Jazz Articles about Roswell Rudd

Roswell Rudd: Blown Bone

by Clifford Allen
January 1, 2007

Trombonist and composer Roswell Rudd's third decade on the modern jazz scene showed listeners something more than a robust Archie Shepp sideman or a co-leader of the New York Art Quartet. For those accomplishments alone he would have been revered, but the '70s saw his palette expand into orchestral composition and varied long-form suites, as well as a burgeoning interest in African and Asian musics that has recently come into flower.

Originally released on a scarce Japanese Philips LP, Blown ...

Roswell Rudd / Mark Dresser: Airwalkers

by Troy Collins
December 20, 2006

Airwalkers brings together two of contemporary music's finest improvisers, trombonist Roswell Rudd and bassist Mark Dresser, for an informal duo session. Trombone and bass may not be typical duo partners, but these two make a sympathetic and adventurous pair.

Roswell Rudd has experienced an array of musical situations most players will never dream of. A student of Herbie Nichols, a peer to Archie Shepp and Steve Lacy, and a world traveler who has recorded with musicians in Mongolia ...

Roswell Rudd: Blown Bone

by John Eyles
October 4, 2006

Recorded in March 1976 (with an unreleased interlude from 1967 added here) and only ever released in Japan in 1979, this album is a little lost gem. Unusually for an Emanem release, it features not free improv but straight-ahead jazz. This album is labelled “File under: Jazz (Free/Blues/Latin) --not a common designation for the label.

Central to the album's success are the quality of the band and the quality of Rudd's writing and arranging. The band brims over with talent; ...

Roswell Rudd and the Mongolian Buryat Band: Blue Mongol

by John Kelman
November 5, 2005

Cross-cultural fusions are not only common these days, they're de rigueur in some circles. It's always encouraging to see artists who are well-established and in their senior years throw caution to the wind and look for ways to keep their outlook fresh and invigorated.

Over the course of his seventy years, trombonist Roswell Rudd has worked in everything from straight-ahead jazz to Dixieland, although he's perhaps best known on the vanguard of the avant-garde. But in the early part of ...

Roswell Rudd/Toumani Diabate: MALIcool

by John Kelman
July 14, 2004

Most closely associated with free jazz and the avant-garde, trombonist Roswell Rudd is, in fact, a highly diverse player who has worked in Dixieland, not to mention the less- glamorous but equally necessary-to-survive confines of hotel resort bands. Thankfully, in the past few years his visibility has been raised once again with projects including the eclectic Broad Strokes and the two-volume Unheard Herbie Nichols. Nowhere, however, has his more melodious side been so successfully coupled with a broader sense of ...

A Fireside Chat with Roswell Rudd

by AAJ Staff
February 21, 2004

I once saw Roswell Rudd play a show with Steve Lacy where he rapped about soap. At the time, in the confusion, I was unable to fully appreciate what it was he was doing. I thought it was avant, but now (with maturity and the grace of wisdom in age) I have come to realize that if anything, it was at least interesting, which is far more than I can say for most of the music that is coming down ...

The Artist Formerly Known as Avant-Garde!

by AAJ Staff
December 20, 2003

This article was submitted on behalf of Roswell Rudd.

Back in the 1960's, avant-garde was one of the terms used to categorize the new music. Because I was coming from Dixieland Jazz into this new music, the term struck me as strange and a little inappropriate. My understanding in those days was that the term was used particularly with those of us involved with free improvisation.

Most recently my patience was piqued by a reference to my playing at The ...