Ottawa's Atlantis Jazz Ensemble preview "Mystic Suite" album with "Damocles"

Pierre Chrétien and his Atlantis Jazz Ensemble return with Mystic Suite, another amazing spiritual jazz gem out February 27th. 

ATLANTIS JAZZ ENSEMBLE – MYSTIC SUITE

Let us take you back. Waaay back. According to early Greek mythology, the three powerful sons of the god Kronos divided up the cosmos after overthrowing their father: Poseidon ruled the sea, Zeus commanded the heavens, and Hades reigned over the underworld. Conversely, this latest offering from the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble completes the group’s corresponding trilogy – "Oceanic Suite" (2016), "Celestial Suite" (2023), and now "Mystic Suite" (2026).

As you might expect, this "Mystic Suite", inspired by Hades’ supernatural realm, is perhaps the most intense, unusual and sublime of the three albums. It channels the energy of the spiritual jazz offered back in the 1970s by labels such as Strata-East, Tribe and Black Jazz, mixed with the urgency presented by the best of today’s jazz underground, fiercely struggling and searching for meaning within this era of global tumult. This is a meaningful record, driven by human connection, the kind that is only possible when like-minded musicians interact face-to-face within the same room.

The set flows as smoothly as the mythical River Styx. The Fender Rhodes electric piano starts things off slowly by churning an ominous brew during the intro to “Damocles”, before the full band drops a dark Elvin Jones-style mambo, set in a menacing Phrygian mode. The Coltranian vibes continue on the spiritually-charged “Spirits Unseen”, a fast-paced jazz waltz exploring the possibilities of polymodality, before settling into the softer contemplative sonorities of “Persephone”. Side A closes off with the sinuous bossa-tinged “As the River Flows”, before Side B picks things up again with the otherworldly harmonies of “Elysian Fields”. The 12/8 polyrhythms of “Asphodel Meadows” and the highlife jazz of “Gates of the Sun” bring in percussion-heavy Afro sounds into the mix, before things wind down with the horn-drenched melancholy soul-jazz of “Broken Dreams”.

It’s also worth mentioning that the core quintet of the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble is joined here by brilliant tenor saxophonist Petr Cancura, an alum of bassist Cecil McBee’s group, relocated to Canada after a long stint in New York City, as well as versatile percussionist Marielle Rivard, best known for her work as member of the Souljazz Orchestra. Engineer and co-producer Jason Jaknunas recorded the album live off-the-floor at his Metropolitan Studios location, subsequently mastering it to his beloved 1965 Studer Revox G36 all-tube 2-track tape machine. Cover artwork is based on a late 19th century water-colour sketch by Norwegian artist and explorer Fridtjof Nansen.

"Mystic Suite" is the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble’s 3rd album and is released by Marlow Records in vinyl LP, CD, and digital formats on February 27th 2026. LP format was meticulously cut, plated and pressed in Canada at Precision Record Pressing's state-of-the-art facility. Vinyl copies of Mystic Suite will be available at The Record Centre (1099 Wellington St., Ottawa) after the February 27th release date.

Personnel:

Ed Lister - trumpet, flugelhorn

Zakari Frantz - alto saxophone, percussion

Pierre Chrétien - electric piano, percussion

Chris Pond - bass

Mike Essoudry - drums

with:

Petr Cancura - tenor saxophone, percussion

Marielle Rivard - percussion

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble releases "Joyful Noise" from new album, Celestial Suite

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble's Celestial Suite album is out October 27th via Marlow Records. Check out "Joyful Noise" below.  

Here's the scoop from AJE's Pierre Chrétien: 

"Hey, so big news - the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble is releasing its first album in seven years, "Celestial Suite", a new set of spiritual soul-jazz, with a righteous energy in the mode of labels such as Strata East or Tribe back in the day, but updated with a fresh current vibe.

"The first single, 'Joyful Noise,' just came out today... It's a great chilled-out bit of soul-jazz, with subtle rhythmic hints of trap music from Mike Essoudry over on the drums (it's one of my favs when we play live!) You can check out the video below." – PC

Celestial Suite by Atlantis Jazz Ensemble

The Atlantis Jazz Ensemble is on the rise once again with "Celestial Suite", a brilliant set of spiritual soul-jazz, with a righteous energy in the mode of some of the best work on independent labels such as Strata East or Tribe back in the day, though updated with enough modern elements to keep the vibe current and fresh. With the blend of electric piano, sax, trumpet, bass and percussion presented here, the quintet has refined the searching, soaring quality of their sound, capturing over the course of two days in the studio an inspired session worthy of the skyward promise of the album’s title. 

The set flows seamlessly from track to track. Opener “Breaking Dawn” starts things off gently as in a morning sunrise, before settling into a hypnotic modal groove. “Transcendence” then kicks up the tempo with boisterous Afro-Latin rhythms, before heading into the mystic soul-bossa brew of “Enlightenment”. Side A eases off with the pleading soul-jazz of “Invocation”, before ramping things up again on Side B with the ethereal pharoanic groove of “Oneness”. The tension builds on “Blessings”, with its searching, coltranesque modal quality, before easing into the funky, down-home exultations of “Joyful Noise”. The suite then winds down as calmly as it began with a solemn “Meditation”, closing the arc of this skybound journey. 

The Atlantis Jazz Ensemble was first formed by Pierre Chrétien and Zakari Frantz of The Souljazz Orchestra back in 2013, as an outlet for the more modal, esoteric and spiritual compositions they were exploring outside the confines of their original unit. After the addition of trumpeter Ed Lister, bassist Alex Bilodeau and drummer Mike Essoudry, the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble released their maiden voyage "Oceanic Suite" in 2016, a bold first outing that became a bit of an underground classic, capturing the number two spot on the Canadian radio jazz charts that year (just behind BadBadNotGood’s "IV"), and leading Atlantis to open up live for the likes of Kamasi Washington and Anderson Paak. 

However, the wind was somewhat taken out of the group’s sails when their original bassist suddenly moved away to Boston to study with Dave Holland, Cecil McBee, and other jazz luminaries. Atlantis sank into hiatus for a few years, until young double bass phenom Chris Pond blew into town from Eastern Canada, and the group rose up once again in 2022. After a fruitful residency in Ottawa’s hip Somerset Village that summer, perfecting the new set of original compositions that were to make up "Celestial Suite", the quintet hit Metropolitan Studios in the fall, and laid down an especially inspired rendition of the suite, captured with all of the analogue warmth the studio is known for. 

"Celestial Suite" is the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble’s 2nd album and is released by Marlow Records on LP, CD, and digital / streaming on October 27th 2023. LP format is meticulously pressed in Canada with the new WarmTone fully automatic, modernised vinyl record pressing system, and comes with download card.  Pre-order a copy via Bandcamp right here: https://atlantisjazzensemble.bandcamp.com/

Watch for upcoming shows starting with Minotaure in Gatineau QC on Saturday October 28th, and Irene's Pub in Ottawa ON on Friday November 24th. Details to come on the Marlow Records site: http://www.marlowrecords.com/

Watch the video for "Joyful Noise" below. 

Atlantis Jazz Ensemble's brilliant Oceanic Suite gets vinyl reissue!

Ottawa's Atlantis Jazz Ensemble's Oceanic Suite has been out of print on vinyl since 2017, so this 170g repress is welcome news!

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. 

Souljazz Orchestra release Oceanic Suite by side-project Atlantis Jazz Ensemble

Check out the tracks "Yemaya" and "Leviathan" off AJE's Oceanic Suite debut out today on Marlow Records.