Souljazz Orchestra's Pierre Chrétien shares another Cinephonic soundscape

Pierre Chrétien's new sound library inspired Visions album by his Cinephonic project was recorded on reel-to-reel tape.

Here's the scoop...

Cinephonic's sophomore release "Visions" is a baroque funk tour-de-force - an intriguing concept album made up of ancient medieval and baroque themes, refracted through a modern prism of soul, jazz and psychedelia, all performed by a massive fourteen-piece ensemble, and meticulously captured to analogue reel-to-reel tape. 

Cinephonic was founded in 2018 by multi-instrumentalist composer Pierre Chrétien, as an outlet for the new cinematic tunes he had been quietly writing when he wasn't busy leading groups such as The Souljazz Orchestra, Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays. 

Drawing inspiration from classic film and library music, Cinephonic expands on the sound with elements of cinematic soul, psychedelic rock, and spiritual jazz, creating a rich, evocative, and complex soundscape that juxtaposes intricate compositions with dark funk backbeats - a kind of epic soundtrack for a film that never existed. 

Listen to a few tracks below. Get a copy of Cinephonic's Visions via Bandcamp right here. 

Note: vintage portable Fisher Price record player shown above not included. 

Personnel: 

Zakari Frantz - Flute 
  Petr Cancura - Tenor Sax 
  Ed Lister - Trumpet 
  Ajo Elias - Flugelhorn 
  Mark Ferguson - Trombone 
  Mike Schultz - Trombone 
  Keith Hartshorn-Walton - Tuba 
  Cendrine Despax - Violin 
  Jean Despax - Violin 
  Olivier Philippe-Auguste - Viola 
  Valérie Despax - Cello 
  Pierre Chrétien - Piano, Organ, Clavinet, Vibraphone, Guitar, Perc 
  Thibeaux Toussaint - Bass 
  Mike Essoudry - Drums 

All songs arranged and conducted by Pierre Chrétien. 
Produced by Jason Jaknunas and Pierre Chrétien. 
Engineered and mastered to Studer B67 2-track by Jason Jaknunas. 
Recorded at Metropolitan Studios. 
Cover photograph by Claudia Soraya. 
Design by Pierre Chrétien.

Souljazz Orchestra's Pierre Chrétien scores with Cinephonic

Cinephonic's debut album Les Paradis Artificiels was inspired by French film soundtracks and sound library recordings. 

Here's the scoop...

Cinephonic was founded in 2018 by composer/pianist/vibraphonist Pierre Chrétien, as an outlet for the new cinematic tunes he had been quietly writing when he wasn't busy leading larger groups such as The Souljazz Orchestra, Atlantis Jazz Ensemble and Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays. 

In the fall of 2020, he releases "Les Paradis artificiels", his first full-length album under the Cinephonic moniker, on which he collaborates with heavyweight hip-hop drummer Robert Biesewig (Wu-Tang Clan, Havoc, Alchemist) and versatile percussionist Marielle Rivard (The Souljazz Orchestra, Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays), while performing all other parts himself on mellotron, piano and vibraphone. 

Drawing inspiration from classic French film and library music, Chrétien expands on the sound with elements of orchestral jazz, cinematic soul, and instrumental hip-hop, creating a rich, evocative, and complex soundscape that juxtaposes intricate compositions with dark funk backbeats - a kind of epic soundtrack for a film that never existed.

Listen to the title track "Paradis Artificiels," Éveil de la cité and "Les Corbeaux"(below). Get a copy of Cinephonic's new album via Bandcamp right here.