Jazz isn’t dead. If you try, even a little, particularly in a city like Chicago, you’ll find a thriving community of brilliant, inventive musicians doing impressive work on a nightly basis. This site has seen a couple of exhortations of my love for the Chicago improvised music/jazz scene, but it has not seen nearly enough (and no matter how many articles I write, it will never be). So, I thought I’d take a moment to single out another gem among the panoply of music-heroes Chicago has to offer. It’s definitely a name to take note of.
Drummer/composer Frank Rosaly sits very near the center of the Chicago scene, collaborating with damn near everyone. His MySpace lists 17 separate groups that he works with, including the sublime Keefe Jackson’s Fast Citizens (with Jackson on reeds, Josh Berman on cornet and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello among others), the Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten Quintet (named after the Norwegian bassist of The Thing and Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker), and the Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio (who have released two excellent records, Terminal Valentine and Other Valentines). Plus, he’s often played with legends like Michael Zerang, Ken Vandermark, and Peter Brotzmann.
Rosaly’s drumming is easily recognizable, on record and live . It melts between the perfect complimentary player and the ultimate standout. His rhythms are unstoppable and perfectly timed. His solos are imaginative and expressive.
If that isn‘t enough, he’s a composer. Last year, Rosaly released a three CD set entitled Milkwork on his own Molk record label. This year, he’s re-releasing it with Contraphonic records as a single disc. The release show at Chicago’s Hideout will feature a solo set, followed by a set of Rosaly compositions by new group Oxbow (which features James Falzone, Jason Stein and Keefe Jackson on assorted reeds, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes and Jason Roebke on bass). However, the Milkwork pieces will be the main draw, at least for me.
Rosaly’s MySpace currently features a few selections from the new record, and they sound brilliant. “NY Prices” kicks off with a rapid fire tapping and popping kit solo, with layers of (having seen Rosaly live, what I would guess to be) metallic bowl shuffled into the rhythm perfectly. Around two and a half minutes in, he shifts to a stronger approach, thumping away at a syncopated counter-rhythm. Eventually, the original rhythm is added in bit by bit by his feet on the cymbal pedals, his hands continuing the new rhythm. This sort of dualism is something that only strong drummers have, this ability to mix multiple rhythms with either set of appendages. Near five minutes into the piece, Rosaly leaves the kit behind, instead focusing on the tuned, metallic bowls, tapping them in the same rhythm, but now producing a mellow, loping melody of sorts.
“Six”, another gem, adds an entirely new aspect to Rosaly as a composer. This piece begins with a bit of analog electronic squawk. The synth drones, while a second line oscillates and squiggles around behind it. Then comes the drum. Again, Rosaly’s rhythmic control shines. His seemingly random spatters of drum are a perfectly timed call and response with the electronics. The drone loops between tones as the drumming stumbles around perfectly and the oscillation gurgles.
This will certainly be a record to pick up for any fan of jazz or any fan of drumming. It will be a limited edition vinyl, though, so seek it out at your earliest convenience.
