Félix Stussi

Be it on a bicycle or behind the keys, Félix Stüssi loves adventure and fresh air. Since his move from Switzerland to Canada, Stüssi has turned his back on journalism - jazz piano and composition are now his main focus. In 2007, his quintet won the prestigious Grand Prix of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. A year later, US-trombonist Ray Anderson joined the project and the band turned into a sextet. The four albums of the group were very well received on both sides of the Atlantic, they were nominated for several prizes (Juno Awards, ADISQ, Prix Opus). 

The quartet SuperNova 4 with Jean Derome (saxes, flute), Normand Guilbeault (bass) and Pierre Tanguay (drums) has released a first album in March 2020 on Effendi Records (FND 159), distributed by NAXOS. Stüssi’s most recent project called PAPPERLAPAPP, a duo with Jean Derome which has produced an home-recorded album (FND 168/NAXOS), accompanied by nine self-produced covideos, as a response to the challenges caused by the pademic.

Félix Stüssi returns regularly to Europe, where he has played among others with Bruno Spoerri, Nils Wogram, Jürg Wickihalder, Christoph Grab, Werner Fischer and Peter A. Schmid. Schmid and Stüssi have recorded a duo CD which has been released on Unit Records in January 2017 (Transatlantic Conversations, UTR 4738). In January 2017, the region Glarus Nord (Switzerland) has honoured Stüssi with a culture price. In 2015 and 2022, Ray Anderson and Félix Stüssi have toured in Europe as a duo.

As a member of the Auguste Quartet and the Jazzlab Orchestra, Félix Stüssi has frequently toured in Canada, Europe and Asia. He was commissioned to compose and arrange an entirely new repertoire for the Jazzlab Orchestra, featured on the group’s album Quintessence (Effendi, FND 152).