Renee Rosnes :Life on Earth

Life on Earth
Renee Rosnes

Renee Rosnes' latest CD, Life On Earth, is a wonderful musical trip through the world we live in. Rosnes works with a stellar cast of jazz musicians as well as a bevy of international guest artists, with the entire project anchored by Renee's meditative, impressionistic piano work.

The album opens with the energetic "Empress Afternoon." Rosnes, violinist Laura Seaton, and bassist Christian McBride state the theme against a backdrop of Zakir Hussain's tabla. Rosnes plays a solo that is pure jazz, regardless of the ethnic trappings, creating a gorgeous trio with tabla that is at once exotic and very familiar. Rosnes' style owes a debt not only to her idol Herbie Hancock, but also to Chick Corea and McCoy Tyner. "Senegal Son" features Mor Thiam on djembe (an instrument probably not heard much in jazz since John Coltrane) and vocals. Rosnes' composition is based on a 'worosodon' beat, a rhythm that is played in appreciation for a year of food, housing, and peace. The beat is again exotic and evocative of foreign cultures, but at the same time not dissimilar to a New Orleans parade rhythm. Shelley Brown contributes beautiful alto flute work to the number as well.

"Ballad of the Sad Young Men" is from Roberta Flack's First Take album, a very poignant melody given a simple treatment here with Rosnes, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Billy Drummond. For those unfamiliar with her previous work, any doubts about Rosnes' ability to play in a straightforward jazz setting will disappear upon hearing this track. "Icelight" takes Rosnes closer to home, the track having been composed in tribute to the newly established Canadian territory of Nunavut, an area that is principally tundra, snow, and ice and whose population consists primarily of native Inuit people. For this Rosnes supplements the basic trio with some vocalisations from native American singer Kevin Tarrant and a wide-open tenor sax played by Walt Weiskopf. The number utilizes sohpisticated harmonies and an energetic tempo to evoke the cold beauty of this northern land and its people.

"Gabriola Passage" refers to the passage in British Columbia between Gabriola and the Valdez Islands. Here Weiskopf plays soprano sax while percussionist Duduka Da Fonseca provides lively accents with cameroon shells, ganza, and Mica's bell. "The Quiet Earth" adds a string quartet that is very skillfully arranged by Rosnes. The track is meant to evoke "a peaceful and blue planet, spinning quietly on its axis, viewed from far away up in the stars." While the strings evoke a classical feeling in some respects, this is again unarguably a jazz ballad with none of the stilted or pretentious qualities that often come to bear when strings are brought into a jazz framework. It's a testament to Rosnes' skill as a composer and as an arranger that the string voicings are beautiful but neve cloying or syrupy.

"Hanuman" is a raucous number and a bit of a tribute to saxophonist Joe Henderson, for whom Rosnes worked at one time. Besides a sampled Balinese chant, the number features a ponderous trombone trio (comprised of Conrad Herwig, Steve Turre, and Douglas Pirviance), tenor sax whizz Chris Potter, and percussionist Fonseca on the cuica, a stringed gourd instrument that provides the crying "voice" of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey-god. The trio returns for "Nana", an adaptation of Spanish composer Manuel de Falla's interpretation of an Andalusian folk song. Patitucci provides a lovely con arco section that propels Rosnes into the sensual melody and some strong chordal improvisation aided by Billy Drummond's skillful balance between drum and cymbal work.

The final number is "The Call of Triton", a piece with a strong rhythm that celebrates the god of the sea and features Steve Turre, who improvises on his collection of conch shells using handmade mouthpieces. Shelley Brown again provides flute work and Chris Potter takes up bass clarinet for a conclusion that is at once rousing, funky, and impressive.

It should not be a secret to any jazz fan that Renee Rosnes is one of the finest pianists currently playing within the jazz tradition, but Life on Earth demonstrates her maturity as a composer and arranger as well. On the strength of her work on this album as well as the impressive array of musicians with whom she's worked, there should be nothing that she cannot accomplish in the future.