As an international quartet rising above the rest, FLOATING, formed by saxophonist Émile Parisien, is celebrating the release of an album that takes listeners on a dream-filled journey into the heart of uncharted lands.

To say that soprano saxophonist Émile Parisien has earned his stripes of national pride seems a bit of an understatement, given his twenty-year career punctuated by remarkable collaborations. Listing them all would be like plotting out a map of a jazz which is both welcoming and demanding, open to adventure and sounds from across the world. The multi-award winner is doubling down on this approach with FLOATING, a new project which was painstakingly put together during two years in residence at the Théâtre de la Cité Internationale. Through FLOATING, Émile Parisien has surrounded himself with three exceptional musicians: Yaron Herman, an Israeli pianist in Paris who bobs between jazz, rock, electro, and classical; Linda May Han Oh, a Malaysian-born, New York-based bassist who performs with the quartet Pat Metheny while also pursuing her own projects; and Prabhu Edouard, an emblematic figure of Indian percussion in France who has collaborated with musicians as varied as Jordi Savall and Jeff Mills and whose tablas give FLOATING’s work an unrivalled voice and hypnotic softness. The quartet’s spiritual and mesmerising music is ready to be discovered on stage, ahead of the highly anticipated album release coming in September.

Opening act: Melissa Aldana and Levi Harvey Trio - Talents Adami Jazz

As a quartet formed (almost) exclusively for Jazz à la Villette, this meeting between saxophonist Melissa Aldana and the trio of pianist Levi Harvey is full of promise.

If jazz is the music of the unexpected, of meetings and new discoveries, then a festival dedicated purely to it is the perfect playground for all sorts of novel experiences and revelations. Of these, the creation coming out of Talents Adami Jazz is one we await with bated breath each year. Since 2019, it has organised an annual meeting between a young French group and an internationally acclaimed artist, with a view to giving three concerts at major festivals, including Jazz à la Villette. This year, Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana – a worthy successor to Wayne Shorter, managed by Blue Note Records – has joined forces with the young trio formed by pianist Levi Harvey, with bassist Cyril Drapé and drummer Pierre-Eden Guilbaud. Their acoustic repertoire oscillates between iconic classics and pieces penned by Melissa Aldana, straddling the intersection between modern and tradition.