Francois Bourassa: solo piano

François Bourassa—now with ten albums of original music under his belt—has become an ambassador for Canada’s thriving jazz community at an international level. A paragon of consistency and evolution, he continues to open new horizons for himself, his colleagues, and his growing community of listeners.

Bourassa’s talent was initially recognized by the Festival international de jazz de Montréal in 1985. Performing and recording with his quartet since the mid‑1990s, Bourassa has been a staple of Montreal’s artistic landscape and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

In addition to his work with his quartet, Bourassa’s artistic projects include the award‑winning albums Autour de Bill Evans and En Trois Couleurs, as well musical works composed for vibraphone, marimba, and symphony orchestra for Marie‑Josée Simard. He has also guested with Rémi Bolduc, Yannick Rieu, Tim Brady, and Montreal’s Orchestre National de Jazz.

‘His solo piano music is right on the line between composed and improvised; certain things must happen, yet there’s also room to experiment. Is Maurice Ravel dreaming of Paul Bley — or is it the other way around?

-Ethan Iverson

The pith of music is in the silences. People tend to overlook the importance of silence but, when used wisely, it can be moving and poetic. Silence has a powerful impact on listeners.

Oscillating between raucous and introspective, François Bourassa’s latest collection of piano pieces is a musical adventure that combines jazz, improvisation, lyricism, and abstraction with integrity and emotion as the central themes.

francoisbourassa.com

Release Date: Friday, April 9th 2021 on Effendi Records/Naxos Distribution