Kelly Rossum - "Trumpeter Rossum Shares His Thoughts" By Tom Ineck

Editor: Rather than submit to the conventional phone interview, trumpeter Kelly Rossum suggested an e-mail exchange that could be printed in its entirety as a Q&A piece. Rossum enthusiastically responded to a variety of written inquiries regarding his music education, the scene in his adopted Twin Cities, his musical influences, his current projects and his teaching career. Like any good interview subject, Rossum went well beyond the basic Q&A format to express himself eloquently on a range of subjects.

Q: How did you get started in music, specifically jazz music?

A: I think Dizzy is probably to blame for me playing the trumpet. He was on a "Sesame Street" episode in the early ‘70s and I remember wanting to play the horn immediately after that show. When the band director went around and asked each kid what instrument they wanted to play, my immediate answer was “trumpet!” No hesitation. It wasn’t until much later in high school that I was turned on to Miles and jazz music. My first Miles record was "‘Round about Midnight." Wow, did I wear the grooves out of that record!

Throughout my musical training, the general pattern was: practice classical music, listen to jazz, and perform both. I still focus most of my practice on the fundamental aspects of trumpet performance--“classical trumpet playing.” Within the past few years, jazz music has become more to me than just an idiom, it has become a way of approaching music as a whole. The essence of jazz is communication and expression through improvisation. I try to bring that essence to all music that I compose and perform; whether it is jazz, classical, rock or “other.”

Q: How important was your education and musical experience in Lincoln, Nebraska? Who did you learn from and play with here?

A: I would never trade the time that I spent in Lincoln with time that could have been spent elsewhere. Lincoln was the perfect incubator for my musical career. Between the masterful teaching of (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) Professor Dennis Schneider and the supportive body of Lincoln’s professional musicians, I consider myself lucky to have spent five years in such company (1988-1993). I often refer to Denny as the reason that I’m a professional trumpet player. He is a magical teacher, constantly and patiently supportive of his students yet at the same time not afraid to let the hammer fall. “Straight Ahead.” Thanks, Denny.

Another musician to whom I owe a great debt is pianist John Carlini. He hosted a series of Tuesday night free-jazz sessions in his loft that left a deep impact on me. At the time, these sessions were just a great outlet to blow off steam. We would get our gear setup and someone would start playing whatever came into their head, with no formal outline of structure or key. Three hours later, we’d look up and realize “time flies when you’re having fun!” I still have some tapes of these sessions… great stuff.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another musical icon of the Capital City, First-Plymouth Congregational Church's music director Jack Levick. He and the Plymouth Brass gave me a home away from home in a first-rate musical environment. Jack even lent me a space heater when the furnace broke at my apartment! Their 1992 recording, "A Festival of Carols and Music for Royal Occasions," with Sir David Willcocks and the Plymouth Brass, has the unique place in my history as being the first CD released with my name on it. (I’ve recorded about 30 CDs since then.)

Other Lincoln musicians who had great impact on me were those surrounding the Mother’s Big Band/ Nebraska Diamond Band (now the Monday Night Big Band) and the Bobby Layne/ Reflections Orchestra. The scene at that time was made up of a fairly small group of people and they always respected me as a musician and fellow professional. Only now, years later, do I realize that they could have just as easily treated me like some naïve, long-haired college kid, not worth their kindness or camaraderie. Lincoln is a great town!

Q: When did you leave Lincoln, where to, and why? Did you go from here to North Texas or directly to the Twin Cities?

A: I left Lincoln after receiving my bachelor of music degree from UNL and went directly to the University of North Texas to pursue my master's degree in classical trumpet performance. Then I worked out east at Busch Gardens for a couple of years, running their big band. After that, I finally set up shop in Minneapolis.

Q: What kind of scene did you find in Minneapolis-St. Paul? How inspirational or productive has it been for you and your music?

A: When I moved to Minneapolis, I was aware of the fantastic commercial and rock scene that produced musicians like Prince and the Revolution, Morris Day and the Time, and producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The world-class St. Paul Chamber Orchestra was just a stone’s throw away and the stellar Minnesota Orchestra’s home was about two blocks away from the school that I now teach at, MacPhail Center for Music. The big surprise upon moving to Minneapolis has been the supportive and experimental jazz scene. The Twin Cities has a long history of jazz culture stemming from the overflow of ex-New Yorkers and Chicago transplants intermixing with the deep Minnesota scene. After the swing craze of the late ‘90s passed, the club void has slowly been filled with an underground cutting-edge jazz scene. Bands like Happy Apple and The Bad Plus both emerged from this environment. The proverbial cross-pollination between electronica, rock, free jazz, and traditional post-bop "modern" jazz, has produced a unique flower here in Minneapolis. This hothouse of styles has allowed my music to grow in an artistic, uncompromising manner. Incredible inspiration is around every corner.

Q: Your CD "Renovation" had strong echoes of Miles Davis, especially his later “fusion” years. How much of an influence is Miles? Who else would you name as influential and why?

A: Thanks! Any time someone mentions Miles Davis in relation to my own work, I feel honored and humbled. Miles reflects the essence of jazz. Not just his music, but his drive to find new sounds and concepts, while maintaining a working band of the best musicians on the scene. I could talk about Miles for hours, so I’ll leave it with, YES, Miles was a huge impact on my music. However, none of it was intentional. My intense Miles Davis phase lasted about six years, from 1989 to 1995. Since then, I’ve expanded my listening to include as much jazz and other styles as possible. I would list Clark Terry, Jimi Hendrix, J.S. Bach, Charles Mingus and Iron Maiden as additional significant influences on my work. Recently, I’ve been exploring Ornette Coleman’s music and the circle of musicians surrounding his recordings, as well as a great band called Boards of Canada.

Q: You have created recording and performing opportunities for yourself by playing in many different bands, even writing for film. What different groups and projects are you part of now? Why? How does each of these settings and styles help you grow musically?

A: Life as a musician is neither as glamorous nor as simple as most people think. The comparison that I most often use is that of a circus performer spinning plates on the stage. Once a plate is spinning on top of a five-foot pole, the performer runs to spin another plate on top of another pole, and then runs to spin another plate, etc. There is a limit to how many plates any one individual can have spinning at the same time. The trick is twofold--know your limit of how many plates (musical projects) that you can spin at one time, and make each spinning plate feel like it’s the only one on stage (plates have feelings, too!). All creative professionals need to express themselves in a variety of settings. Miles Davis was an excellent painter/visual artist. My interests vary widely in scope, and the Minneapolis scene is strong enough to offer plenty of different opportunities. Currently (outside of my own jazz work), I am writing another score for a short film, producing a CD for a funk horn band, composing music for jazz nonet, finishing a series of commissions for beginning jazz combo, and graduating this fall with a doctorate in classical trumpet performance from the University of Minnesota. Each of these projects requires different skills, yet they all help to contribute to my overall musical approach. There are only two types of music, good and bad. When, as a musician, you surround yourself with good music and great musicians, the results are hopefully those that audiences find enjoyable, and will come back again to hear more.

Q: Which Kelly Rossum will we hear in Lincoln Nov. 10? Who will accompany you? How has your style and repertoire evolved since "Renovation"?

A: Since the partially electric album "Renovation," I’ve gone back to an acoustic format for this tour and my upcoming 2006 recording. The music still has a groove-oriented base, but the harmonic construction of the tunes is much freer than the through-composed work of "Renovation." I always want everybody to have fun at the show, both the musicians and the audience. Some of the cover tunes come from unexpected places, such as "Sesame Street" or pop ‘80s hits. I've borrowed the instrumentation of Ornette’s pianoless quartet for my current quartet. The musicians are: Myself, trumpet; Chris Thomson, tenor and soprano saxophones; Chris Bates, double bass; and J.T. Bates, drums and percussion. They bring life to the music, and the dialogue between the members on the stand flows as freely as the audience’s conversation did before the set began. These excellent musicians are also innovators with their own projects and collaborations. Chris Thomson has been around the world with the Glenn Miller orchestra, J.T. has toured Europe with his band Fat Kid Wednesdays, and Chris Bates was a 1999 McKnight Composer Fellow.

Q: Are you writing? What is your current composing routine? What inspires your compositions? Name some recent creations.

A: My writing is based on project-driven deadlines. Unfortunately, this fall is too busy to compose as much as I would like. My recent creative works stem from my travels over the past year or so. I’ve been to Rome, Bangkok, Honolulu, New York and even Omaha! Each of these cities has a different culture and vibe to the streets; I’ve tried to reflect that feeling in a few of my new compositions.

Q: You’re also teaching at the MacPhail Center for Music. How do you balance this educational aspect of your career with the composing, performing and recording aspects?

A: I enjoy teaching and will always maintain a private studio no matter where my performance career leads me. The trumpet is not an easy instrument to play, yet with every great challenge there can be great rewards. I enjoy coaching students through their own great challenges. I’ve had some memorable moments during the course of my teaching that I will cherish forever. My favorite story involves two students from my current jazz combo at MacPhail Center for Music. I try to get the groups out into the clubs to give them as much ‘real jazz’ experience as possible.

Wynton Marsalis was in town a couple of years ago playing at a small club. It was a special night; he very rarely hits those intimate settings anymore while on the road. So in between tunes he looks out to the crowd and chats with a couple of young kids in the front row:

Wynton: “Do you guys play instruments?”

Students: “Yes, the trumpet” and “Yeah, the drums”

Wynton: “Keep practicing and someday you will play here.”

Students: “We already have!” Laughter and applause all around…

Q: What’s next in your busy life?

A: I will be in Houston for a week doing concerts and master classes with a long-time friend and Nebraska native, tenor saxophonist Woody Witt. Woody has just released a new CD on Apria Records featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker. Check it out!

Q: Anything else you want to talk about?

A: Yes, I’d like to give a special thanks to Butch Berman and the Berman Music Foundation for their incredible support of creative music here in the heartland of the United States. Since it is highly unlikely that the current administration will increase the national funding available to artists, more private and corporate foundations need to step up to the plate and support our nation’s music–jazz. I applaud Mr. Berman and his staff for the excellent contribution they have made and continue to make to our national treasure.



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