The Fondation des Etats-Unis is pleased to announce the first concert of the 2016/2017 cultural season. The Daniel Gassin Trio is a newly-formed trio that has been playing together over the past two years, since Daniel Gassin moved from Australia to France. This September, they are playing a 5-gig tour in Sweden (6-10 September) – join us for the preview!
The Program
Wildflower (Wayne Shorter)
Release (Daniel Gassin)
Freefall (Daniel Gassin)
Moon and Sand (Alec Wilder/Morty Palitz)
Ten-derly (Daniel Gassin)
August 19 (Daniel Gassin)
Andantino (Aram Khachaturian – arr. Daniel Gassin)
Footprints (Wayne Shorter – arr. Daniel Gassin)
So Tender (Keith Jarrett)
Crossover (Daniel Gassin)
Daniel Gassin is an Australian-born pianist of French-American descent, currently living in Paris. Daniel Gassin has played at countless competitions and jazz festivals around the world, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Dubai International Jazz Festival and the Queenstown Interntational Jazz Festival. In 2008, he was selected to participate in the Jazz & Creative Music Workshop in Banff, Canada, headed by acclaimed U.S. trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas. In the same year, the Daniel Gassin Trio released its second album Crossover, which was recorded by Mal Stanley for his national radio program ABC Jazztrack. In 2013, Daniel reached the final of the National Jazz Awards, and was awarded Third Prize and in 2016, he was nominated for the prestigious Freedman Fellowship. In addition to performing and touring extensively with many of Australia’s (and now France’s) finest jazz musicians, Daniel has also performed with U.S. jazz greats Dave Liebman, George Garzone, John Riley and Bob Sheppard. See his full bio here.
Fabricio Nicolas was born in Caracas, Venezuela, but he has been in Paris since the age of 6. His Franco-Colombian heritage exposed him to a diverse array of musical influences, from Latin America to Europe, Africa and the United States. He began playing music at the age of 9 and after becoming increasingly interested in jazz, he joined the ARPEJ Conservatorium in Paris, where he met numerous top French players. From this moment on, he began performing at the major Parisian clubs such as the New Morning, Sunside and Duc des Lombards. At the age of 19, he chose the double bass and began study at the Cery Pontoise Conservatorium under François Méchali. At the same time, he also studied composition and arrangement. After his graduation, he was selected to join the prestigious CNSM de Paris, where he was able to play with international greats such as Dave Liebman, Miguel Zenon, Tony Malaby, Enrico Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, Billy Hart, and many others. Today, Fabricio performs extensively in Paris, France, and Europe with a variety of projects, and with some of France’s best known musicians.
Damien Françon began his career playing rock, prog rock and funk. He played with the songwriter Nilco, with whom he recorded an album and won the SACEM Prize at the Charles Trenet festival as well as performing extensively at festivals. He also recorded and toured with the rock band Mrs Wrong and the Fabulous Fake Twins. After discovering jazz and improvised music, he enrolled at the Conservatory of Perpignan under Serge Lazarevitch, where he obtained a DEM in drums. He obtained a DEM in Jazz in 2012 at the Versailles Conservatory under Sylvain Beuf where he studied composition and arrangement in jazz. Damien is very active on the Parisian jazz scene, and currently performs/has performed with: The Basement Quartet, Pascal Mabit Trio, Sylvain Beuf, Robby Marshall, Carlos Mejias, Damian Nueva, Richard Metairon, Thomas Beuf, Rémi Bouyssière, Pierre Maury Quartet, Gustave Reichert, Simon Chivallon, Maurizio Congiu, Simon Martineau, Phillipe Baden Powel, Gaël Horellou, Zacharie Abraham, and many others. Damien teaches at the Bill Evans Piano Academy in Paris.