Renee Rosnes
Encyclopedia
Irene Louise Rosnes professionally known as Renee Rosnes (icon ), is a pianist
, composer
and arranger in the hard bop
and post-bop
mediums.
. She was three when she began taking classical piano lessons. She became interested in jazz music in highschool, introduced to it through her band director Bob Rebagliati. She then attended the University of Toronto, where she pursued classical performance with pianist William Aide. In 1985, Rosnes was awarded a Canada Council of the Arts grant, and moved to New York City to further her studies. After saxophonist Joe Henderson
hired her to play with his quartet in 1986, she began an international career. In 1988, she was a member of the Wayne Shorter
Band and in 1989, she joined trombonist JJ Johnson's Quintet and remained his pianist of choice until he retired in 1997. In 1989, she also began working with tenor master James Moody
and was the pianist in his quartet for the next 20 years. Rosnes frequently performs with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson
, and recorded "For Sentimental Reasons" with his quartet in 2007.
Rosnes was a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective
, and played with the all-star octet from 2004 through 2009.
As a leader, Rosnes has released twelve recordings, nine of which are on the Blue Note Records label. The most recent (from 2010) is "Manhattan Rain" (Pony Canyon Japan), featuring Steve Nelson
on vibes, Rich Perry
on tenor sax, Peter Washington
on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. She also made four Japanese trio recordings for the VideoArts label with The Drummonds, featuring herself, drummer and ex-husband Billy Drummond
and the unrelated Ray Drummond
on bass.
Rosnes married jazz pianist Bill Charlap
on 25 August 2007, and the couple released a two piano duet recording titled "Double Portrait" on Blue Note Records in 2010. She is also the host of "Jazz Profiles", a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation one-hour radio show, in which Rosnes profiles famous names in Canadian jazz. Guests have included pianists Paul Bley
, Joe Sealy and Oliver Jones, bassists Don Thompson
and Michel Donato, trumpeter Guido Basso
and Kenny Wheeler
, and drummer Terry Clarke.
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and arranger in the hard bop
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
and post-bop
Post-bop
Post-bop is a term for a form of small-combo jazz music that evolved in the early-to-mid sixties. The genre's origins lie in seminal work by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock...
mediums.
Biography
Rosnes grew up in North Vancouver, B.C., where she attended Handsworth Secondary SchoolHandsworth Secondary School
Handsworth Secondary School is a public high school in North Vancouver, British Columbia and part of School District 44 North Vancouver. As of September 2009, the school reported 1419 students enrolled in Grades 8–12....
. She was three when she began taking classical piano lessons. She became interested in jazz music in highschool, introduced to it through her band director Bob Rebagliati. She then attended the University of Toronto, where she pursued classical performance with pianist William Aide. In 1985, Rosnes was awarded a Canada Council of the Arts grant, and moved to New York City to further her studies. After saxophonist Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
hired her to play with his quartet in 1986, she began an international career. In 1988, she was a member of the Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
Band and in 1989, she joined trombonist JJ Johnson's Quintet and remained his pianist of choice until he retired in 1997. In 1989, she also began working with tenor master James Moody
James Moody (saxophonist)
James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...
and was the pianist in his quartet for the next 20 years. Rosnes frequently performs with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson
Bobby Hutcherson
Bobby Hutcherson is a jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His vibraphone playing is suggestive of the style of Milt Jackson in its free-flowing melodicism, but his sense of harmony and group interaction is thoroughly modern...
, and recorded "For Sentimental Reasons" with his quartet in 2007.
Rosnes was a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective
SFJAZZ Collective
The SFJAZZ Collective is a jazz ensemble comprising eight performer/composers. Launched in 2004 by , a West Coast non-profit jazz institution and the presenter of the annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, with funding from the James Irvine Foundation, the Collective was critically acclaimed by The...
, and played with the all-star octet from 2004 through 2009.
As a leader, Rosnes has released twelve recordings, nine of which are on the Blue Note Records label. The most recent (from 2010) is "Manhattan Rain" (Pony Canyon Japan), featuring Steve Nelson
Steve Nelson
Steve Nelson may refer to:* Steve Nelson , New England Patriots football player* Steve Nelson , American musician* Steve Nelson , Communist Party member, Spanish Civil War veteran and U.S...
on vibes, Rich Perry
Rich Perry
Rich Perry is an American jazz tenor saxophonist from Cleveland, Ohio.Rich Perry attended Bowling Green State University for a year before moving to New York. Perry first toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1975, and followed it with time in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra the following...
on tenor sax, Peter Washington
Peter Washington
Peter Washington is a jazz double bassist. He initially played classical bass and played with the Westchester Community Symphony at 14. Later he worked with electric bass and in rock bands. He went on to study English at the University of California, Berkeley...
on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. She also made four Japanese trio recordings for the VideoArts label with The Drummonds, featuring herself, drummer and ex-husband Billy Drummond
Billy Drummond
Willis Robert "Billy" Drummond, Jr. is an American jazz drummer.Drummond learned jazz from an early age from his father, who was a drummer and a jazz enthusiast and whose record collection included many recordings of Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones, among others...
and the unrelated Ray Drummond
Ray Drummond
Ray Drummond is a jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop...
on bass.
Rosnes married jazz pianist Bill Charlap
Bill Charlap
William Morrison Charlap is a jazz pianist born October 15, 1966 in New York City.Bill Charlap comes from a musical background and is a distant cousin to famed jazz pianist Dick Hyman. His mother, Sandy Stewart , is a singer who had a hit in 1962 with My Coloring Book, while his father was Broadway...
on 25 August 2007, and the couple released a two piano duet recording titled "Double Portrait" on Blue Note Records in 2010. She is also the host of "Jazz Profiles", a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation one-hour radio show, in which Rosnes profiles famous names in Canadian jazz. Guests have included pianists Paul Bley
Paul Bley
Paul Bley, CM is a pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing.-Biography:...
, Joe Sealy and Oliver Jones, bassists Don Thompson
Don Thompson
Donald Thompson, Donald Thomson, Don Thompson or Don Thomson may refer to:-Sports personalities:* Don Thompson , American player for the Los Angeles Buccaneers in 1926...
and Michel Donato, trumpeter Guido Basso
Guido Basso
Guido Basso, CM is a jazz musician from Montreal. He started playing the trumpet when he was nine. Settling in Toronto in 1960, he became a studio trumpeter. He also occasionally played harmonica in-studio. In 1963, he became a music director for CBLT, a post he held until 1967...
and Kenny Wheeler
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
, and drummer Terry Clarke.
As leader
- 1989: Face to Face (Toshiba/EMI)
- 1990: Renee Rosnes (Blue Note)
- 1990: For the Moment (Blue Note)
- 1992: Without Words (Blue Note)
- 1996: Ancestors (Blue Note)
- 1997: As We Are Now (Blue Note)
- 1999: Art & Soul (Blue Note)
- 2001: With a Little Help From My Friends (Blue Note)
- 2002: Life on Earth (Blue Note)
- 2003: Renee Rosnes and the Danish Radio Big Band (Blue Note)
- 2004: Deep Cove (CBC Records)
- 2005: A Time For Love (Video Arts Japan)
- 2008: "Black Narcissus: A Tribute to Joe Henderson" The Renee Rosnes Trio (Pony Canyon/M&I Japan)
- 2010: Double Portrait (Blue Note; with Bill Charlap)
- 2010: "Manhattan Rain" (Pony Canyon Japan)
With SFJAZZ Collective
- Live "The Inaugural Year" 2004: Original works and the music of Ornette Coleman
- Live 2005: Original Works and the Music of John Coltrane
- Live 2006: Original Works and the Music of Herbie Hancock
- Live 2007: Original Works and the Music of Thelonious Monk
- Live 2008: Original Works and the Music of Wayne Shorter
- "Live 2009: Original Works and the Music of McCoy Tyner"
As sideman
- SuperblueSuperblue (band)Superblue was an American jazz ensemble that released two albums for Blue Note Records in 1988 and 1989.-Supeblue:Superblue featured an octet including Bobby Watson, Roy Hargrove, Mulgrew Miller, Frank Lacy, Bill Pierce, Kenny Washington, Don Sickler, Bob Hurst.#"Open Sesame"#"I Remember...
, Superblue 2 (1989, Blue Note RecordsBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
) - Joe HendersonJoe HendersonJoe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
, Humpty Dumpty (BRC) - Joe Henderson, The Blue Note Years (Blue Note)
- J. J. Johnson, Let’s Hang Out (Verve)
- J. J. Johnson, The Brass Orchestra (Verve)
- J. J. Johnson, Heroes (Verve)
- Marian McPartlandMarian McPartlandMargaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
, A Jazz Christmas (NPR Classics) - Marian McPartlandMarian McPartlandMargaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
, Just Friends (Concord) - George MrazGeorge MrazGeorge Mraz is a jazz bassist and alto saxophonist. He was a member of Oscar Peterson's group, and has worked with Stan Getz, Tommy Flanagan, Chet Baker and many other important jazz musicians...
, Duke's Place (Milestone) - Joyce, Astronauta - The Songs of Elis (Blue Jackel)
- Niels-Henning Ørsted PedersenNiels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen- Discography :* My Name Is Albert Ayler 1963 * Kirk in Copenhagen 1963 * Ben Webster in Denmark 1965-1971 Live at Danish Radio studios, Jazzhus Montmartre and Odd Fellow Palæet - Universal Music Denmark*One Flight Up 1964 *Sunday Walk 1969 - Discography :* My Name Is Albert Ayler 1963 (with...
, Friends Forever (Milestone) - The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band (Blue Note)
- Carnegie Hall Salutes the Jazz Masters (Verve)
- Dizzy GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
All-Star Big Band, Things To Come (MCG Jazz) - Bobby HutchersonBobby HutchersonBobby Hutcherson is a jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His vibraphone playing is suggestive of the style of Milt Jackson in its free-flowing melodicism, but his sense of harmony and group interaction is thoroughly modern...
, For Sentimental Reasons (Kind of Blue) - Todd CoolmanTodd CoolmanTodd Coolman is a jazz bassist residing near New York City.Since moving to New York in 1978, he has performed with Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman. Coolman recently recorded “Lexicon”...
, Lexicon (Doubletime Records) - The Drummonds, When You Wish Upon A Star (VideoArts)
- The Drummonds, A Beautiful Friendship (VideoArts)
- The Drummonds, Letter To Evans (VideoArts)
- The Drummonds, Once Upon A Summertime (VideoArts)
- The Drummonds, Pas de Trois (True Life)
- Gerald WilsonGerald WilsonGerald Stanley Wilson is an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer/arranger, 8 time Grammy nominee, and educator. He has been based in Los Angeles since the early 1940s....
, In My Time (Mack Avenue Records) - Gerald Wilson, New York, New Sound (Mack Avenue Records)
- Gerald Wilson, Monterey Moods (Mack Avenue Records)
- Gerald Wilson, "Legacy" (Mack Avenue Records)
- Billy DrummondBilly DrummondWillis Robert "Billy" Drummond, Jr. is an American jazz drummer.Drummond learned jazz from an early age from his father, who was a drummer and a jazz enthusiast and whose record collection included many recordings of Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Buddy Rich and Elvin Jones, among others...
, Native Colours (Criss Cros) - Billy Drummond, The Gift (Criss Cross)
- Ray DrummondRay DrummondRay Drummond is a jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop...
, Vignettes (Arabesque) - Robin EubanksRobin EubanksRobin Eubanks is an American jazz and jazz fusion slide trombonist, the brother of guitarist Kevin Eubanks and trumpeter Duane Eubanks.-Biography:...
, Karma (JMT) - Jon FaddisJon FaddisJon Faddis is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator renowned for both his highly virtuosic command of the instrument and for his expertise in the field of music education...
: Into The Faddisphere (Epic) - Jon Faddis: Hornucopia (Epic)
- Sonny FortuneSonny FortuneSonny Fortune is an American jazz alto saxophonist and flautist. He also plays soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone and clarinet.-Biography:...
, Invitation (Century) - Peter Leitch, Blues On The Corner (Reservoir)
- Slide HamptonSlide HamptonLocksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton is an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.He was a 1998 Grammy Award winner for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater...
, Inclusion (Twin Records) - Vincent Herring, Secret Love (MusicMasters)
- Joe Magnarelli, Why Not (Criss Cross)
- Native Colors, One World (Concord)
- Greg OsbyGreg OsbyGreg Osby is an American jazz saxophonist who plays mainly in the free jazz, free funk and M-Base idioms.-Biography:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, where he majored in Jazz Studies, and then at the Berklee College of Music, with Andy McGhee...
, Season of Renewal (JMT) - Rich PerryRich PerryRich Perry is an American jazz tenor saxophonist from Cleveland, Ohio.Rich Perry attended Bowling Green State University for a year before moving to New York. Perry first toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1975, and followed it with time in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra the following...
, So In Love (Steeplechase) - Nancy Wilson, A Nancy Wilson Christmas (Telarc)
- Jimmy ScottJimmy ScottJimmy Scott , aka "Little" Jimmy Scott, is an American jazz vocalist famous for his unusually high contralto voice which is due to Kallmann's syndrome, a very rare genetic condition. The condition stunted his growth at four feet eleven inches until, at age 37, he grew another 8 inches to the...
, But Beautiful (Milestone) - Jimmy Scott, Moon Glow (Milestone)
- Jim SnideroJim SnideroJim Snidero is an American jazz saxophonist.Snidero studied at the University of North Texas before moving to New York City in 1981. After touring with Jack McDuff, he joined Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra in the early 1980s in New York, working in the group for twenty years...
, Strings (Milestone) - Howard AldenHoward AldenHoward Alden is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. He has recorded a long series of albums for Concord Records. His performances were dubbed over Sean Penn as 'Emmet Ray' in the 1999 Woody Allen film Sweet and Lowdown...
, Take Your Pick (Concord) - Gary ThomasGary ThomasGary Thomas is an American jazz saxophonist and flautist from Baltimore, Maryland. He is a member of Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition band and has worked with John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Jim Hall, Dave Holland, Greg Osby, Wayne Shorter, Ravi Coltrane, Cassandra...
, The Seventh Quadrant (JMT) - Gary Thomas, While The Gate Is Open (JMT)
- Steve TurreSteve TurreSteve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
, One4J (Telarc) - Libby York, Sunday In New York (BlueJazz)
- Walt Weiskopf, Anytown (Criss Cross)
- Walt Weiskopf, LIVE (Capri Recordings)
- Pete YellinPete YellinPeter Michael Yellin is an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist.Yellin is the son of an NBC studio pianist. He turned down an athletic scholarship at the University of Denver to study at Juilliard under Joseph Allard and Harold Bennett...
, How Long Has This Been Going On? (Jazzed Media) - Dave Young, Two by Two, Vol. 1 (Justin Time)
- Dave Young, Two by Two, Vol. 2 (Justin Time)
Awards and recognition
- 1991: nominee, Juno Award for Best Jazz AlbumJuno Award for Contemporary Jazz Album of the YearThe Juno Award for "Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1977, as recognition each year for the best contemporary jazz album in Canada.-Best Jazz Album :...
, Renee Rosnes - 1992: winner, Juno Award for Best Jazz AlbumJuno Award for Contemporary Jazz Album of the YearThe Juno Award for "Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1977, as recognition each year for the best contemporary jazz album in Canada.-Best Jazz Album :...
, For The Moment - 1995: winner, Juno Award for Best Mainstream Jazz Album, "Free Trade"
- 1997: winner, Juno Award for Best Mainstream Jazz AlbumJuno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the YearThe Juno Award for "Traditional Jazz Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1977, as recognition each year for the best traditional jazz album in Canada...
, Ancestors - 1998: nominee, Juno Award for Best Mainstream Jazz AlbumJuno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the YearThe Juno Award for "Traditional Jazz Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1977, as recognition each year for the best traditional jazz album in Canada...
, As We Are Now - 2000: nominee, Juno Award for Best Traditional Jazz Album - InstrumentalJuno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the YearThe Juno Award for "Traditional Jazz Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1977, as recognition each year for the best traditional jazz album in Canada...
, Art & Soul - 2003: winner, Juno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the YearJuno Award for Traditional Jazz Album of the YearThe Juno Award for "Traditional Jazz Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1977, as recognition each year for the best traditional jazz album in Canada...
, Life On Earth - 2003: winner, SOCAN Composer of the Year
- 2005: winner, Western Canadian Music AwardWestern Canadian Music AwardsThe Western Canadian Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony for music in the western portion of Canada, that originated in its current form in 2003...
for Outstanding Jazz Recording of the Year, "Deep Cove" Ryga Rosnes Quartet
External links
- Renee Rosnes official website
- Renee Rosnes discography at JazzDiscography.com
- Canadian Encyclopedia: Renee Rosnes
- Blue Note (label): Renee Rosnes profile
See also
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- List of Canadian composers
- Canadian composers
- Bill CharlapBill CharlapWilliam Morrison Charlap is a jazz pianist born October 15, 1966 in New York City.Bill Charlap comes from a musical background and is a distant cousin to famed jazz pianist Dick Hyman. His mother, Sandy Stewart , is a singer who had a hit in 1962 with My Coloring Book, while his father was Broadway...