RENEE ROSNES - Artist Bio
Renee Rosnes has emerged as one of the premier jazz pianists and
composers of her generation. Canadian born, she began classical
piano studies at age three and became interested in jazz music in
high school. Shortly after relocating from Vancouver to New
York in 1986, Rosnes quickly established a reputation as a formidable talent. In 1987, she joined tenor saxophonist Joe
Henderson's band; in 1988, she spent a year with Wayne Shorter's
Quintet; in 1989, legendary trombonist JJ Johnson invited Rosnes to
become his pianist, and she performed and recorded with him for seven
years. Rosnes’
composition “Malaga Moon” was arranged for string
orchestra by the renowned Robert Farnon and recorded on Johnson’s
“Tangence.” Having toured with many of the greatest
masters, her resume reads like a who’s who of jazz.
Rosnes has released a series of nine highly acclaimed recordings for Blue Note Records,
four of which have garnered Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy.
Her latest release is "Black Narcissus" (2008),
with bassist Peter Washington and Lewis Nash,
and in September 2008, was awarded a Swing Journal "Gold Disc Award" in Japan.
This album celebrates the music of tenor master Joe Henderson. Other recent releases featuring Rosnes are Bobby Hutcherson:
"For Sentimental Reasons", the SF Jazz Collective: The Music of Thelonious Monk & Originals -
Live 2007, and the Gerald Wilson Orchestra: "In My Time."
Rosnes also shines in the context of larger ensembles, and was the pianist for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra,
led by Jon Faddis. She recorded three albums with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra and her 2003 Blue Note release:
"Renee Rosnes with the Danish Radio Big Band" features eight tracks, five of which were composed by Rosnes.
All Music Guide wrote: "The album is a crystalline wonder of tight writing, exceptional playing,
and painstaking attention to harmonic detail; it is a tapestry so varied and multidimensional in both conception and
execution that it stands in a class by itself."
Aside from leading bands, Rosnes is a nineteen-year member of the James Moody Quartet,
frequently performs with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, and continues to tour the world as a founding member of the SF Jazz Collective,
an all-star group that has featured such artists as Joshua Redman, Dave Douglas, Nicholas Payton, Miguel Zenon and Joe Lovano.
"Rosnes rubs balm in jaded ears. She offers exquisite balances of delicacy and power' witty and weighted ideas' assertiveness and deference."
- Down Beat
"If you looked closely' you would have sworn you saw steam rising from the piano at the Vanguard."
- The New York Sun
Canadian Jazz Great Renee Rosnes Weighs in on, Among Other Things, Her Upcoming Village Vanguard Stand and the Possibilities Inherent to 176 Keys.