Renee Rosnes Stirs Up the Musical Melting Pot

Canadian-born pianist Renee Rosnes has one of the most enviable resumes in jazz. Among the many musical associations it lists are pairings with the likes of Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Branford Marsalis, James Moody and J.J. Johnson. In addition, Rosnes has released a series of well-crafted, musically imaginative recordings that feature her crisp, bop-based improvisation and envelope-stretching compositions.

So why is it that she continues to have--insofar as the wider jazz audience is concerned--such relatively low visibility? While I hesitate to identify sexism as a primary cause, I wouldn’t eliminate it either, given the genre’s traditionally male domination. In this sometimes misogynistic environment, female jazz instrumentalists have frequently faced a rocky climb to prominence. (Don’t be dissuaded by Diana Krall’s remarkable successes; despite her fine piano playing, it is her voice that is generating sales of tons of CDs.)

Rosnes is far from the only female jazz artist obliged to deal with the perilous, even Sisyphean, aspects faced by women in their ascent to the music’s upper levels. In recent years alone, a great deal of compelling music--from fine players such as Lynn Arriale, Geri Allen, Jane Ira Bloom, Sara Cion, Eliane Elias, Myra Melford and Jane Bunnett, to name only a few--has received considerably less notice than deserved. It’s especially unfortunate in the case of Rosnes, given the growingly impressive quality of her work, and the expanding horizons of her musical vision.

“Life on Earth” (***1/2, Blue Note), scheduled for release Tuesday, is an important album, not just for Rosnes, but for jazz as a whole. With this recording, she makes a persuasive case for the music’s capacity to interface in meaningful creative fashion with elements of other musical cultures. Such synthesis is not new, of course, dating from Jelly Roll Morton’s fascination with the “Spanish tinge” to the recent appearances by Pharoah Sanders, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter on an album by Ethiopian singer Gigi. But Rosnes brings together a surprisingly diverse collection of global elements into a rich, seamless tapestry of musical colors.

Among the international players present: Indian tabla drummer Zakir Hussain, Senegalese djembe (West African drum) player Mor Thiam and Brazilian percussionist Duduka Da Fonseca. Add to that a Western contingent of drummers Jeff “Tain” Watts and Billy Drummond (Rosnes’ husband); bassists John Patitucci and Christian McBride; saxophonists Chris Potter and Walt Weiskopf and trombonist (and conch shell player) Steve Turre. That’s a load of talent, and Rosnes makes the most of it in atmospheric originals seasoned by lovely piano trio renderings of the Fran Landesman-Tommy Wolf cabaret classic “Ballad of the Sad Young Men,” and “Nana,” from a suite of Andalusian folk songs arranged by Manuel De Falla.

In the originals, Rosnes’ solutions to the problems of stylistic integration are startlingly effective: the way, for example, she links the harmonies of her improvising on “Empress Afternoon” to the single-pitch rhythms of Hussain’s tabla drumming; the high-life feel of “Senegal Son,” with Steve Nelson added on marimba, Shelley Brown on alto flute and Thiam on percussion and vocal sounds; the use of sampled Balinese monk chants in “Hanuman”; and the addition of chanting from Native American singer Kevin Tarrant on “Icelight,” a piece inspired by Rosnes’ memories of the Canadian Northwest.

This may all sound like a musical grab bag, but it’s much more than that, a musical mosaic shimmering with dazzling combinations of sound and rhythm on virtually every track. If there’s any justice in the world, “Life on Earth” is the album that will introduce many more listeners to Rosnes’ exceptional talents.

IN THE BOOK BAG: It’s not easy to write about jazz or, for that matter, any other kind of music. But that doesn’t stop the determined authors who annually produce dozens of jazz books--from biographies and critical essays to review collections and novels. The last month or so has seen the publication of three interesting, if occasionally uneven, works:

“88: The Giants of Jazz Piano” by Robert L. Doerschuk (Backbeat Books). The numerical title of the collection of capsule biographies refers to the number of keys on a standard piano. A convenient device, perhaps, but an artifice that has nothing to do with the number of artists who should or shouldn’t have been included. That said, Doerschuk has assembled a useful brief reference work embracing the careers of--to mention some of the more prominent stylists included--Jelly Roll Morton, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, Randy Weston and McCoy Tyner. But among the numerous important pianists omitted: Andrew Hill, Junior Mance, Mel Powell, Herbie Nichols and Horace Tapscott.

“Gil Evans: Out of the Cool” by Stephanie Stein Crease (A Cappella). It’s surprising that it’s taken this long for an in-depth biography of Evans, a pianist-orchestrator whose collaborations with Miles Davis produced some of the most essential recordings in jazz history. Crease is generally long on detail and short on insight, however. For example, she provides chapter and verse on the details surrounding the studio sessions for the collaboration with Davis on “Porgy and Bess,” “Sketches of Spain” and other large-ensemble recordings, without dipping into Evans’ feelings regarding his complex relationship--emotional and financial--with Davis. Although we learn a great deal about the passage points in Evans’ life, we discover far too little about the inner currents that drove this gifted but enigmatic artist.

“Trumpet Kings” by Scott Yanow (Backbeat Books). Does Yanow ever sleep? This latest effort is his fifth jazz reference work in less than two years. Unlike Doerschuk, Yanow is not limited to a preset number of entries, and includes capsule biographies of no fewer than 479 trumpeters. If you’ve got a favorite, he’s probably included here. Yanow does a workmanlike job of positioning his large cast of characters biographically and musically. As an added bonus, many of the entries include recommended recordings, videos, film appearances and reference works.

2002 promises a busy schedule of new jazz tomes. Among the titles listed for publication in the next few months:

January--”Open the Door: The Life and Music of Betty Carter” by William R. Bauer (University of Michigan Press); “Something to Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn” by Walter Van De Leur (Oxford University Press).

February--”Lester Leaps In: The Life and Times of Lester ‘Pres’ Young” by Douglas Henry Daniels (Beacon Press); “With Only My Violin: The Memoirs of Stephane Grappelli” by Grappelli and Jean-Marc Bramy (Welcome Rain).

March--”Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie” by Albert Murray (Da Capo Press).

May--”Looking for Chet Baker,” an Evan Horne Mystery by Bill Moody (Walker & Co.).

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Don Heckman writes frequently about jazz for The Times.