Philippe Massé is a recent arrival on the Montreal jazz scene, having studied with Frédéric Alarie and others at Université de Montréal. He formed his trio in 2023 with Sasha Desjardins on piano and Alexandre Massé on drums. His references include Avishai Cohen and Larry Grenadier, but also Dhafer Youssef, which betrays a strong interest in Eastern music, in this case Arabic. That’s why we also find the excellent Mohammed Masmoudi on oud on a few tracks on the album, Le Vent, the trio’s first.
You can sense these Middle Eastern melodic and harmonic inflections from the very first tracks, although they go further afield, towards more modern Western landscapes. Massé’s palette is attractive, both in terms of the discourse and the energy conveyed, with no showboating but with a drive that holds your attention. The collective groove is intuitive, organic and highly communicative.
Massé is a spontaneous and assertive improviser, capable of making his instrument resonate with a fair amount of power. This is an album to be applauded for its orientalist approach, which is rarely heard in today’s local jazz scene.
The album Le Vent will be available on all platforms Friday April 25
Philippa Massé Trio will launch Le Vent in concert on May 1 at Diese Onze Jazz Club
