The French Canadian EMIE R ROUSSEL TRIO will be touring Australia from the 10th – 13th December 2015, featuring pianist Emie Rioux Roussel, bassist Nicolas Bédard and drummer Dominic Cloutier, who will be performing debut concerts for Australian audiences in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Founded in 2010 the trio is rapidly building a commanding presence on the Canada jazz scene. They won People’s Choice Award at the 2013 Festi Jazz International de Rimouski and received special mention at the 34th Montreal international Jazz Festival by the jury of the TD Grand Jazz.

This creative and dynamic trio skillfully blends influences from both European and North American jazz. Pianist Emie Rioux-Roussel was named Révélation Radio-Canada Jazz 2014-2015. Her compositions are performed with passion and sensitivity by these three talented musicians whose chemistry and authenticity never fail to charm audiences.

2014 has been a fulfilling year for the trio with the release of their third album as well as concerts in Canada, Australia, New-Zealand and Europe. For their Australian tour the trio are proud to present their latest show, Quantum.

In physics, a Quantum is the smallest indivisible unit. It also provides a perfect illustration of the trio: an ensemble composed of three individuals, with similarities as well as differences, joining together to create a unique and indivisible core. The pieces are like atoms, simple individual elements uniting and combining with each other to form a whole, a complete experience. Drawing more than ever upon the creativity and cohesion of all three members, this very personal opus is marked both by the group’s singular acoustic sound and a more pronounced “groove” colour. In this environment of sharing and exchange, Quantum was born, where the search for sounds and textures links their beginnings to their present.

Tour Dates

  • Bennett’s Lane, Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival – Wednesday  10th December
    Tickets and more info
  • Old Museum, Bowen Hills, Brisbane – Saturday 13th December
    supported by Sean Foran, Rafael Karlen and Sam Vincent
    Tickets and more info

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Emie Rioux-Roussel  (Piano, composition)

Originally from the South Shore of Montreal (Quebec, Canada) and adopted resident of Rimouski, Emie Rioux-Roussel discovered the fascinating world of music through her parents, themselves musicians. She began studying classical piano at the age of 5 and continued lessons until she was 13. After a complete two-year break, she decided to follow her instincts and her love of improvisation to begin studying jazz with her father, jazz pianist Martin Roussel. He would be her mentor until she started studies at Cégep de St-Laurent College under the guidance of Lorraine Desmarais. She completed her diploma in jazz piano interpretation and was awarded the college’s “Very High Distinction” grant. In 2008, Emie made her entrance at Université de Montréal in jazz piano interpretation with Luc Beaugrand and completed her bachelor’s degree in May 2011. Since then, she is engaged as a teacher and accompanist for the Jazz-Pop program at Cégep de Rimouski College in Rimouski, Quebec.

Emie has been fortunate to share the stage with several renowned Canadian musicians, such as Terry Clarke, Mike Gauthier, Éric Lagacé, Dave Watts and Norman Lachapelle. She also played with saxophonist Yannick Rieu and singer Elizabeth Shepherd during a show at the 35th Montreal Jazz Fest, recorded by Radio-Canada and broadcast on Ici Musique radio. On the pop scene, she has accompanied artists such as Bruno Pelletier, Carolanne D’Astous Paquet, Marc Angers and Stéphanie Bédard. In 2010, she founded the Emie R Roussel Trio recording her first album that same year, entitled Temps Inégal. The trio’s second album, TRANSIT, was released In 2013 featuring Nicolas Bédard on bass, Dominic Cloutier on drums, the St-Germain String Quartet, and percussionist Julie Quimper. Since its release in June 2013, TRANSIT has earned many positive reviews and was awarded 3rd place in the top 5 jazz albums of the year by sortiesJAZZnights.com. During her participation in the TD Grand Jazz Award at Montreal Jazz Fest, the trio received a Special Mention from the jury, which, the following year, led to opening for American singer Stacey Kent at Théâtre Maisonneuve in Place des Arts. The ensemble also won the public’s Coup de coeur prize in 2013 at Festi Jazz international de Rimouski. In May, 2014, Emie R Roussel was named Radio-Canada Jazz Revelation of 2014-15. The coming year promises to be especially busy with the release of a third album and concerts in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

Nicolas Bédard (bass)

Nicolas began his musical education in his hometown, Quebec city and moved to Montreal in 2004 to study at McGill University with some of Canada’s greatest jazz musicians including Fraser Hollins, Jan Jarczyck and Rémi Bolduc. Following completion of his Masters Degree Nicolas has spent the last ten years as active member of the music scene in Montreal, performing in many jazz projects Rafael Zaldivar Trio, Chicago Goes West and Emie R Roussel trio as well as in Latin and funk bands such as Trio Bruxo and GroveAttic. He plays both electric and acoustic bass and has performed in North America, Europe and Brazil. Since 2013, Nicolas Bédard has been teaching jazz bass in Cégep de Rimouski College.

Dominic Cloutier (drums)

Dominic started playing drums at the age of 10 and performed with several bands during his high school years. He decided to study music at College in a full-¬time music program with Richard Dallaire and Marc Bonneau. After that, his thirst for knowledge brought him to the jazz interpretation program at Montreal University where he had the chance to study with the great Paul Brochu. Upon completion of his B.A. in jazz interpretation, Dominic moved to New York City to study at the “Drummer’s Collective” with Kim Plainfield, Marko Djordjevic, and Nathaniel Townsley. Returning to Montreal in 2009, Dominic started to perform with some major artists in the Quebec pop music scene such as Dan Bigras and Jean-¬Pierre Ferland, among others. He has also been engaged by music directors as a session musician for recordings as well as touring, television shows and much more. Jazz music and a flow of creativity have always been in his heart and the Emie R. Roussel trio is for him a wonderful platform for expression.

 

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