Yves Léveillé

Yves Léveillé; Pianist and Composer

Recipient of the André Gagnon Award (Instrumental Music) from the Spacq Foundation in 2018, Yves Léveillé is recognized for both his compositions and arrangements, as well as for his numerous musical collaborations with leading jazz musicians, singers, singer-songwriters, actors, and directors. The pianist and composer is also the founder of Productions Yves Léveillé, an organization dedicated to the production and presentation of contemporary jazz concerts. Supported by various levels of government, the company actively expands its activities, including concert production, tours, and album releases. Always in search of the perfect phrasing—at times cerebral, at times lyrical—Léveillé persistently explores the beauty of jazz.

Originally from Lévis, Yves Léveillé has lived in Montreal since 1984. In the 1990s, he decided to create his own ensemble to perform his compositions. He has released nine original albums under the Effendi and ATMA Classique labels, all of which have been well received by critics and music lovers alike. He is regularly invited to present his works across Canada, Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Career Highlights

In 2004, he was awarded a CALQ grant for a six-month residency at the Studio du Québec in New York. Another residency, granted by CALQ and the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2007, allowed him to dedicate three months to composition.

In 2010, his fifth album, Pianos (FND100), showcased a compelling musical connection with Japanese pianist Eri Yamamoto. This critically acclaimed duo project was supported by Yamaha New York and led to successful tours. In the fall of 2012, thanks to funding from CALQ and the New York State Arts Council, Léveillé continued his collaboration with Yamamoto in Manhattan, joined by drummer Ikuo Takeuchi.

His album Chorégraphie (FND103), also released in 2010, highlighted his work over the past three years. It was selected by the newspaper Le Devoir as one of the five best jazz albums of the year. The album features Léveillé’s collaborations with some of Quebec’s most talented jazz musicians.

In 2013, he joined pianist François Bourassa and renowned percussionist Marie-Josée Simard for the project En Trois Couleurs, a musical journey blending jazz, improvisation, and world music. The project won the Opus Award (2012-2013) for Jazz Concert of the Year. That year, Léveillé also performed at the inauguration of the Casavant organ in Quebec and gained a broader audience with his participation in the album Par amour pour Philou, benefiting the Philou Center. The album was named Best Instrumental Album of the Year by ADISQ.

Léveillé's 2014 album, Essences des bois (FND131), focused on woodwind instruments, blending jazz and contemporary classical music. The album was nominated for an ADISQ Award for Best Jazz Creation Album (2014) and won the Opus Award for Jazz/World Music Concert of the Year (2013-2014). Inspired by his tours with American multi-instrumentalist Paul McCandless, Léveillé sought to highlight the dynamic and energetic potential of woodwind instruments in jazz.

In 2015, he embarked on a new project with Eri Yamamoto and Ikuo Takeuchi, creating The Japan Project: Mémoires & Improvisations, inspired by the elegance of traditional Japanese music. The project premiered at Alliance Française in Toronto. Later that year, he toured Essences des bois internationally, performing in New York (Dizzy’s Club, Lincoln Center, Flushing Town Hall) and China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou). His album En Trois Couleurs, released in 2015 on Atma Classique, won the Opus Award (2014-2015) for Jazz/World Music Album of the Year.

Léveillé has also collaborated extensively with actress and singer Marie-Thérèse Fortin, serving as pianist and arranger for her show Marie-Thérèse Fortin chante Barbara. In 2016, the performance was staged for a 13-show run at Cabaret du Théâtre Outremont, featuring refined arrangements that blend jazz influences with impressionistic textures.

In 2016, the En Trois Couleurs trio embarked on a major tour across China, performing in 17 cities and reaching an audience of over 15,000 people. The trio returned in 2019 to present L’Onde sonore du fjord, a tribute to Canadian landscapes and wildlife, with Jacques Collin overseeing visual projections.

In May 2017, Léveillé celebrated 30 years in music with Triptyque, a three-night event at Théâtre Outremont, featuring performances by some of the most significant jazz musicians he has worked with. The concerts included his trio En Trois Couleurs, a new quintet (Kevin Warren, Guy Boisvert, Yannick Rieu, Jacques Kuba Séguin, and Yves Léveillé), and the Y2 duo with Yannick Rieu.

In 2018, he launched the Bourdonnements Jazz series at Théâtre Outremont, showcasing Quebec’s established and emerging jazz musicians. The success of the series led to its renewal in 2019, featuring Paul McCandless and Eri Yamamoto among the invited artists.

In May 2019, Léveillé released Phare, which was nominated for an Opus Award for Jazz Album of the Year. The album was also selected by Espace Musique as one of the 50 best Canadian albums of 2019, across all genres.

Throughout his career, Yves Léveillé has remained committed to pushing the boundaries of jazz composition and performance, continuously exploring new sonic territories and collaborations.