160
Brooklyn, NY
| Rossi: 160iTunes Artist's PageiTunes Album Page | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Song Title | Time | Price | |
| 1. | Chrome | 02:21 | $0.99 |
| 2. | Albi No. 1 | 07:57 | $0.99 |
| 3. | 12 No. 2 | 03:27 | $0.99 |
| 4. | Albi No. 2 | 01:53 | $0.99 |
| 5. | Doll Fee | 02:38 | $0.99 |
| 6. | 12 No. 1 | 02:33 | $0.99 |
| 7. | Flunk No. 2 | 02:13 | $0.99 |
| 8. | Euro | 03:01 | $0.99 |
| 9. | Dmitri | 03:22 | $0.99 |
| 10. | 4 & 5 | 03:24 | $0.99 |
| 11. | Chinaski | 03:05 | $0.99 |
| 12. | Flunk No. 1 | 02:45 | $0.99 |
| 13. | Meds | 01:54 | $0.99 |
| 14. | Drone | 03:02 | $0.99 |
| 15. | Ogre Dude | 01:10 | $0.99 |
Mick Rossi’s 160 began as a score for a short documentary film by Matt Dine about the German oboist and instrument maker Albrecht Mayer. Fully fleshed out to be a standalone recording, the result is music that transcends genres—typical of the artist’s voice. A veteran of New York’s Downtown scene, Brooklynite Rossi creates a recording of contrasts: beauty and discord, whimsy and gravitas, virtuosity and rawness. Dense. And intense. Multi-tracked in real time, Rossi plays all of the diverse instruments, including out-of-tune organs, drums with brooms, harmonium with a Rat pedal and a dog toy. All at 160 bpm.
Pianist, percussionist, and composer Mick Rossi is known for his progressive, diverse work that has been described as ”an exemplar of the cross-fertilization between jazz and classical music worlds...the smile-creating mix of humor, surprise, gorgeous sounds and virtuosity…Bartokian and energetic.” (All About Jazz / NY Times).
A sixteen-year Philip Glass collaborator / ensemble member (as pianist, percussionist and assistant conductor), and member of the Paul Simon band, Rossi has collaborated worldwide with artists as diverse as Sting, Leonard Cohen, Renee Fleming, Dave Douglas and Kelly Clarkson. He recently conducted Glass’ “Book Of Longing” at the Sydney Opera House, the Public Theatre’s ”The Bacchae” and “Einstein On The Beach” worldwide. He has appeared on nine Glass recordings, including ”Music in 12-Parts,” “Koyaanisqatsi Live with the NY Philharmonic” and ”Orion.”
His third string quartet was recently performed at the Tribeca New Music Festival by the JACK Quartet (”Shostakovichian paranoia‘ — NY Times), and “OMNI,” commissioned and performed by yMusic for the Festival Of New Trumpet. 160 is his tenth release. In addition to Innova, he has recorded for Knitting Factory, OmniTone, Orange Mountain Music, and Tzadik among many others. His work has been featured in numerous venues, including MoMA, Carnegie Hall, BAM, The Knitting Factory, The Stone, Le Poisson Rouge, Tonic, MATA, and Barbes. In addition to being a Hermitage Fellow, he has been in residence as curator/performer at Spectrum NYC since 2013.
"160 is not among the more jazz-oriented items in the Rossi catalog, yet jazz is part of the whole. If the quirky arrangements and wry songcraft of Randy Newman, Carla Bley and Henry Threadgill, surreal textures of Low/Heroes-era David Bowie and/or the entrancing minimalism of Glass and Terry Riley appeal, Mr. Rossi has got your number." - Mark Keresman
"Originally conceived as a musical score for the documentary "Albi's Oboe" by Matt Dine, 160 (tempo used for the entire recording) moves beyond its initial purpose to become an opera itself, innovative and independent. Mick Rossi plays, besides his usual instruments such as piano and drums, various other instruments recorded live, bringing to life a masterpiece difficult to label, beyond genres. 160 is clearly a faithful mirror of the versatility of an artist that has been part of the Philip Glass ensemble since 2000, touring and recording with Paul Simon and who collaborates with artists such as Dave Douglas, Steve Bernstein, Wadada Leo Smith, Sting and Leonard Cohen just to mention few. The record has fifteen pieces, most of them under three minutes in length—just "Albi No. 1" reaches eight minutes—but divided in multiple segments; fifteen photograms of a movie that you can create in your own mind. In 160 we find the whimsical and frenetic energy of cartoon music, pressing and obsessive rhythmic drones, pyrotechnic boutade, dreamy sequences made by soft arpeggi, pieces of circus music and the presence of electronic music with the use of samples. However, most of all, we find Mick's incredible talent in composition and orchestration using uncommon sound sources. A phantasmagoric music world." - Vincenzo Roggero
"Rossi uses piano and percussion along with numerous electronic sounds to create senses of urgency (as in "Chrome" and other tracks), action (as in "4 and 5" and others), and reflection (as in "Chinaski" and others), perhaps depicting events in the film. Rossi frequently combines the multiplicity of his instruments and electronic effects to generate layers of sound, with innovative harmonies and rhythms further characterizing these relatively short tracks (average length of three minutes). The last two cuts, "Drone" and "Ogre Dude," ramp up the drama in part by employing significant dynamic contrast including big-time crescendos in the percussion instruments." [FULL ARTICLE] - Don Lerman
