Earlier this week we learned that French multi-instrumentalist Teddy Lasry had passed away. We are deeply saddened by this news. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.
Born in Paris, Teddy Lasry was a member of the experimental French progressive rock band Magma. Together they developed the genre of Zeuhl (= heavenly music), including the artificial language of Kobaïan for the lyrics.
Lasry recorded the very successful albums “Magma”, “2” (originally “1001 Centigrades”) and “Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh” with Magma. “Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh” was the band’s commercial breakthrough: they had a contract with Vertigo, Giorgio Gomelsky, the Rolling Stones’ first manager, produced the album “MDK” with Virgin co-founder Simon Heyworth (also Gong, Mike Oldfield, etc.); the world was open to the musicians. But Teddy Lasry left the band before they went back into the studio for “Köhntarkösz” in 1974.
The multi-instrumentalist (flute, other wind instruments, keyboards, percussion) pursued a solo career, signed a recording contract with RCA in Paris and released the highly acclaimed album “e=mc²” in 1976.
Many other works followed; musically, Lasry was not limited to one genre, and toward the end of his career he released albums of jazz and klezmer music.