François Bourassa Quartet marks 30 years with Montreal shows
The influential jazz band concludes a cross-Canada tour with three July performances at major city venues, celebrating three decades of innovation.
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The François Bourassa Quartet is marking 30 years of continuous creation with a cross-Canada tour that wraps up in Montreal with three concerts in July.
The band—featuring Bourassa on piano and compositions, André Leroux on saxophones and flute, Guy Boisvert on upright bass, and Guillaume Pilote on drums—has released eleven albums over its three-decade run. The group's hallmark is a sophisticated musical style that never repeats itself yet maintains what Bourassa describes as "continuous liveliness and complexity."
Bourassa frames his work through "exploration, harmony, and research," blending contemporary influences with traditional acoustic jazz. The National Arts Centre has recognized him as a "leading international representative of Canada's contemporary jazz scene."
The Montreal dates run July 1 at the Festival International du Jazz de Montréal, July 3 at Dièse Onze in the Plateau-Mont-Royal, and July 5 in a trio setting (with Pierre Tanguay and Jean Derome) at the Gésu downtown.
The quartet's 2023 album "Swirl" was warmly received by critics and audiences alike. Reviews noted its "sound journey of exploration," "thoughtful instrumental conversation," and full range of "suspense [and] theatrical and unexpected moves" that define the band's evolved approach.