Russ Lossing, piano

Album Liner notes by Ben Monder:
"I have known Russ Lossing for close to 25 years now, and it has been inspiring to watch the trajectory of his growth as an artist. We played together for some years in the great saxophonist/composer John O'Gallagher's band. John writes some of the most challenging music to improvise on that I have encountered, and I was always amazed at how Russ would master these intricacies almost immediately, and begin to play on John's forms with as much freedom and conviction as if he had written them himself.
Russ' improvisational prowess and singular voice come to full fruition on this release. It is an hour long snapshot, but one which effectively represents a distillation of his life's work up to this point. One hears references to a number of sources: foremost perhaps is a deep immersion in the language of 20th/21st century classical music, but a lifetime of playing jazz, the music of Paul Motian, and the blues are all at times invoked as well. However, these sources are thoroughly assimilated into a palette that is utterly personal.
Remarkably, this entire recording was performed in real time - an unedited hour's worth of improvisation divided into 11 discrete tracks. Yet each track stands as a world unto itself, internally coherent and distinct. The amount of structural integrity is striking given its extemporaneous nature, and this is why repeated listening will yield the reward of continual discovery. The music on this record is by turn lyrical, angular, lyrically angular, mercurial, glacial, dense and spacious, sometimes all in the course of a single track. And while this is very much an acoustic piano album, Russ sounds at times like an orchestra, a horn section, and even an electronic ensemble. The attentive listener will be thoroughly engaged from start to finish; one is compelled to follow each train of thought as it proceeds in the spirit of inevitable surprise. Structures are built, dissembled, and rebuilt with authority and playfulness. Ideas are pursued, explored, discarded when appropriate; everything seems to be in spontaneous balance and there does not seem to be a wasted or superfluous note or gesture. But above all one gets a sense of absolute commitment and surrender to each moment.

It is fascinating to share this trip through the synapses of a fearless, nimble, and unfettered mind."

- Ben Monder
New York City, April 2015

11 Water Over Fire

10 Not So

09 Blood Vanishes

08 If So

07 Open Flame

06 As Is

05 If Ever

04 Upper And Lower Unite

03 Distant Earth

02 Moving Shadow

01 Eclipse

La même pièce que celles que j'ai transcrite pour orchestre il y a quelque temps, ici jouée sur piano comme je l'ai composée originalement.

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Delicately

Jim Perkins & Javi Lobe - Delicately

Compositeur. J'ai commencé le piano fin 2019, des cours d'écriture musicale depuis fin 2020, et je suis en L1 musicologie

Producer, composer, founder of Bigo & Twigetti
Latest releases: linktr.ee/jimperkins

Pianist, composer and improviser Russ Lossing, based in New York City for over 35 years, is at the forefront of creative jazz performing and recording with Paul Motian, Mark Helias, Billy Hart, Dave Liebman, Samuel Blaser, Michael Formanek, Eric McPherson, Tim Berne, Billy Mintz, Cameron Brown, Gerry Hemingway, Ralph Alessi, Mat Maneri, Drew Gress, Oliver Lake, Kirk Knuffke, Gerald Cleaver, Gordon Grdina and many others.

Lossing has 21 albums as leader on European and American record labels hatOLOGY, Ezz-Thetics, Sunnyside, Cleanfeed, Fresh Sound, Double Time, Steeplechase and OmniTone labels. Lossing was named “Rising Star” in the Down Beat Magazine Critics Poll from 2015-2021. Lossing played with master drummer Paul Motian over a period of 12 years performing and recording including a week-long stint at the Village Vanguard as a member of Motian’s Quintet. He has toured world-wide playing major jazz clubs and festivals both as leader and side-man. In 2015, he founded his label Aqua Piazza Records.

New tracks tagged #modern classical