Christine Tassan

Christine Tassan is a singer, jazz and gypsy jazz guitarist, songwriter, director and producer  of French origin, she has lived in Montreal since 1994. 
== Biography ==
=== The Early Days ===
Born in Paris, Christine began playing classical guitar at the age of 11. She studied for 5 years with guitarist Claude Puyalte. She began to compose and perform her own songs on stage at the age of 15. Her influences were artists such as Barbara, Anne Sylvestre, Georges Brassens, and Jacques Brel. Interested in improvisation, she took jazz guitar lessons with guitarist Didier Large. 
In 1988, she joined INSA of Lyon, an engineering school, in the Music-Studies program. In-parallel, she took singing lessons with Pascale Reynaud.
In 1992, she left for Quebec for a year to participate in an exchange program at McGill University's electrical engineering department. She decided to take an introductory course in conducting at the faculty of music, and began performing in Montreal. 
Returning in France in 1993, she completed a DEA (Diploma of Applied Studies) of the DEA ATIAM (Acoustics, Signal Processing, Computer Science Applied to Music) at the IRCAM of Paris, all the while performing in Paris. She emigrated to Montreal in 1994, and while working as an engineer, she continued to perform, either solo or as a duo with bassist Roger Coderre, and sometimes as a trio with a drummer. Additionally, she accompanied and collaborated with many artists, including Pierrot Fournier, Clotilde Seille and Charles Papasoff. She enrolled in the Festival international de la Chanson de Granby in 1996, was a finalist and won the Prix Coup de coeur des Francofolies. This award allowed her to perform at the summer festival of 1997. 
She became very passionate with gypsy jazz music of composers like Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. She began performing as a duo, then founded the Quintette Jazz Gitan, which was programmed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival|Festival International de jazz de Montréal in 2003. She also created the group Gadjo Swing. 
=== Christine Tassan et les Imposteures ===
In 2003, she founded the Christine Tassan et les Imposteures, an all-female gypsy jazz band. The ensemble has performed in more than 600 festivals and shows across Quebec, Canada, Europe (France, Belgium, Germany), the United States, and China. The ensemble recorded has six albums: De bon matin (2007), Pas manouche, c'est louche (2009), C'est l'heure de l'apéro (2012), Entre Félix et Django (2016), Django and Friends (2017) and Django Belles (2018). 
In 2006, she created Les Productions des Imposteures. She collaborated with concert agent Claudette Hélène Morin from 2008 to 2012, then with the Agence d'artistes et de concerts Danielle Lefebvre since 2012. 
=== Christine Tassan Quintette ===
In 2019, Christine recorded the album «Voyage intérieur» as a quintet. The album was released in September 2020.
=== Collaborations ===
Christine collaborates with many musicians, either as a guitarist in very varied styles (jazz, tango, folk, pop), a sound engineer in her studio or as a music producer. 
In 2005, she recorded the music of Ann Arson’s film «Tous les autres sauf moi» in her recording studio with composer and pianist Ghislaine Bétie-Dubuc. 
She produced, in 2012, the children’s song album «Appris-Voix-Sons» written and composed by singer Sylvie Bouchard. She recorded and played all the instruments of the album. 
In 2013, she replaced one of the guitarists of the Quebec gypsy jazz group The Lost Fingers and toured with them in Nouméa (New Caledonia) and in France. 
That same year, the Polish singer Paul Kunigis asked her to join his group, and she was part of his tours in Quebec, France and Switzerland. 
Since 2009, she plays with the singer of Argentinian origin, Gabriela Moulouhi, and her ensemble Canto Tango. She is also the guitarist for jazz accordionist Martin Bellemare with whom she recorded and produced the album «Appellation Musette Nouveau» in 2017. 
In 2017, she produced the album «Entre nous» by pianist and composer Suzanne Paquette, an album of classical compositions. She also recorded and produced the album «Affaire de décor» by the singer Isabelle Larrivée. 
== Discography ==
== Nominations and Awards ==
Year 	Award 	Awarding organisation
202143rd Félix Awards	Nomination - "Jazz album of the year" for "Voyage intérieur" - Christine Tassan Quintette 	Gala de l'ADISQ
2021 	Nomination- "Jazz album of the year" for "Voyage intérieur" - Christine Tassan Quintette 	 GAMIQ
2018 	Nomination - «Show of the year» for «Entre Félix et Django» - Christine Tassan et les Imposteures 	Prix Opus
2017 	Prizewinner- «Jazz album of the year» for «Entre Félix et Django» - Christine Tassan et les Imposteures 	Prix Opus
2013 	Nomination - «Jazz album of the year» for «C’est l’heure de l’apéro» - Christine Tassan et les Imposteures 	Prix Opus
2010 	Nomination - «Album of the year – Jazz creation» for «Pas manouche, c’est louche» - Christine Tassan et les Imposteures	 Gala de l'ADISQ
1996 	Contest finalist 
Prizewinner - «Coup de Coeur des Francofolies de Montréal» Award 	Festival International de la chanson de Granby 
1995 	1st prize 	Les Deux Pierrots Contest
Category:Canadian women guitarists
Category:Canadian women record producers
Category:Canadian jazz guitarists
Category:French women guitarists