Philippe Saisse 2026
Though the post pandemic mid-2020s era have presented great challenges for many musicians and artists, the past few years have also inspired great projects and dynamic collaborations. For Grammy nominated composer, keyboardist and producer Philippe Saisse, it’s been a particularly prolific period, with four #1 smooth jazz singles, work with legendary guitarist Nile Rodgers on a prominent Fender commercial and hit songs for Candy Dulfer and creating a global community organized music project with emerging musicians from around to world to raise money for the Sean Penn co-founded CORE, an organization supporting high risk populations impacted by COVID-19.
Saisse’s first single of 2025 is a lo-fi hip-hop jazz re-imagining of “Nougayork,” a #1 international hit he co-wrote with and for legendary French singer Claude Nougaro in the late 80s which revitalized the artist’s career and is to date the keyboardist’s most successful song ever – to the tune of 8.5M+ Spotify streams. The new track features trumpeter Marquis Hill, who was also featured on Saisse’s 2021 similarly vibing single “Shift,” which enjoyed heavy rotation on SiriusXM’s Watercolors and was chosen for two influential Spotify playlists, State of Jazz and 21st Century Jazz.
During the first half of 2023, Saisse scored a #1 Billboard hit as co-writer and producer (with Rodgers) of Dulfer’s “Convergency”; “Jammin’ Tonight,” a second Saisse-Rodgers track from her album We Never Stop is a single on the European charts. The keyboardist also reached the Top Ten as co-writer/producer of “Wrapped Up In Your Smile,” a single from Dave Koz’s most recent holiday album Christmas Ballads, which Saisse produced and arranged. Another track he wrote and produced is “All For One,” the new single by The Allen Carman Project. In addition, Saisse produced an Al Jarreau-Jasmine Roy vocal version of “Les Paraluies de Cherbourg,” title song from the 1964 French film of the same name, for Hier & Domain, a recently released 5-CD box set celebrating the legacy of the song’s composer Michel Legrand.
Also in 2023, Saisse released the uniquely titled “Flute Æterna,” a fascinating virtual time traveling production combining a 1990 NYC recording session featuring late greats, legendary jazz flutist Dave Valentin and guitarist Hiram Bullock, and a new L.A. based session featuring a fresh re-arrangement, redone piano parts and added marimba, vibes, horns, drums and bass and a live horn section that includes smooth jazz superstar trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonists Brandon Fields and David Mann. This followed on the heels of the keyboardist’s recent Top Ten single “Lost Words,” a vibrant multi-genre, lushly orchestrated track featuring Marc Antoine that finds him returning to his trademark global fusion vibe. The song’s title is a reference to its origin as a potential collaboration with the late Jarreau, whose book of lyrics was stolen from his hospital bed.
The four tracks of “Nougayork” released for streaming were mixed by Grammy winning R&B/hip-hop engineer John Kercy, who has worked with the likes of Giveon, Lucky Day, Chiild, Victoria Monét, Lil Wayne, Disclosure and Mali Music. The mastering was done by Colin Leonard, who recently won a Grammy for his work on Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter. Saisse’s son Dorian has created a stunning video for this vocal version featuring stunning cityscape animation, interspersed with gritty real life images of NYC and clips of Nougaro in the studio circa late 80s.
Saisse’s first single of 2021 was “The City That Never Sleeps,” which featured legendary bassist Marcus Miller and drummer Poogie Bell – both of whom Saisse played with in an NYC based trio in the early 90s. Both tracks will ultimately be included on Saisse’s upcoming solo album follow up to his 2009 album At World’s Edge, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. The track spent ten weeks on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart, peaking at #18; it also reached the Top Ten on the Mediabase and Smooth Jazz Network charts.
In 2020, Saisse’s single “Eva Kant Dance” hit #2 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart and spent five weeks at #1 on the Mediabase SmoothAC chart. He also hit the pole position on the Billboard chart as co-writer and co-producer arranger of Rick Braun’s “Crossroads” and Dave Koz’s “Side By Side” (a duet with David Sanborn); the Koz song spent five weeks at #1. Saisse is also the arranger/pianist on Euge Groove’s single “Sing My Song.”
The keyboardist also has two tracks in the 2022 film A Little White Lie, which stars Michael Shannon and Don Johnson, including “Waiting for Valentine,” from Saisse’s 2017 trio album On the Level. Continuing to expand his influence in world music, Saisse co-wrote and produced “Oyaya,” a song for five-time Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo, renowned as “Africa’s premier diva,” featuring guest Nile Rodgers.
Making the decision to be more creative in the studio than ever while confined at home during the pandemic, Saisse collaborated with Rodgers on “Inside the Box,” which Rodgers performed in a hugely popular commercial for Fender’s Acoustasonic Stratocaster guitar. The video of the commercial has 2M+ views on YouTube, and a behind the scenes discussion clip has over 440,000.
Saisse’s two successful stints as leader of The Philippe Saisse Trio - with acoustic bassist David Finck and drummer Skoota Warner, and later including Ortiz - began with their #1 single, a Fender Rhodes driven version of Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” from the BODY and SOUL sessions. The track spent six weeks at #1 on Radio & Records’ airplay chart (and 20 weeks in the Top Ten), was #1 for five weeks at Smoothjazz.com and was the #6 played track in the format for the years. Reconnecting in the mid-2010s, the trio scored five hits on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart, starting with “And So But Then,” which hit #8 and ranked as one of Billboard’s Top 20 Smooth Jazz Songs of the Year. The other hits from On the Level! Included “Blue Rondo” (#6), “Lucky Luke” (#10) and “Marienbad” (#20).
A recipient of the Medal of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French Government and Minister of Arts and Communication, the French born Saisse has also been a mainstay on Smooth Jazz radio these past few years working with other artists. He appeared on the late Jeff Golub’s “Swagster” (Five weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Smooth Jazz Songs chart), Rick Braun’s Top Ten hit “Can You Feel It” and Al Di Meola’s “La Lluvia,” which Saisse also penned; “La Lluvia hit the Top 20 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz National Airplay chart, the legendary guitarist’s first hit in that format. In addition, Saisse is featured on Marc Antoine’s latest #1 single “Why Not” and played on several other tracks from the guitarist’s 2016 album Laguna Beach.
In 2019, Saisse co-wrote, produced and played on “State of Mine,” a track from Rodgers and CHIC’s 2018 album It’s About Time. In November of that year, Saisse toured with Japanese jazz fusion ensemble T-Square in Japan; those concerts were filmed and recorded to create the DVD T-Square Live at the Tokyo Blue Notes featuring Philippe Saisse. Other recent and current projects include arranging two tracks for Donny Osmond’s next album and conducting the Royal Philharmonic at Abbey Road Studios in London for a Rolex commercial.
From 2009-2011, he toured Europe and Japan as part of the PSP trio with Simon Phillips and Pino Palladino, both of whom were featured on At World’s Edge. Saisse’s history with Phillips goes back to the early 80s, when both toured with guitar legend Al Di Meola; it was Saisse’s first-ever jazz gig. PSP released a Live in Tokyo album and a follow-up EP and will soon put out a Live in Zoetermeer DVD.
In 2024, Saisse toured the U.S. and Europe for six months as part of the reunion tour of Di Meola’s electric band with the classic lineup of Gumbi Ortiz, Elias Tona and Tom Brechtlein.
In 2024, Saisse composed the score for Sitting Still, an original documentary by filmmaker Gina M. Angelone focusing on Laurie Olin, one of the world's most preeminent urban designers and his profound social vision. Hailed as a modern-day Olmsted, he has helped transform the design of public space, revitalize the American city, and pave the way for future design leaders. His score features performances by the keyboardist’s longtime collaborators Rick Braun, David Mann and David Finck.
