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Jazzfest 2026
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Important:
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 model of constant evolution, he continues to seek out new challenges for himself, his colleagues, and his growing community of listeners. After releasing his first solo piano album, L'Impact du silence, in 2021, Bourassa and his Quartet returned with a new live album, Swirl, released on July 7, 2023.
His eponymous quartet has been a staple of Montreal’s artistic landscape since the early 1980s. The band features founding bassist Guy Boisvert, longtime saxophonist André Leroux, and Guillaume Pilote, the most recent addition in Bourassa’s mentorship of young drummers. Initially formed as a trio, the group won the Montreal Jazz Festival’s New Talent prize in 1985, kickstarting a touring career throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States.
In 1998, the trio joined forces with André Leroux, a saxophonist and flutist equally at home with contemporary saxophone quartet music as he is as a featured soloist in jazz orchestras. Their 2001 Live album, recorded at Toronto’s Top O’ The Senator, received a Juno Award. This was followed by 2002’s Indefinite Time, which featured the quartet augmented by percussionist Aboulayé Koné.
Bourassa’s influences are vast and varied. His 2017 album, Number 9, is a subtle namecheck to the Beatles’ psychedelic oeuvre, while also saluting guiding influences such as Carla Bley and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Born in Montreal in 1959, Bourassa was initially captivated by the electric guitar and the blues-rock of Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix. Progressive rock served as the catalyst for his return to the piano at age 17; through the gateway of Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, he eventually worked his way back through the jazz tradition.
After completing a degree in composition at McGill University, Bourassa pursued a Master’s at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Fred Hersch and George Russell. Today, he is a member of the faculty at both McGill University and Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM), where he teaches jazz piano and supervises small ensembles. Joining François for this performance will be Guy Boisvert on upright bass, André Leroux on saxophones and flute, and Guillaume Pilote on drums.
Return to JazzFest 2026
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 model of constant evolution, he continues to seek out new challenges for himself, his colleagues, and his growing community of listeners. After releasing his first solo piano album, L'Impact du silence, in 2021, Bourassa and his Quartet returned with a new live album, Swirl, released on July 7, 2023.
His eponymous quartet has been a staple of Montreal’s artistic landscape since the early 1980s. The band features founding bassist Guy Boisvert, longtime saxophonist André Leroux, and Guillaume Pilote, the most recent addition in Bourassa’s mentorship of young drummers. Initially formed as a trio, the group won the Montreal Jazz Festival’s New Talent prize in 1985, kickstarting a touring career throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States.
In 1998, the trio joined forces with André Leroux, a saxophonist and flutist equally at home with contemporary saxophone quartet music as he is as a featured soloist in jazz orchestras. Their 2001 Live album, recorded at Toronto’s Top O’ The Senator, received a Juno Award. This was followed by 2002’s Indefinite Time, which featured the quartet augmented by percussionist Aboulayé Koné.
Bourassa’s influences are vast and varied. His 2017 album, Number 9, is a subtle namecheck to the Beatles’ psychedelic oeuvre, while also saluting guiding influences such as Carla Bley and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Born in Montreal in 1959, Bourassa was initially captivated by the electric guitar and the blues-rock of Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix. Progressive rock served as the catalyst for his return to the piano at age 17; through the gateway of Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, he eventually worked his way back through the jazz tradition.
After completing a degree in composition at McGill University, Bourassa pursued a Master’s at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Fred Hersch and George Russell. Today, he is a member of the faculty at both McGill University and Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM), where he teaches jazz piano and supervises small ensembles. Joining François for this performance will be Guy Boisvert on upright bass, André Leroux on saxophones and flute, and Guillaume Pilote on drums.
Return to JazzFest 2026