Born in Geneva in 1972, Nicolas Masson is a Swiss saxophonist, clarinettist and composer whose music brings lyrical expression into dialogue with the freedom and unpredictability of improvisation.
His musical journey began in Geneva’s improvised music scene, through workshops at AMR from the age of seventeen. At twenty, following a six-month journey through Asia that began on the Trans-Siberian Railway, he travelled to New York, where encounters with Cecil Taylor, Frank Lowe, Fred Hopkins and Makanda Ken McIntyre profoundly shaped his understanding of music. He returned to live in New York in 2000–2001, studying regularly with saxophonist Rich Perry and developing his first American quartet.
Long-term musical relationships are central to his work. Since 2005, his quartet with pianist Colin Vallon, bassist Patrice Moret and drummer Lionel Friedli has developed a shared language in which melody, tension and open forms emerge through collective interplay. Their recordings include Thirty Six Ghosts, Travelers and Renaissance.
Masson began recording for ECM in 2013 as a member of Third Reel, the trio with guitarist Roberto Pianca and drummer Emanuele Maniscalco, which released two albums before concluding its activities. Two further ECM recordings followed with his quartet. His collaborations have included Kenny Wheeler, Ben Monder, Thomas Morgan, Gerald Cleaver, Kris Davis and Bojan Z.
His current work also includes a duo with Colin Vallon, unaccompanied performances developed around his solo album Never Ending, and a new quartet with Théo Duboule, Vincent Ruiz and Nathan Vandenbulcke.
Based in Geneva, Masson combines performing and composing with teaching at the Conservatoire Populaire. Photography has accompanied his musical life for many years: alongside landscapes and photographs featured on ECM album covers, he continues an extensive portrait series documenting the Swiss improvised music community.
