Kelly Rossum - "Take Note: Kelly Rossum" Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, January 2005

His style: Initially, I emulated the jazz masters and the heroes of the trumpet world, while at the same time listening to Iron Maiden and Living Color. I’m finally playing the music I want to play, as compared with the music I think critics would like me to play. Jazz purists argue that a swing rhythm must dominate the jazz idiom; I contend that jazz can be an all-encompassing art that has the flexibility to include any musical style. Recently, I have allowed music from my youth to enter into my “jazz” performances.

Local jazz scene: Outstanding! Minneapolis’s music scene is well known across the country for its world-class musicians, excellent clubs and venues, and strong support from the artistic community.

What’s missing: A major-label presence.

On his list: Fat Kid Wednesdays, Happy Apple, and Moveable Feast,
to name a few.

All-time favorite musician: A tie between Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and Bach.

Coperformer who most impressed him: English conductor, organist, and music educator Dir David Willcocks.

Advice for pro jazz-musician hopefuls: Practice. It sounds so simple, yet it is still the true key to success. Wynton Marsalis said, “Everyone wants to be the hero, but nobody wants to go out and slay the dragon.”

Next up: I’m earning my doctorate of musical arts at the University of Minnesota and assembling materials for a Free Jazz master class in Bangkok, Thailand, for the International Trumpet Guild Conference this coming June.

Born: November 8, 1970, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Calls Home: Minneapolis’s Lyndale Neighborhood

You may know him from: His latest CD, RENOVATION, or his involvement with, among many other groups, Kelly Rossum Quintet, Electropolis, Jazz Is Now! Orchestra, MacPhail Center for Music, Alicia Wiley Quintet, Vic Volare, Martin Zellar, Boogie Wonderland, and the Lyra Baroque Orchestra

Catch his act: Kelly Rossum Quintet, January 6. Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-332-1010, krossum.com, dakotacooks.com



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