Philippe Saisse

Contemporary jazz keyboardist, composer, and producer Philippe Saisse was born in Marseilles and raised in Paris; the son of a staff producer at <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22CBS%22">CBS</a>/<a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sony+France%22">Sony France</a>, he studied piano, music theory, and composition at the Paris National Conservatory, winning Boston's Berklee College of Music's prestigious <a href="spotify:artist:4ZmNj7bRSU3YCtH0oaJSef">Paul Winter</a> Scholarship upon graduating in 1975. At Berklee, Saisse became the protégé of vibraphonist <a href="spotify:artist:4iovNkf44dsELmo3E7XSKX">Gary Burton</a>, leading to a tenure playing behind <a href="spotify:artist:37WGztoQRbNgo55GQCw75B">Narada Michael Walden</a>; he made his recorded debut on <a href="spotify:artist:3bBWKHfpepPOychRNFzg4q">Al Di Meola</a>'s 1979 effort Splendido Hotel, and in addition to jazz also expanded into pop session work with appearances on <a href="spotify:artist:0oSGxfWSnnOXhD2fKuz2Gy">David Bowie</a>'s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), <a href="spotify:artist:6mQfAAqZGBzIfrmlZCeaYT">Chaka Khan</a>'s I Feel for You, and <a href="spotify:artist:22bE4uQ6baNwSHPVcDxLCe">the Rolling Stones</a>' Dirty Work. Saisse also earned notice writing material for <a href="spotify:artist:3bBWKHfpepPOychRNFzg4q">Di Meola</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3YR92OLKlvkK5oKNekSqXe">Al Jarreau</a> (for whom he also co-produced the 1988 LP Heart's Horizon), and <a href="spotify:artist:7vNcTk9TgKF0qDsS87nWGE">David Sanborn</a>; he additionally served as the musical director on the <a href="spotify:artist:7vNcTk9TgKF0qDsS87nWGE">Sanborn</a>-hosted TV series Night Music.

In 1988 Saisse signed to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Windham+Hill%22">Windham Hill</a> for the release of his solo debut, Valerian. He then returned to studio work, appearing on albums by <a href="spotify:artist:0oSGxfWSnnOXhD2fKuz2Gy">Bowie</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3YR92OLKlvkK5oKNekSqXe">Jarreau</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:19y5MFBH7gohEdGwKM7QsP">Luther Vandross</a>, and others before returning with 1995's Masques. Next Voyage followed in 1997, and two years later he resurfaced with Halfway Till Dawn, which featured a guest appearance by <a href="spotify:artist:51qUDJb5AtQX6jIL4VJx6M">Angélique Kidjo</a>. Over the next decade, Saisse stayed busy appearing on albums by <a href="spotify:artist:0EpJxgZJDz8YV7MKsTr0Ls">Marc Antoine</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6v2VjBVPcGVbBqJrUWYiG1">Kirk Whalum</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0ZcJXldoq09BRIMl0Qh1Vm">Dave Koz</a>, and more. He also continued to release a handful of solo albums including 2005's Storyteller and 2009's Philippe Saisse, which featured contributions from <a href="spotify:artist:6v2VjBVPcGVbBqJrUWYiG1">Whalum</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0EpJxgZJDz8YV7MKsTr0Ls">Antoine</a>, as well as <a href="spotify:artist:12455ZzxS49FbAGWKeB9eB">Jeff Golub</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4ThkLup6LmqCUuHuG434zZ">Rick Braun</a>, and others. In 2017, he delivered the trio effort Blue Rondo. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi