Kelly Rossum - Renovation Liner Notes

Chris Thomson is a regular at my club and he is one of the hardest swinging players on the scene. His tone is rich and full and his conception is grounded in the blues. I have heard him play for years, and he has developed a swinging, soulful and restless style. His playing on the record is probing and melodic throughout but listen to him in particular on “The Two of Us.” He also has some of the best shirts on the scene and superb taste in shoes.

The other Chris, Chris Lomheim, is the most sensitive and romantic player you will hear around the Twin Cities' scene. He has prodigious piano technique and an individual ear for harmony. Listen to how thoroughly he has absorbed the sounds and influences of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett and incorporated them in his own playing. His playing is also witty and optimistic. Chris possesses a warm and open heart and makes everyone feel a part of the good times.

Michael O'Brien is the hardest working bass player on the scene. He stays later at jam sessions and is always ready to play. He possesses a huge sound on the upright bass and technique that is almost too proficient. Listen to his entrance on the first song - a simple line but delivered with conviction. He is a restless player and known for an extroverted style and tremendous power. Michael's support is excellent throughout and he is unafraid to interject his own ideas. He is definitely one of the nicest cats you will meet.

JT Bates, well, I really can't say enough about his playing. He is inventive, sensitive and supportive. His playing is unorthodox but well grounded in the great drumming tradition. Listen to him on any track of this record and you will hear an individual, fully developed sound. His playing on the ballad, “Fly Away” is a lesson in brushwork. He swings and grooves as hard as any drummer I have heard. It is that simple. Plus, he is very funny and always on a good vibe.

“Cheap Cigars” is a simple harmonic structure over a rhythm inspired by some of the things happening in drum and bass music and electronica. It is remarkable to hear how these jazz musicians have adapted those grooves to their purposes. JT's drumming on this track is understated and masterful. Kelly's muted trumpet is highly melodic throughout as if he were enjoying a Swisher Sweets cigarillo.

“Lead Soldiers” is a static groove that shows the influence of FM radio in the eighties. But the loping melody and each player’s statement elevates it far beyond the confines of radio formula. You have to dig Chris Thomson throughout, and JT is constantly inventive and fluid over the static line in the bass and Rhodes piano.

“Fly Away” is ballad dedicated to the great bassist Ray Brown just after his passing. Chris Lomheim shows us just how rich the jazz harmonic palette is. And Kelly’s playing is heartfelt and accurate throughout. Michael’s bass playing is supportive and deep.

“Bugpowder” is an Ornette Coleman tune written for the movie Naked Lunch, directed by David Cronenberg. The tune is a great example of how strong Ornette’s musical sense is. It’s a short trip in this version but hard swinging.

“Disposable Assets” is a Michael O’Brien tune with an opened ended form. If I remember right, Michael wrote this tune to convey how modern military reality can turn soldiers in to a disposable commodity.

“Life on Mars” is, well, a bit of a pastiche. The chord structure is simple and the groove is more or less static, with traces of “Songs in the Key of Life.” Chris Thomson and JT show throughout just how adaptable the modern jazz musician has become. Kelly loves all things Miles Davis and his solo shows a strong Miles fusion era influence.

“Little Wing” is one of Jimi Hendrix’s great tunes and I haven’t met many players who don’t love it. Lomheim’s chords on this are wild. He is a musician who always follows his ear and his sense of reconstruction is relentless. It is nice to hear the band in full acoustic mode for this performance. Like most great songs, this one is about a girl.

“Hennepin Bridge” is a short portrait of practicing the trumpet under a bridge spanning the Mississippi river. Most horn players will, at one time or anther, practice on or under a bridge.

“Taxi Funeral Waltz” is a Charles Mingus tune. I mean Kelly wrote it and his band plays it, but it was clearly written with the great bass player in mind. That is a good thing.

“Glass Wheel” is another grab bag of styles. Kelly told me that the title refers to the “most illogical material to choose when designing a wheel”. The groove is a backbeat with the typical JT invention. There are elements of free jazz. Michael is again on the electric bass for an extended solo that is relentlessly technical.

“The Two of Us.” This is too much bias for liner notes, but this is my favorite tune on the record. It is simple, pretty, and in a nice trick, through-composed. This means the song is progressive and more difficult than it sounds. Everyone plays great and who doesn’t love the sound of the Rhodes?

“Frances Loop” – always leave on a good vibe! I know the studio trick that made the piano sound like that but I am not telling.

Jeremy Walker
Co-Founder of Brilliant Corners
and artistic director of Jazz is NOW!

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