Kelly Rossum - Line Reviews

Another trumpeter who has been hard at work in the last few years is Kelly Rossum. Line (612 Sides) is his third album as a leader, and the album begins with the brief "Line I", clocking in at just under two minutes. The song is very energetic and just as you're getting into his playing, it feels as if someone had pulled out the plug. It then goes into "La Vita a Roma" (free MP3 download, 6.24mb), and the energetic mood makes a quick shift into something more serious. With a 5/4 tempo, Rossum plays a dialogue between saxophonists Woody Witt and Chris Thompson, and it sounds as if it could be a group of friends speaking outside of a cafe while lunch hour approaches and incoming traffic increases. They play in unison but for a brief moment drift into a bit of freedom where one doesn't know which sounds are coming and going from what direction, before reassembling as the crowds and traffic slowly calm down. In the right moments, one could also imagine sunrise and sunset through their playing.

The mood makes a shift from the traditional to something much more modern in "Sitting On The Dock Looking At Stars" (free MP3 download, mb), a horn section glazing slowly over some drum'n'bass-tempo rhythms, as if In A Silent Way was recorded in 1998 with Medeski, Martin & Wood. "Sand Dunes" sounds like it would have been embraced by Charles Mingus or Sonny Rollins with the way the sounds just creep on you throughout, and how it leads to a sense of wonderment. "Places Of The Mindful" is on the meditative side, which also allows Rossum to show off what he has learned during some of his worldly travels in recent years. There's no defined tempo with this one, but just as "Sitting On The Dock Looking At Stars" had the group working up at a frantic pace, "Places Of The Mindful" is much more peaceful, where you can hear each musician play and contribute to the aura of the song, and to take in the sounds of your own surroundings for just a moment. It's a nice surprise to an album that moves with such force, to be able to stop for a bit of calm with sounds featuring a Middle Eastern flair, which may very well be Rossum's intention.

There's an incredible amount of style and originality with this guy, not only holding to the traditions of jazz but also looking into more recent genres for inspiration, where one could easily hear him adapt to the sounds of Roni Size, Goldie, or St. Germaine. The musicianship on this release sounds right, as if they have been friends for years and this is what they were meant to do. Both Witt and Thompson have played with him many times over the years, but also makes this work is the almost-psychic awareness between brothers Chris Bates (Bass) and J.T. Bates (drums). There's a backbone to almost every jazz combo, but these guys have it locked down on a level most musicians can never reach, and Rossum knows this by pushing them to their limits while they do the same for him. (On a side note, both Bates brothers are also involved in countless projects, with Chris recently being signed to the Rhymesayers label for a unique hip-hop project).



Home	Performance Schedule	About Kelly Rossum	Contact and Press Info	Discography	FREE Downloads