Frédéric Gassita - My Experience (2015)

Additionals musiciens :

Acoustic nylon guitar : Alessandro Penezzi
Alto Sax : Baptiste Herbin
Drums : Patrick Goraguer
Electric bass : Guy N’sangué
Flute : Charlotte Bletton
Fluguelhorn : Michel Feugère
Horns & Winds Section :
- Alto Sax : Frédéric Couderc
- Tenor & Baritone Sax : Thomas Savy
- Trumpet : Michel Feugère - Nicolas Giraud
- Trombone : Didier Havet - Julien Chirol
French Horns section : Jean jacques Justaffré - David Defiez, Romain Fleury, Jérémie Dumbrill
String Orchestra : Les Solistes Français and London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Rouger

Tracklist:
01. Frédéric Gassita - Message of Love (feat. Sokey & Giana Viscardi) (6:13)
02. Frédéric Gassita - Elegant Lady (6:07)
03. Frédéric Gassita - Mbalancé (feat. Sokey) (7:13)
04. Frédéric Gassita - Making Me Feel Good (5:05)
05. Frédéric Gassita - Kina Olâmi (6:09)
06. Frédéric Gassita - Sparkles of Love (feat. Melina Ondjani) (5:55)
07. Frédéric Gassita - Boston State of Mind (5:33)
08. Frédéric Gassita - Remember You and Me (6:47)
09. Frédéric Gassita - My Country, My Joy (6:32)
10. Frédéric Gassita - Jasmine (feat. Giana Viscardi) (6:30)
11. Frédéric Gassita - From Libreville to Rio (feat. the London Symphony Orchestra) (6:39)

Artist Bio
Modal close icon
The interest of Fred for orchestrations started at the Berklee College in Boston, where he studied music production, sound engeneering and Jazz Performance for four years. He gets graduated in classical music in France, and, when he arrived in Boston, the classical orchestra of the Berklee College impressed him : "I’ve attended all the rehearsals of the symphonic Institute orchestra, remembers Frederic. I didn’t missed a session ! So I bought a lot of books to understand how all this works.”
Ravel and Debussy, but Chick Corea or Herbie Hancock - he met this legendary musician when he was a student in Boston – are Frédéric Gassita’s main influences. But for his musical work, the musician brings its own history, its African roots and rhythms. Today, it’s time to try to make a balance of the career he started in the early 80's. He quites medicine studies to start his international career. The result of “Frederic Gassita With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” pushes him to start the double CD "Symphonic Visions From Gabon", a tribute to Africa and in his native country, Gabon, telling an amazing musical story, made of meetings, travels, but also a kind of musical and personal introspection.
“Each theme has a story, says the musician, but to realise this kind of album requires a lot of pragmatism : those albums seem to be original soundtracks, my own lifetime soundtrack. I told my childhood in Gabon, my travels around the world and more important, the people I had the chance to meet.” He met Ali Bongo Ondimba, the co-composer, in a party : “We spoke for a moment then we started a four hands jam, as all the musicians are used to do ! Fred says. And we played together until the next morning...” From this day, the fellowship between the two men has gone to such an extent that Ali Bongo Ondimba played an important role in all Fred’s albums and especially these two double CDs ; he even came to the recording sessions in London with the LSO. Thus, each theme is worked with four hands before being orchestrated by Fred.

The challenge was different for Paul Rouger, the conductor : “I’m very proud to get involved on this project, exclaims the conductor. Mixing those unknown rhythms with strange melodies and classical arrangements was a real challenge. However, working with Fred and the bands was a real pleasure.”
“The albums have been recorded in London's legendary Air Studio, says Pascal Bomy, the sound engineer and executive producer. We needed the sound paste that can only be provided by studios like Abbey Road and Air. We choose the Air Lyndhurst Hall, given our recording setup.” The amazing sound of this albums illuminates Fred’s music : it gives a new dimension to the pianist virtuoso playing manner, and to the featurings of the guests musicians : Bireli Lagrene, André Ceccarelli, Baptiste Herbin or Sylvain Luc. But the more important, this music highlights the original musician and composer vision which is running through this definitive original project, a moving tribute to his native country, Gabon.

A man of many talents
Frédéric Gassita is the owner of “AF.J PRODUCTIONS”, a production company. He produces various local artists including J'TU, KRASH LE GRAV K, KREES’T or ALDA...
Frédéric is also the chairman of a First Division football club in Gabon and he has been the league’s top scorer two years ago.