Noah Franche-Nolan ‘Rose-Anna’ Album Preview

 One could easily characterize Vancouver-based keyboardist and composer Noah Franche-Nolan as a restless artist. Fortunately, both for him and for audiences, his deep penchant for roving exploration is matched by his keen-eared versatility.

Earlier this year, he was heard alongside kindred spirit, guitarist Dan Pitt, in Arid Landscapes, a duo whose eponymous debut record elegantly folded textural electronics into the phraseology of ethereal, experimental jazz. On Rose-Anna, due out November 7th, 2025 from Cellar Music, Franche-Nolan sets aside these otherworldly sonics to lead the Noah Franche-Nolan trio, where he focuses on piano and is flanked by acclaimed players Jodi Proznick (bass) and Nicholas Bracewell (drums). Even with this familiar framing and slim instrumentation, Franche-Nolan’s manages to traverse a considerable swath of musical terrain. Spanning agile, groove-laden tracks to forlorn miniatures, secular hymns to freeform forays, it’s as though he’s intent to provide an aerial picture of the contemporary jazz’s full topography.

The album’s title is an homage to his Acadian great grandmother, Rose-Anna Chassée, a church organist from Grand Falls, New Brunswick and on the two occasions that Franche-Nolan deviates from the piano here, he’s found at the organ. Listeners hear one of such aberrations right at the top of the record, as he unfolds the first of three iterations of “Sublimation.” It’s a beautiful and fitting way to open the album’s journey; meditative and minimalistic, with a glimmer of the ecclesiastical, it ascends slowly, like a sunrise, over the rest of the compositions. It also foreshadows the spaciousness, and references to family and oblique spirituality that surface throughout the album’s duration—even on the more upbeat numbers.

The remainder of the album’s first half shows how the pianist navigates this thematic constellation while unfurling the aforementioned stylistic diversity. “Nasz Dom” bears a dedication to Franche-Nolan’s partner Caroline Smolski, continuing the familial thread. Following a sparkling minute of solo intimacy, the piano ripples into the lower-mid register as the band’s full instrumentation blossoms. The track’s title means “our home” in Polish and thus expresses gratitude of two kinds—one to the literal home the two have built together, but also to the fact that Smolski has bolstered his connection to his own Polish heritage.

The ballad “Haxan” was originally conceived as part of a score for the legendary 1922 silent film of the same name. It skillfully weaves the film’s dark, supernatural tenor into tenderness intended to evoke compassion toward the film’s subject—witches—and the violence and persecution they faced historically. “Hawks” may act as a propulsive showcase for Franche-Nolan and his band’s capable post-bop playing, but it too has commentary at its heart. In politics the title refers to actors who favour the use of aggression or war to solve diplomatic issues.

A return to the organ on “Prayer” signals another nod in the direction of Rose-Anna‘s namesake however as the track progresses, one can’t help but feel that Franche-Nolan is tracing connections to Alice Coltrane’s unique organ style too, in turn referencing both North American liturgical sounds, and the bhajan-informed, drone-anchored melodies found in Coltrane’s 1970’s discography and onward. At just shy of two minutes, “Rotations” is the album’s shortest piece, but also its sparsest. Leaving Jodi Proznick out of the ensemble temporarily, its dark-hued piano sonorities and blooming drums evoke the likes of Ayumi Tanaka and Morton Feldman. “Sublimation II,” signals the mid-point of the album, yet it doesn’t so much harken back to the first piece as it does engender a sense of evolution, and this is no mistake. As Franche-Nolan remarks, sublimation refers “to the transition of a material from a solid state to a gas state without passing through the liquid state. It is also used in psychology to refer to the redirection of negative or harmful feelings into positive actions or feelings.

“Discussing the earlier version of “Sublimation,” he says “This song sets the stage for the journey of this album. A journey that eventually presents a process, not an answer, that can lead one out of the darkness and sadness that I and many others can so easily fall into in the face of loss, grief, and pain. This process is the process of devotion, love, and prayer, which I personally practice through music.” As such, it’s no surprise for listeners to witness transformation in this second version, it’s a central conceptual feature of this album that at its core examines the power of music to inspire personal and broader change, as well as alongside that of familial bonds and heredity.

Noah Franche-Nolan is a JUNO and Western Canada Music Awards-nominated pianist, improviser, composer, and producer based in Vancouver, BC. The group heard on the present recording, the Noah Franche-Nolan Trio also serves as the rhythm section for lauded Indo-Jazz Fusion group Raagaverse, led by Shruti Ramani. Franche-Nolan has enjoyed concert appearances mounted by Vancouver International Jazz Festival, the Stone and the Lincoln Center, while collaborating with the likes of Dutch violinist Oene Van Geel, Brooklyn drummer Tima Volozh, as well as celebrated Canadian artists such as Mili Hong, Aline Homzy, Lina Allemano, Arvind Ramdas, and Parmela Attariwala.

Franche-Nolan has also engaged in various artistic endeavours that traverse disciplinary bounds, including creating a live score for the 1922 silent film Häxan, with acclaimed violin experimentalist Meredith Bates in a commission from Vancouver’s independent theatre, The Cinematheque. He also composed the score for New York filmmaker Talha Jalal’s documentary Rite of Passage, which debuted at the NYC Docs Festival in 2023 and Vancouver playwright Shelby Satterthwaite’s play Light Rapid Transit.

Vancouver jazz bassist, composer educator and producer Jodi Proznick was named 2019 Jazz Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and has also been nominated for three Juno Awards. She was also a recipient of the British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Awards in 2022, among a number of other awards. On top of leading her own group the Jodi Proznick Quartet, and spearheading the Ostara Project alongside pianist Amanda Tosoff, Proznick has performed with many of Canada’s top jazz musicians, including PJ Perry, Don Thompson, Kirk MacDonald, Guido Basso, Oliver Gannon, Dee Daniels, Phil Dwyer, and Laila Biali. She is regularly sought out to accompany visiting artists both on stage and in the studio. This list of illustrious collaborators has included Michael Bublé, Byron Stripling, Michael Feinstein, David “Fathead” Newman, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, Peter Bernstein, Charles McPherson, Seamus Blake, George Coleman, Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy, Harold Mabern, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotundi, Eddie Daniels, Jeff Hamilton and Lewis Nash.

She has been heard on over 50 recordings as a side person. Among her personal career highlights are opening for Oscar Peterson in 2004, and performing as a featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, she was asked to be the featured bassist during Vancouver’s Olympic Winter Games’ closing ceremonies and soundtrack. She has also recorded numerous times for CBC Radio.Proznick is currently the Department Head of the Jazz Program at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music where she is also the Artistic Director of the Summer Jazz Workshop and Sister Jazz Day.

Nicholas Bracewell is a JUNO-nominated Drummer, Composer, and Educator based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Rodney Whitaker, Randy Napolean, Raagaverse, The Shuffle Demons, Laila Biali, XL the Band (Swollen Members), James Danderfer, Ashely Wey, Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, Corey Kendrick, Diego Rivera, Rick Roe, Micheal Dease, Etienne Charles and Perry Hughes. Bracewell was exposed to a diverse range of musical influences from an early age, which fueled his passion for music. He pursued formal training in music and had the privilege of studying under Randy “Uncle G” Gelispie at Michigan State University. Since relocating to Vancouver, he has established himself as a prominent figure in the city’s music scene, showcasing his versatility by performing in various settings, from intimate jazz clubs to large concert halls. In addition to being a skilled performer, Bracewell is also a committed educator, sharing his knowledge and experience with aspiring musicians.