1978 -1979 proved successful!

 

In 1980, having played and recorded on the album “Long Distance Voyager”, he was asked to become a member of The Moody Blues. Subsequently, in 1981, “Long Distance Voyager” reached #1 on the US charts and proved to be one of their highest grossing albums to date. He continued touring and recording with The Moody Blues until 1991. In total, Moraz played and recorded on 5 "The Moody Blues" albums including the highly successful “The Other Side of Life” and “Sur la Mer”.

 

During breaks with the “Moodies”, Patrick had continued to compose, play and record his solo albums “Future Memories 1”, “Future Memories II”, (both “Live on TV”), “Human Interface”, and “Timecode”. In 1979, he collaborated with the renowned Romanian panpipe flutist, Simeon Stanciu, (a.k.a. Syrinx), for their album “Coexistence”. From 1983 to 1985, Patrick Moraz and Bill Bruford, former member and drummer for Yes, decided to form the duet “Moraz-Bruford”. They recorded two albums, “Music For Piano and Drums” and “Flags” and managed to do three very successful worldwide tours.

 

In 1991 having been with The Moody Blues for thirteen years, Moraz embarked on a solo career. To date he has composed and played acoustic piano on three solo CD's, “Windows of Time”, “Resonance” and “ESP” all of which have been critically acclaimed and extremely well received.

Giving also Master-Classes and conferences at Universities and conventions, Patrick Moraz never stopped composing and developing new ideas and concepts. He also created and composed works for Symphony Orchestras in Europe, at the beginning of the 21st Century.

  

In 1995, Patrick Moraz performed throughout the USA on his "C.H.A.T." tour (Coming Home America Tour). The tour was unique in that it was the first to be booked entirely over the Internet. Moraz played solo on acoustic Grand Pianos to audiences that numbered as small as two people to hundreds of people, taking place in eclectic venues which ranged from single homes, to large estates, corporate headquarters, churches, theaters, concert halls and museums. One of the concerts was filmed and recorded for a DVD and CD in Princeton N.J. and is titled “P.M. in Princeton”. The "C.H.A.T." tour proved to be a huge success and an experience that Moraz says, “He will always hold very dear to his heart”.

 

In 2009 Moraz released “Change of Space”, and in 2011 he released the electronic keyboard CD “Moraz Live/Abbey Road” which features Patrick playing live electronic keyboards as well as an acoustic piano improvisation. Also in 2011, a piano-compilation CD titled “Pianissimoraz”, featuring a new and unreleased piece: The “one-&-only take” of the instant composition “Pure Love”.

 

So far he has released more than 20 solo albums, several live concert videos and more than 35 film-scores, including the “Grand-Prix du Jury” of the Cannes Film Festival, for “L’invitation”. 

 

Most recently Patrick Moraz and drummer Greg Alban have released their first album titled “MAP” in June 2015!

 

This year, in 2017, Patrick Moraz has played two solo-piano concerts on the “Cruise-to-the –Edge”  (CTTE) abord the ship “The Princess of the Sea”.

He had also performed 2 electronic concerts + one piano concerts aboard the “ Divina in 2014

 

On January 17-17, Patrick has performed 2 solo concerts at the “Iridium” Club in New-York City. He has also performed at the same “Iridium” Club on April 6th of 2017, one day before the induction of his former group “YES”, into the famous “Rock-&Roll Hall of Fame”!

 

And, last but not least, Patrick Moraz has officially announced the formation of the new trio “i NOW”, featuring Bunny Brunel on bass and Virgil Donati on drums. They are currently in the process of recording their first album together and they will play their first public performances during the Autumn of 2017.