Renee Rosnes :Musician of the World

RENEE ROSNES: MUSICIAN OF THE WORLD
by Marshall Bowden

Renee Rosnes has spent the last decade or so quietly becoming one of jazz's best and most respected young pianists. A disciple of Herbie Hancock's '60s brand of impressionistic jazz, Rosnes has developed her own voice and style, weaving a dreamy tapestry that emphasizes mood over technique (though she's certainly not lacking in that department).

Arriving in New York City from her hometown of Vancouver, Rosnes was almost immediately backing jazz greats like Wayne Shorter and J.J. Johnson. It didn't take her long to attract the attention of Blue Note Records, and beginning in 1989 she released one fantastic and influential jazz album after another, featuring a string of guest artists that reads like a who's who of modern jazz: Joe Henderson, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Jack DeJohnette, Chris Potter, Ron Carter, and Herbie Hancock himself. So, why isn't Rosnes a household name? Sadly, it's one of the problems of a jazz world that is male dominated and male focused. Most musicians are men (though there is currently a large group of talented working female musicians) and so are most of the decision-makers at the large record labels and jazz writers. Marketing departments look for ways to push female artists to the forefront that are not necessarily music-centered: witness the recent marketing campaign by Verve to promote Diana Krall's Look of Love album. While Krall is herself a talented jazz pianist, her recent releases have traded on her pleasant but somewhat unremarkable singing voice.

Rosnes also shines as a composer and arranger-a legacy that comes partly from her classical background (she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Toronto), and part, no doubt, from the influences of Hancock and Shorter, two of the best jazz composers to emerge from the 1960s. "Lots of times when I hear melodies in my head, I hear a trumpet playing it, or a tenor, alto, or soprano sax. When I'm hearing and writing for horns, I don't need to be at the piano", says Rosnes, who also makes a point of listening to the great classical pianists by purchasing at least one classical recording when she goes shopping for jazz music.

More recently, Rosnes has become influenced by music from a variety of other cultures. This may have been partially the result of her discovery that her birth mother was Indian shortly before the death of her adoptive mother. But it is also the mark of Rosnes' inquisitive mind and expansive attitude toward the music. There are those who, in recent years, have decried the tendency of modern jazz artists to pull influences from a variety of other cultures into jazz. Notions of the "purity" of jazz music seem rather odd since it is, by definition, hybrid music. There has always been a Latin influence in jazz, the result of the Afro-Caribbean influence that occurred when people of African descent arrived in the United States via Haiti and Cuba, and musicians in the U.S. during the late 1800s were drawing inspiration from a variety of sources-opera, show music, vaudeville, French dance music, marches, and anything else that came down the pike. So it seems only natural that, in a global age when musicians have access to the musical sounds of other parts of the world as never before, they are all influencing each other. Though it is true that the result is neither straight-ahead jazz nor pure ethnic music, it is certainly a legitimate expression in its own right.

Of her latest recording, Life on Earth, Rosnes says: "The concept for this recording grew out of a love of many musical vocabularies and with a sense of exploration." It explores the music of India ("Empress Afternoon"), Africa ("Senegal Son"), Spain ("Nana"), and her native Canada ("Icelight", written to honor the newly established Canadian territory of Nunavut and "Gabriola Passage"). Rosnes doesn't lose her jazz identity in the collection of unusual instrumentation or ethnic modes. Quite the contrary, her piano shines throughout whether she is playing strong McCoy Tyner chords or wistful Bill Evans meditations. The album is an important one for Rosnes and for other musicians looking for new directions and ways to keep their music fresh as well as for astute listeners who will be well rewarded with a rich musical experience. "I am a Canadian," says Renee, "but I approach music as a member of the human race." Even a cursory listen to Life on Earth demonstrates the truth of her remark.

>>Review of Life on Earth