Volume CXXXIII, Number 8 November 2, 2001 f

Jazz Quartet to perform at Bowdoin
CONOR WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER

Renee Rosnes, touted as one of contemporary jazz's finest pianists, will sweep into Bowdoin off of a Carnegie Hall appearance in New York City and give a master class prior to the performance Saturday night. The quartet is also composed of her husband Billy Drummond on drums, Walt Weiskopf on saxophone, and Doug Weiss on bass. Critics have described the group as "alacritous," "subtle," and "graceful."

Courtesy of healdsburgjazzfestival.com

Her recent album, Art and Soul, is her sixth release with Blue Note records, capturing what her website calls "imaginative and soulful…rendering a diverse collection of tunes-from the Beatles to Bartok, from Ornette Coleman to Duke Ellington-with her distinctive touch." Art and Soul is critically acclaimed as one of the best contemporary jazz albums of the last several years.

Rosnes's headliner recording career began in 1989 with her self-titled debut album, but her roots are buried much deeper. She began studying the piano at age three and the violin at five. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, she grew up in Vancouver and studied music at the University of Toronto. However, she developed her jazz talents in the local clubs and on Canadian radio. In 1986 she moved to New York to unofficially study under living legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and other experienced musicians of the city's diverse and active scene. She has performed with other musical greats such as Wayne Shorter, Branford Marsalis, Joe Henderson, and Buster Williams.

Music columnist Bob Young of the Boston Globe commented that "Rosnes has carved out for herself a reputation as one of jazz's new bright lights. She has impressed veterans of the bebop and free jazz wars with a crisp, uncluttered approach to improvisation that respects, but doesn't genuflect to, the music of the past...Her exposure to a variety of artists has prodded her to develop a clear voice all her own." Such praise of Rosnes's music is typical, and she has rapidly secured a place for herself as a mainstay in the modern jazz world.

Bowdoin's Kresge Auditorium in the Visual Arts Center will host Renee Rosnes and her Jazz Quartet at 7:30 p.m. this coming Saturday, November 3. The concert is part of the Bowdoin College Department of Music Concert Series. Tickets for the show are available at the Smith Union Information Desk and are free with a Bowdoin ID.