Home » Jazz Musicians » Francois Bourassa
Francois Bourassa
François Bourassa—now with eleven albums of original music under his belt—has become an ambassador for Canada’s thriving jazz community at an international level. A paragon of both consistency and evolution, he continues to seek out new challenges for himself, his colleagues, and his growing community of listeners. On July 7, 2023, he released « Swirl », a new live album by the François Bourassa Quartet recorded in 2022 at Studio Piccolo in Montreal (QC), and on April 16, 2021, Bourassa finally released his first solo piano album L’Impact du silence, recorded at La Buissonne in the southeast of France.
Bourassa’s talent was initially recognized by the Festival international de jazz de Montréal in 1985, kickstarting his trio’s recording and performing career throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In 1996, Bourassa’s trio joined forces with André Leroux, a saxophonist and flutist who is equally at home with a contemporary saxophone quartet as with a jazz orchestra as the featured soloist. Bourassa’s eponymous quartet has been a staple of Montreal’s artistic landscape for 30 years and celebrates this anniversary with a Canadian tour in June/July 2026 and a European tour in November 2026. The band features founding bassist Guy Boisvert, longtime saxophonist André Leroux, and Guillaume Pilote as the most recent addition in Bourassa’s mentorship of young drummers. Their 2001 Live album recorded at Toronto’s Top O’ the Senator received a Juno award. In celebration of his compositional output, Bourassa was also the recipient of SOCAN’s Hagood Hardy Award in 2011. Number 9 (2017) chronicles his discography while also providing a subtle namecheck to the Beatles’ psychedelic oeuvre “Revolution #9” and The White Album. One highlight of the album, “Carla und Karlheinz” salutes two more of Bourassa’s guiding influences: Carla Bley (to whom he paid tribute at the Festival international de jazz de Montréal with the Orchestre national de Jazz) and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Number 9 was heralded as one of the best Canadian jazz albums of 2017 (Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen) and praised by Bley herself and Steve Swallow as a “wondrous piece of work.” Over the past decades, the quartet has garnered multiple Félix and Opus awards for their recordings and live performances, respectively.
Alongside his quartet, Bourassa’s artistic projects included a trio with multi‑instrumentalist Jean Derome and percussionist Pierre Tanguay, both pillars of Quebec’s improvised music community; a collaboration with the prolific Myra Melford, artistic residencies in New York and Paris; and a growing list of orchestral commissions, chamber music works, and ballet scores. Other active collaborations include En Trois Couleurs with fellow pianist/composer Yves Léveillé and percussionist Marie‑Josée Simard for whom he also composed musical works for vibraphone, marimba, and symphony orchestra; the award-winning Re: Bill Evans with legendary bassist Michel Donato, saxophonist Frank Lozano, and Tanguay; various formations with tenor saxophonist Yannick Rieu, and a tribute to Dave Brubeck led by renowned saxophonist and educator Rémi Bolduc.
Read moreTags
Philippe Cote / Francois Bourassa: Confluence
by Dan McClenaghan
Confluence, on its surface, may come off as a minor work of art. It is the juxtaposition of just two instruments--saxophone and piano--braiding sounds together in what seems an improvisational mode. Francois Bourassa stays in the piano chair. Philippe Cote's seating arrangement shifts between tenor and soprano saxophones, piano and prepared piano. But the limitation of instrumentation in the hands of these Montreal-based artists contains mysterious depths--intricate swirls of silts appearing beneath the surface of crystalline water. Influences of modern ...
Continue ReadingFrancios Bourassa Quartet: Swirl: Live @ Piccolo
by Dan McClenaghan
Canadian jazz artist Francois Bourassa, a seasoned musician boasting eleven albums of his original music under his name, went into Studio Piccolo, Montreal in July of 2022 to record Swirl. He employs a quartet to realize his artistic vision here, a classic line-up of piano, bass, drums and a saxophonist who doubles on flute. The pianist proves himself here a writer of unorthodox beauty, crafting circuitous tunes full of intricate and unexpected twists and turns. The twelve-plus minute ...
Continue ReadingFrancois Bourassa: L'Impact du Silence
by Dan McClenaghan
Solo piano outings often serve as a baring of the artist's soul. Montreal-based pianist Francois Bourassa does just that on his tenth album, L'impact du Silence. Influenced by the piano artistry of Chick Corea, Brad Mehldau and Bill Evans, Bourassa has concentrated on small ensemble work—trios and quartets—on his previous recordings. Bringing his classical music influences into play, he transforms the blank canvas of silence into a work of introspection, notes chosen with a solemn deliberation which allows the open ...
Continue ReadingAlbum Review
Francois Bourassa Quartet: Number 9
by Neri Pollastri
Number 9 è il titolo del nono album a proprio nome del pianista e band leader di Montreal Francois Bourassa, alla testa del suo classico quartetto, ormai attivo da oltre diciotto anni, che lo vede a fianco del multistrumentista André Leroux, del contrabbassista Guy Boisvert e del batterista Greg Ritchie. La formazione propone un jazz moderno vario e spigliato, basato su composizioni originali di Bourassa tutte piuttosto lunghe—due sole di circa sei minuti, le altre oltre i nove—e ...
Continue ReadingFrancois Bourassa: Quid Pro Piano
by Robert J. Lewis
François Bourassa 2010 Festival International de Jazz de MontréalChapelle historique du Bon-PasteurMontreal, CanadaJune 30, 2010 When pianist/composer François Bourassa performed in the mid-1980s at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the sound he produced registered like a doubled-up fist of angry, aggressive music that, stylistically, recalled attack dog pugilist Roberto Duran, when he was at his bellicose best. And then, a chance encounter in 2008, with an up-and-coming local club singer, demonstrated ...
Continue ReadingFrancois Bourassa Quartet: Indefinite Time
by Mark F. Turner
The Francois Bourassa Quartet is not content to just play jazz straight; and thankfully for the listener, that's a good thing, as they present some forward-looking and contemplative music. The core members have performed together for over twenty years, and the ensemble is one of Canada's premier jazz groups, having thrilled audiences and impressed critics at events such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Led by pianist Francois Bourassa, the ensemble is rounded out by bassist Guy Boisvert, drummer Greg ...
Continue ReadingFrancois Bourassa Trio + Andre Leroux: Live
by AAJ Staff
Let me preface any commentary about this record by first saying this; it's hard. Hard as nails. Excuse the reviewer for indulgence in hype but I will venture to say this is one of the most intense jazz records these ears have heard in some time. It's that hot.
It all starts with the opening track “30 Octobre 85". If that sounds like the date a revolution went off, that's all well and good because there is definitely a minor ...
Continue ReadingFrancois Bourassa Quartet Releases "Number 9" on Effendi Records
Source:
Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
Featuring Francois Bourassa (piano, compositions), André Leroux (saxophones), Guy Boisvert (bass) & Greg Ritchie (drums) Available October 27 on Effendi Records (distributed worldwide by Naxos) Award-winning, critically-acclaimed pianist/composer Francois Bourassa’s new album—Number 9, his ninth album of all original music, dropping on October 27, 2017 on Effendi Records (distributed worldwide by Naxos), features his Quartet of longtime collaborators, saxophonist/clarinetist/flutist André Leroux, bassist Guy Boisvert and drummer Greg Ritchie. This elite squad of musicians, and their singular telepathy and esprit de ...
read more
Francois Bourassa Quartet Tours the States June 14-16
Source:
Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
"A pianist and composer of high stature in his native Montreal, Mr. Bourassa favors avant-gardism of a liquid and often lyrical sort. He has an established rapport with the saxophonist Andre Leroux" --The New York Times (Nate Chinen) “Elegant and concise compositions... full of rhythmic energy... generous lyricism... a true collaborative effort... Invites you to watch out for the next live performances of this excellent band" --Jazz Magazine (France, October 2008) 2007 Oscar Peterson Prize Recipient at Festival International de ...
read more
Award-Winning Canadian Pianist/Composer François Bourassa At The Jazz Gallery Nov. 9th
Source:
All About Jazz
Pianist/composer François Bourassa, leader of one of Canada’s most celebrated jazz ensembles for the past 22 years, will make a rare New York appearance performing in a trio with saxophonist André Leroux and bassist Miles Perkin on Wednesday, Nov. 9th at The Jazz Gallery. Bourassa’s music is distinguished by a pronounced European sensibility and approach to harmonics, improvisation and performance that links him stylistically closer to Paul Bley than to other Canadian jazz pianists with a more blues-oriented sound like ...
read more
Award-Winning Francois Bourassa Ensemble Announces NYC Showcase January 8 at Mercury Ballroom
Source:
All About Jazz
SOLO
''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
‘’Artfully restrained, thoughtful and sensitive…a virtuoso with an ethereal approach to his material… richly configured’’ – New York City Jazz Record
“I am compelled to write to let you know that both of us were moved by the music you and the quartet made. … Congratulations on a wondrous piece of work. … And, we should add, it’s thoroughly refreshing to hear music that forces players to stretch to the limit.” -Steve Swallow & Carla Bley
Photos
Music
Muted Song
From: ConfluenceBy Francois Bourassa
Costard
From: Swirl: Live @ PiccoloBy Francois Bourassa
KVQ
From: L'Impact du SilenceBy Francois Bourassa
Videos
Francois Bourassa
Location: Montreal
Instrument: Piano
Publicist: Orange Grove Publicity
