max allard

Max Allard is a banjoist, multi-instrumentalist and composer from Chicago. His musical influences span from bluegrass to electronic music. Max’s solo debut album, Odes / Codes was released in January 2022 and produced by Jayme Stone. He released his project March Maxness in 2023, which was 31 tracks written in 31 days of March 2021.

From January 2023 to January 2024, Max recorded three different albums belonging to a trilogy project by composer Jesse Jones. They feature Jesse on his own instruments, mandolinist Jacob Jolliff, contrabassist Craig Butterfield, pianist Xak Bjerken, composer Elizabeth Ogonek, and musical polymath Mark Stewart. The albums are comprised of compositions written by Jones, Butterfield, and Allard. The first album in the trilogy released under the name EZRA on March 1, 2024 with Adhyâropa Records.

Max is the winner of the 2018 RockyGrass Banjo Competition and the 2019 FreshGrass Banjo Award. Max was awarded the inaugural J.D. Crowe Scholarship from the IBMA Foundation. Max is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in composition at Oberlin Conservatory.

Find his full bio here.

"It’s a beast of an album…a testament to Max's versatility and musicianship."

—Rick Stuart
Roots & Fusion, UK

"The kind of overwhelming talent that doesn’t need a crew behind him to fill your ears with sound..."

—chris spector
midwest record