New York pianist Russ Lossing, known for his inventive work with his trio Three-Part Invention alongside bassist Mark Helias and trumpeter Ralph Alessi, steps into the spotlight alone on Inventions, a solo piano album that showcases his unique ability to weave quick-witted, spontaneous improvisations with beautifully introspective moments in this captivating set of live studio performances.
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Includes an 8-page color booklet of images and liner notes by Bill Meyer
UPC: 0730706014895
Label: Blaser Music
Catalog ID: SONGS002CD
Squidco Product Code: 35300
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: France
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels w/ booklet
Recorded at Square Water Studios, in Pennsylvania, in May, 2023, to January, 2024.
"In 2023 Russ Lossing released Alternate Side Parking Music, a CD by his band King Vulture. Its tense rhythms, acid-toned Wurlitzer and Rhodes electric pianos, and titular acknowledgement of the travails of car ownership all betray the influence of living and creating in an urban environment. Even before the record was out, Lossing put the city in his rearview mirror. He now lives in a house on three acres out in the country near the Delaware Water Gap. With no neighbors close by, he can play through the night if he likes, and he never has to forsake the piano to park his car.
Just as Alternate Side Parking Music reflects the circumstances of city living, Inventions: A Suite of Improvisations can be understood in light of the setting in which it was made. Lossing recorded it on his own piano, in his living room, at night. He took his time, selecting the suite's six parts from pieces recorded between May 2023 and January 2024. But it does not seek to express the view from his room. The setting is a not a resource to be mined, but a precondition which enables Lossing to access the mindset necessary to spontaneously conceive and articulate this complex but logically organized music.
Lossing is no stranger to solo improvisation. While he has led his own bands for decades, and is a versatile, engaged facilitator of other people's music, solitary exploration within a determined framework is at the core of his creative practice. "I began classical piano studies in 1965 at the age of five. When I was ten years old, I became fully aware of the concept of improvisation. At that point I began my daily practicing by improvising before I started working on my lesson material. At first, I would improvise for 10-15 minutes non-stop, and then gradually increase the time to one hour over the next couple of years. Over the decades I developed my own vocabulary, concepts and strategies." Inventions is founded upon a lifelong study and practice of music, full stop. "My influences are very broad. All western classical music, all Jazz, Folkloric music of the world, Indian classical music, Electronic and Musique Concrete from history, Gamelan and the list goes on."
It is also born of an enduring, intimate relationship with the piano. Lossing proceeds with absolute confidence, both in the process that gives rise to each piece's thematic development and the technique that articulates it. He throws down in the first twenty seconds of the first invention, beginning with a theme, exposing one of its implications, and then restating it in light of what he's found. What he plays in that time span is information-rich, providing raw material for intricate statements to come and establishing the pace at which he will take them. It also issues a prescription for lucidity, which Lossing adheres to throughout the suite. Follow "Invention II" as it patiently descends a staircase of pitch and navigates a hallway of options, patient but never hesitant. That patience manifests differently on "Invention III;" the phrasing starts quick and gets quicker, but pauses permit the listener to sit with them, breath, and then continue. On each of these pieces, and the three that follow, he imagines and elaborates upon a sonic structure, taking the listener into a psychic and sensate space as real as any avenue or acreage."-Bill Meyer, from the liner notes
Includes an 8-page color booklet of images and liner notes by Bill Meyer
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Russ Lossing "Russ Lossing (born 1960) is an American jazz pianist, composer, improviser, arranger, educator, scholar. Early life Lossing was born in Ohio in 1960, and is from Columbus, Ohio. He had classical piano lessons from the age of 5 and began studying jazz aged 13 in Columbus at the Jazz and Contemporary Workshop with Dave Wheeler. After high school Lossing went on the road with a wide variety of bands including jazz, funk, rock, pop and country music for four years before attending university. He obtained a Bachelor of Music in piano at Ohio State University in 1986. In the early 1980s meetings with composer John Cage had a big effect: We only had two occasions to get together and talk, but any time spent with him was utterly valuable. He read through my scores we played piano together. His thing was creating, not emulating: don't copy; trust YOURSELF. I was already going in this direction but this experience, listening to Cage's concepts and philosophy in this setting, made so much sense. Later life and career Lossing has been part of the New York jazz scene since 1986. In 1988 he earned a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music. He has led or co-led numerous bands, including: his own trio with Masa Kamaguchi and Billy Mintz; Three-Part Invention with bassist Mark Helias and trumpeter Ralph Alessi; and duos with saxophonist Tim Berne, drummer Gerry Hemingway, and guitarist Ben Monder. Others are: trio with Paul Motian and Ed Schuller (Dreamer and As It Grows); trio with Mat Maneri and Mark Dresser (Metal Rat); trio with John Hebert and Jeff Williams (Phrase 6); quartet with Loren Stillman, John Hebert and Eric McPherson (Personal Tonal); King Vulture with Adam Kolker, Matt Pavolka and Dayeon Seok; and duos with saxophonist Loren Stillman, bassist John Hebert (Line Up,Hatology), and saxophonost Michael Adkins. Lossing played with drummer Paul Motian over a period of 12 years and recorded Drum Music, a solo piano tribute album to him in 2011. The JazzTimes reviewer of Drum Music commented that "his two-fisted takes on 'Fiasco', 'Dance' and 'Drum Music' capture the great drummer's unpredictable and audacious rhythmic pulse. Lossing's stark re-imaginings of [... other Motian pieces] all vibrate with a new spirit of exploration." Swiss newspaper Der Sonntag wrote that "Drum Music is a stunning improvisational solo recital, a convincing plunge into 10 Motian compositions. This is music in between contemporary jazz and up to date tonal concert music." Lossing has performed in some of the world's leading jazz festivals including the London, Vienna, Harlem, Cully (Switzerland), Toronto and Venice (Italy) Jazz festivals to name just a few. He has also performed in jazz clubs in New York and Europe including The Village Vanguard (with Paul Motian), Blue Note NYC, The Jazz Standard, Birdland, Porgy and Bess (Vienna), Unterfahrt (Munich), Jazz Club Ferrara (Italy) and many more over a span of 25 years. In February 2016, Lossing was invited by John Zorn to do a week long residency at The Stone NYC in which he presented 12 of his ensembles over 6 nights. Lossing has composed over 400 pieces of music in many genres including jazz, contemporary classical (solo piano works, string quartets, orchestral works and song cycles), song writing in various styles, pop, rock, funk, fusion (in early life), film scoring (30+ films).[citation needed] In 2015, he founded the record label Aqua Piazza." ^ Hide Bio for Russ Lossing
9/25/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
1. Inventions I 8:19
2. Inventions II 8:14
3. Inventions III 6:48
4. Inventions IV 4:14
5. Inventions V 8:34
6. Inventions VI 7:37
Improvised Music
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Free Improvisation
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