[Kelly Rossum] The type of Free Jazz of which you are referring is called ‘Free-Bop.’ The

Ornette Coleman

[Jazz Police] If it doesn't swing (uses straight eighths) and "the musician will bring his/her own musical history to the table, be it swing, polka, rock or rap", without jazz rhythms, jazz harmonies, chord progressions, in what way is it still jazz? Could it just as well be called "free hip-hop", "Free Polka", or "Free Rock"?

[Kelly Rossum] Without meaning to ask more questions; why are latin rhythms allowed into the “jazz” canon? Those straight eighth rhythms do not swing, nor do they contain strict jazz hamonies or jazz voicings. Why is that still called jazz? Because of Dizzy Gillespie’s use of Cuban musicians and rhythms? Hmmm…. I cannot define jazz. I can only assimilate the influences found within my ear and hopefully communicate those influences effectively to the listener. Jazz is a way of life; Jazz is a state of being; freedom is a goal of humanity; Free Jazz is people improvising together using their own life experiences as a guide.


[Jazz Police] If free jazz is not based on a set of changes and fixed rhythm, how do the musicians know what's gong on?

[Kelly Rossum] Consider a conversation; you may know what topic needs to be addressed, but when you engage in the dialogue, the conversation may turn a different direction. How many times have we started complaining about work only

Photo by Andrea Canter

[Jazz Police] I notice that free jazz often incorporates a lot of overblowing and other methods to produce sounds that the instrument was not designed to produce, what is the significance of these 'other sounds' in free jazz?

[Kelly Rossum] Most jazz music, as well as most classical music, is composed with the ‘correct’ sound of the instrument in mind. Over the years, the trumpet has developed a pure, resonant sound that composers have been attracted to and therefore required for their music. When improvising free jazz, the composer and the musician are the same person. With no limitations on the required ‘sound’ of the instrument, all options are valid. I have gone as far as turning the trumpet around and blowing straight into the bell of the horn! The music required an extreme statement, and I had the freedom to produce a very unique sound to fit that musical situation. Overblowing, bending notes, removing portions of the instrument, vocalizations, percussive sounds and general ‘bad’ tone are distinct of creating tension with your sound. The difficulty in listening to these ‘other sounds’ is to go beyond the act of creation and to deal directly with the musical effect. Many audiences are so distracted by the unusual, they are unable to appreciate the ensemble and the manner of which the ‘noises’ are incorporated within the phrase.

[Jazz Police] Do you think that free jazz always be on the fringe?

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

[Kelly Rossum] Yes, pop music (popular music) in the United States will never embrace the intellect required to appreciate free jazz. I love pop music and I listen to it regularly; there is no negative connotations meant by that statement. Much of the time, when I listen to music, I do not want to use my intellect. Music can be used for many purposes, free jazz does not work well for many of those purposes. Can you imagine Don Cherry coming through the speakers at the grocery store?

Kelly Rossum can be heard on tour around town with many different ensembles including his quintet (click here to read our review of their recent CD “Renovations”), the jazz/rock/electronica group Electropolis, the Jazz is NOW! Nonet, Blowzone (a funk band that features a tight 5-piece horn section), / Ellen Lease Quintet. He can also be heard in a special performance of “Out to Lunch, The Works of Eric Dolphy”, sponsored by the Twin Cities Jazz Society's J to Z concert series on Febrary 17^th , 2006. See his website for complete tour and gig listings: www.krossum.com

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