Cassie Watson Francillon, Sasha Masakowski

Biography

Cassie Watson Francillon is a New Orleans-based harpist raised in NYC, known for her innovative work on concert grand harp with effects, blending free jazz, ambient, breakbeat, classical, and experimental folk. Active since 2007, she embarked on a self-initiated journey of harp discovery, studying privately under harpists including Gabriella Pinto. Her compositions and improvisational sketches draw from her Haitian lineage and reflect the spirituality of modern Black American transcendence, as showcased in projects like Consortium: Vol. 2: L'Automne Electrique.[2][5]

Sasha Masakowski, aka Tra$h Magnolia, is a New Orleans jazz and blues singer with a versatile pedigree, extending into electronic rock, trip-hop, and indie-pop through her solo project. Both artists are celebrated for their adaptability, performing across genres from classical harp sessions to hip-hop jams and Mardi Gras DJ sets. Their debut collaborative album Suite, released in 2025 after a two-year creation period sparked by a 2022 pop-up, features Francillon on harp and effects alongside Masakowski's voice, electronics, and drum programming, creating a mysterious, genre-fluid sound reflective of contemporary New Orleans eclecticism.[1][3]

Francillon has continued her prolific output with solo and duo releases like Bardo (self-released, 2026), a harp- and sax-guided quartet session, and KāFOU with Val Jeanty, emphasizing her vision for the harp in modern sonic landscapes. Together, Cassie Watson Francillon and Sasha Masakowski represent a new generation of multi-hyphenate musicians pushing boundaries in New Orleans' evolving music scene.[1][3]

Fun Facts

• Cassie Watson Francillon's harp playing is described as a 'spiritual guide' that shifts roles rhythmically, harmonically, and arpeggiated, creating space in sparse arrangements while drawing comparisons to Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane without direct emulation.
• The duo's album Suite emerged from an impromptu 2022 pop-up collaboration, embodying New Orleans' 'gumbo of influences' that defies genre boxes.
• Francillon leads 'sacred sonic architecture' installations, cycling through diverse styles to invoke her Haitian lineage.
• Sasha Masakowski's Tra$h Magnolia project blends jazz pedigree with electronic rock, trip-hop, and indie-pop.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Gabriella Pinto - Private harp teacher (Self-initiated harp discovery and performance) [Since 2007]

Key Collaborators

• Sasha Masakowski - Duo partner on debut album and live performances (Suite (2025)) [2022-present]
• Sulyiman - Guest collaborator in live sonic installation (Consortium: Vol. 2: L'Automne Electrique) [2022]
• Mykia Jovan - Guest collaborator in live sonic installation (Consortium: Vol. 2: L'Automne Electrique) [2022]
• Xavier Molina - Guest collaborator in live sonic installation (Consortium: Vol. 2: L'Automne Electrique) [2022]
• Val Jeanty - Duo album partner (KāFOU) [2025-2026]
• Gladney - Tenor saxophonist in quartet (Bardo) [2026]
• Jelani Bauman - Trumpeter in quartet (Bardo) [2026]
• Julian Addison - Drummer in quartet (Bardo) [2026]
• Bryan Webre - Bassist in quartet (Bardo) [2026]
• Aquiles Navarro - Trumpeter and duet partner (Bardo (including 'Don’t Explain' duet)) [2026]

External Links

• Spotify