Daniel Gassin

Daniel Gassin is an Australian pianist and composer of Franco-American descent based in Paris.

Before relocating to France in 2013, Daniel garnered both local and international acclaim in his hometown of Melbourne. He was a finalist in the Jazz Solo Piano Competition at the iconic Montreux Jazz Festival in 2007, reached the final three at the Australian National Jazz Awards in 2013, and was nominated for the prestigious Freedman Fellowship in 2016.

He recorded his second Trio album “Crossover” in 2008 for ABC Jazztrack, and in 2011 the Daniel Gassin Sextet's debut album was released to critical acclaim and widespread national airplay. The self-titled album was nominated for “Best Jazz Album” at the Independent Music (AIR) Awards, and the track “Banff Song” earned a nomination at the 2012 Jazz Bell Awards for “Best Australian Jazz Song of the Year.”

Since his move to France, Daniel has added an international dimension to his career, as well as becoming an integral part of the Paris jazz scene. In 2016 he became the first pianist to perform at Quincy Jones' new club in Dubaï - Q's - inaugurating the venue as part of UK drummer Ollie Howell's band and playing over 20 concerts there over five weeks. The same year, he completed a five-concert tour of Sweden with his Trio. In 2018 Daniel toured Burkina Faso, Angola, Mauritius and the Seychelles as part of US State Department tours conducted by its Africa Regional Services program.

In 2019, Daniel’s new Crossover Band recorded its debut EP, was selected to showcase at Jammin' Juan, performed at the Sibiu International Jazz Festival in Romania, and took up a monthly residency at the Caveau des Oubliettes in Paris.

Daniel appears in the first episode of Damien Chazelle’s recently-released Netflix series The Eddy.

Daniel is also an in-demand sideman in numerous projects including Grammy Award-winning trumpeter/guitarist Josiah Woodson's “Quintessential” (he also appears on the band's debut album released in 2017) and “JWP”, trumpeter Rachel Therrien's Quartet (appearing on her soon-to-be-released album “Vena”), and vocalist Alita Moses' European ensemble, with which he performed at the 2018 and 2019 World Minds annual symposia in Zürich and Belgrade respectively.

In addition to playing and touring extensively with many of Australia's – and now France's – finest jazz musicians, Daniel has also performed and recorded with U.S. greats Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Leroy Jones, Rick Margitza, John Riley and Bob Sheppard.

The Daniel Gassin Crossover Band will release its debut album ‘Change of Heart’ in April 2021 on the Jazz Family label.

Daniel Gassin is a Yamaha artist.

Awards

Finalist - 2019 - Sibiu International Jazz Festival Competition (2nd Prize) Nominee - 2016 Freedman Fellowship Finalist - 2013 National Jazz Awards (Australia) (3rd Prize) Nominee - 2012 Jazz Bell Awards - Best Australian Jazz Song of the Year ('Banff Song') Nominee - 2011 AIR Awards - Best Independent Jazz Album Finalist - 2007 Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition Winner - 2004 Banyule/La Trobe University Young Artist's Award

Gear

Daniel Gassin is a Yamaha endorsed artist and plays a Yamaha C5 grand piano. Other gear: Fender Rhodes Mk II, Nord Electro HP76