Christophe Chassol Integrates Stand-Up Comedy into Fifth Album 'Funny How?'

French composer, pianist, arranger, and musical director Christophe Chassol is releasing his fifth studio album, Funny How?, which incorporates spoken word elements derived from stand-up comedy recordings. This project advances Chassol's signature 'Ultrascores' concept, an artistic method where recorded speech and environmental sounds are harmonized with musical composition, often synchronized with video.

Chassol, born in 1976, has refined this methodology for over two decades, adhering to the principle that every spoken syllable dictates a corresponding musical note through a pitch harmonization technique with historical roots in 1920s composers like Janacek and Bartok. For Funny How?, the artist has centered the work around American stand-up, featuring vocal samples from established comedians such as Dave Chappelle, alongside newer talent discovered in New York and Chicago. The album is scheduled for release on May 22nd.

The new work reportedly fuses diverse musical influences, blending elements of jazz, soul, rap, and musical theatre into its structure. This eclectic approach contrasts with earlier, more focused works like Ultrascores (2014) or Indiamore (2013). Chassol's broader career includes contributions to Frank Ocean's visual album Endless and serving as musical director for acts including Phoenix and Sébastien Tellier.

Chassol's educational background includes studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, focusing on composition and film scoring, following initial piano training in Paris from the age of four. This latest integration of comedy into his established framework of harmonizing speech underscores the artist's continuous experimentation. The project is slated for a live presentation at the Philharmonie de Paris on April 17th and 18th, 2026.