Note: This is the fourth in a series of profiles of the artists who will perform at the Twin Cities Hot Summer Jazz Festival, June 12-26.

One of the Twin Cities' most innovative jazz artists, trumpeter Kelly Rossum and his Quartet will add to the summer heat in St. Paul’s Lowertown when the Hot Summer Jazz Festival invades Mears Park, Saturday, June 18^th, at 3:00 pm.

Photo by Andrea Canter

Wisconsin native Kelly Rossum comes by his musical chops honestly--his father played clarinet in college and in an Army band; his mother was an accomplished pianist. But it was Dizzy Gillespie’s performance on an episode of Sesame Street that first attracted young Kelly to jazz. Starting out on a rented cornet, he was soon playing along with Doc Severinson records on his new Bach trumpet. He cites as his primary (and very eclectic) influences Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and J.S. Bach. After completing high school in Omaha and undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska, Rossum earned a Master’s degree at the University of North Texas in classical trumpet, and is working toward completing his doctorate this fall at the University of Minnesota with a specialization in baroque trumpet.

However, he says, “I’ve always played jazz. The recordings that I played along with as a kid were jazz records from the late 70s. The first record I bought was Miles Davis, ‘Round About Midnight. Even through high school, I played jazz and arranged pop music for a small pep band. Since the trumpet is such a difficult instrument, I needed to study from the best players I could find; hence, classical trumpet lessons. The technical proficiency needed to meet the demands of classical music is a great challenge that I continue to face today.”

After working as the big band director at Busch Gardens in Virginia, Rossum moved to Minneapolis in 1996. Since then, he has freelanced in rock, swing, jazz and classical ensembles and performed with the Lyra Consort; he is on the faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music as a trumpet and jazz instructor. With his own jazz bands, Rossum released the all acoustic Party’s Over/Begun (2002, Yebo). Last year he released Renovation (612 Sides), which was named one of the top 20 local albums of 2004 by the Star Tribune and one of the top 10 by City Pages. Noted Courtney Lewis in Minnesota Monthly, Renovation “solidifies what the local jazz scene has come to love about him: studious authority and the knowledge necessary to pull off unconventional compositions and instrumental choices.”

These days, Kelly Rossum keeps busy with his many projects: His Quintet (featured on Renovation) includes saxophonist Chris Thomson, pianist Chris Lomheim, bassist Michael O’Brien, and drummer J.T. Bates; Electropolis is an experimental jazz/rock band featuring electric bass, sax and trumpet with drums; Exit 50 is a full jazz ensemble focused on performing and recording original new music. Rossum also plays with funk band, Blowzone, with an avant garde quintet led by Pat Moriarty and Ellen Lease, with the Jazz Is Now! Orchestra, and with Pete Whitman’s X-Tet.

Classical and Jazz

Rossum still plays and studies classical trumpet, and considers his classical experience as an invaluable influence on his jazz chops: “It helps to inform my compositional attitude in regards to open-mindedness and atmosphere. Electronica and Heavy Metal genres also influence my compositional choices. Technically, it solidifies my foundations as a trumpet player. Without getting into too much detail, this refers to four basic issues when playing brass instruments: air (how to breath and blow), tone (the sound of your instrument), embouchure (formation and placement of the lips, jaw and tongue), and finger dexterity (accurate fast notes). Musical regimens of scales, ‘lip’ slurs, and long tones are mandatory for classical musicians, yet many jazz musicians overlook these fundamental aspects of the instrument. Wynton Marsalis is an excellent example of how solid fundamentals improve your jazz performance.”

Further, Rossum regards his work in jazz as directly contributing to his skills as a classical trumpeter: “The performer’s mindset, while freely improvising jazz music, approaches a Zen-like state of being; this is the ultimate goal in any style of musical experience. Jazz musicians understand the freedom of improvisation and the allowance of partial ideas or interruptions in the thought process while communicating with the other members of the ensemble. The problem that arises in classical music is the predetermined expectations of a successful performance. Everybody involved in a classical performance (musicians, conductor, composer, and, to a certain extent, the audience members) has a preconceived notion of the musical goal before the concert begins. In simple terms, the notes are written and ‘mistakes’ are real. This creates a difficult expectation of perfection for the advanced performer. My jazz experience has allowed me to accept the inherent mistakes of performance and now the weight of perfection has been lifted. It is much easier for me to allow the music to flow to the audience rather than focus too heavily on the accurate portrayal of the printed note.”

At Mears Park

Photo by Andrea Canter

Regarding the quartet he is bringing to the upcoming jazz festival, he noted, “I am fortunate to be playing with some of the finest musicians in the country at this year’s Hot Summer Jazz Festival. It may sound like a stretch, but I truly believe they are worthy of such praise. The quartet consists of Chris Thomson, tenor sax; Michael O’Brien, bass; J.T. Bates, drums; and myself. These guys travel the world and already have had incredible careers. Chris Thomson has toured Japan as well as the United States and J.T. Bates has performed in Europe countless times. Michael O’Brien, I’m sad to announce, will be leaving the Mini-Apple this summer for the Big Apple. We all wish him well in the jazz capital of the world.”

More often playing in a quintet format, Rossum notes the advantages and challenges of this piano-less ensemble. “The instrumentation of the quartet allows for more creativity and flexibility within the harmonic choices of the horn lines. Without a chordal instrument, the improvisations can dance freely around the structure of the tune. This line-up evokes thoughts of the famous Chet Baker/ Gerry Mulligan bands and the Ornette Coleman/ Don Cherry collaborations of the 50s, although our music is quite different.”

Of the music he plans to perform, Rossum indicated that most will be “from my book of original material as well as a couple of intriguing covers.” The fact that this performance will not be in the usual club environment but on an outdoor stage in mid-afternoon will have some impact on the music. “We try to keep the energy level high at large outdoor venues. This high energy music transfers well over longer distances and louder audiences!”

Grab your lawn chairs and hold on to your ears!

All the events at Mears Park on June 18^th are free! Music gets underway at noon—see www.hotsummerjazz.com for the full festival schedule. Hear the Kelly Rossum Quartet from 3-4 pm; Rossum will also be on the MacPhail clinic stage on Sunday afternoon, June 26^th. For more information about Kelly Rossum, his recordings, and gig calendar, visit his website at www.krossum.com. Quotes from Jazz Police interview with Kelly Rossum unless otherwise noted.

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