FM
History
Born into a musical family, Saisse credits his variety in tastes to his childhood in Marseille and Paris. As a teenager, Saisse attended the Paris National Conservatory, where he studied piano, percussion, music theory, and composition. Upon graduating in 1975, taking First Prize in percussion and mallet keyboards, he accepted the prestigious Paul Winter Scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston.
At Berklee he furthered his skills by studying advanced composition under Michael Gibbs and performing with his idol, vibraphonist Gary Burton, while soaking up the music of the era such as Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. "I always knew I would not become a classical player," he recalls. It was no surprise then that Saisse jumped straight out of Berklee into a successful session career, performing with Narada Michael Walden, Al Di Meola, Billy Cobham, Tom Scott, Steve Kahn, Alphonso Johnson and others - "the people I used to worship as a teenager." Soon his career was expanding. He played keyboards for Chaka Khan ('I Feel For You,') the Rolling Stones ('Harlem Shuffle'), David Bowie ('Scary Monsters'), the B-52's ('Love Shack'), Vanessa Williams, and Tina Turner. He composed for David Sanborn, Al Jarreau and Al Di Meola. He became co-music director/keyboardist for Sanborn's Night Music Show on NBC, toured with the American Ballet Theater, and produced Chaka Khan's album Destiny. And he launched a solo career.
