Chassol

Chassol is the stage name of French pianist, composer and arranger Christophe Chassol. Born in 1976, he enters music academy at the age of 4 and studies there for 16 years. He later receives a grant from Boston’s Berklee College of Music and graduates in 2002.

Music and composition

Chassol develops a composition method he calls “ultrascoring”, built around original film footage from his travels. He uses material gathered in places including New Orleans, India, Martinique, Paris and Tokyo as the basis for musical sequences. These works combine piano, keyboards, percussion and vocal and instrumental arrangements, linking the images, sounds and colours of the footage. His music is described through a range that reaches from pop music and film to contemporary art, and his work is associated with jazz and experimental music.

Career and collaborations

For 15 years after graduating, he composes for cinema, television and advertising. He then performs regularly with French pop acts including Phoenix and Sébastien Tellier. He also works with Frank Ocean and Solange on their albums. In contemporary art, he collaborates with Sophie Calle, Laurie Anderson and Xavier Veilhan.

Art projects

At the Venice Biennale in July 2017, Chassol works with Xavier Veilhan on a piece titled Cuba in Cohen, created for the occasion. The work is later exhibited at Montréal’s Musée d’Art Contemporain.