Kelly Rossum

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Kelly Rossum is a jazz trumpet player and composer currently residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. His new album, Line, will be released in October of 2006. Regarding the concept behind the recording, Kelly said, “Art contains many lines; they linger long after their creation. Lines of motion, melodies and thought are intertwined on this offering. Follow the lines…” This music is a logical next step in his evolution as an artist that started many years ago.

Born in 1970, Kelly Rossum was fortunate to arrive into a musical family. His father was a clarinetist in college and in the Army band and his mother was an accomplished amateur pianist at an early age. As a young child, Kelly was surrounded by music, both on the stereo (quadraphonic) and live in the living room. As many children of the 70's may remember, Sesame Street was a daytime hit and a pioneer in children's television. Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie once played as a guest on that show, and Kelly was hooked. He began playing in the school band program during the summer of 1980 on a rental cornet. By the following year, he was playing along with his parent’s Doc Severinson records. In 1985 he bought his first Miles Davis record, 'Round about Midnight and from that moment on, Miles has stood the test of time as his favorite jazz musician.

After graduating high school in 1988, Kelly Rossum continued down a path of musical education at various universities across the country. First, he studied with the renowned trumpet professor Dennis Schneider at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He then attended the University of North Texas, well known for their jazz program, however as a classical trumpeter. After UNT, he finished his collegiate studies at the University of Minnesota. All of his university training had focused on classical trumpet playing. Kelly said, “Since the trumpet is such a difficult instrument to master, classical training will give you the technical ability to play anything you want. Once you thoroughly understand the instrument, stylistic choices become just that, choices. Not limitations.” Now he passes on his experiences to younger students through teaching. Kelly Rossum is on the faculty at MacPhail Center for Music, the nation's second largest community music school, where he teaches trumpet and jazz.

When Kelly moved to Minneapolis in 1996, he knew he found a nurturing artistic environment to continue his process. Home to a thriving jazz scene as well as world-class orchestras, here was a place to develop professionally. Kelly freelanced with rock, swing, jazz and classical musicians as well as performing with the acclaimed Lyra Consort. Yet jazz remained his true calling and in the year 2000 Kelly started his own quintet to perform original jazz compositions.

Kelly Rossum is gaining an international reputation as a creative force in the definition of modern jazz. It is difficult to describe his style as anything but unique; combining the traditions of swing, bop and free jazz with the innovations of electronica, ambient and trance music. Kelly has presented music master classes throughout the United States as well as in Europe and Asia. He has appeared on more than 20 CD recordings as well as studio sessions for Asche & Spencer and is currently the Jazz Coordinator at MacPhail Center for Music in downtown Minneapolis.

His first recording as a leader, Party's Over/Begun, was released in 2002 through Yebo Productions. This CD documents many of Rossum's early compositions in an acoustic jazz format. There are also original compositions by band members Michael O'Brien, Ellen Lease and Woody Witt. Kelly said of the disc, “This recording will always have a special place in my heart, nothing is as exciting to be in the studio for the first time listening to a burning playback of your music.” Party’s Over/Begun received strong reviews on the national scene and continues to climb in sales through Internet outlets.

Renovation was Rossum's second recording, released in May of 2004 on the 612 Sides label. “I wanted to challenge some of the conventions in jazz. The styles and forms are slightly different than one would expect from a traditional jazz album. We added electric Rhodes piano and electric bass for some tunes and the resulting sound combinations are fantastic,” said Kelly. The CD and its musicians had been nominated for four Minnesota Music Awards. Renovation was included in the “Twin Cities Critics Tally: The top 20 local albums of 2004” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and was chosen by the City Pages among the “Top 10 local albums of the year.”

Kelly Rossum’s latest release, Line, will be available in October of 2006 on the 612 Sides label. Influenced by the pianoless sound of Ornette Coleman’s quartets, Line is a concept album devoted to exploring free harmonies through melodic development. The instrumentation for the CD includes: trumpet, two saxophones, plus bass and drums. Kelly invited long time musical collaborator Woody Witt to join his Minneapolis based band of Chris Thomson, Chris Bates and JT Bates for the recording. “This CD has been the most fun to record; it was a wild time, and I think we captured that feeling on the disc!”