Home » Jazz Musicians » Daniel Rosenthal

Daniel Rosenthal

Daniel Rosenthal is a Boston-based trumpeter/composer, and is a faculty member at Berklee College of Music, in the Ear Training department. He co-leads the group, The Rosenthals, with his father, Grammy-nominated bluegrass singer and string-player, Phil Rosenthal. He leads his own quintet (the Daniel Rosenthal Quintet), which features Charlie Kohlhase and Rick Stone on saxophones, Jef Charland on bass, and Luther Gray on drums. He also co-leads the newly formed Rosenthal/Hofbauer Quartet which features Eric Hofbauer on guitar, Aaron Darrell on bass and Austin McMahon on drums. He is also a co-leader of The Sommers Rosenthal Family Band, with his sister, Naomi Sommers, and father, Phil Rosenthal.

Dan is also a very in-demand sideman, performing in many well regarded jazz groups in Boston and beyond. He has been a member of the Grammy nominated jazz/latin/Ethiopian ensemble, The Either/Orchestra, since 2006. With the E/O, Dan has performed at stages throughout North America, Europe and Africa. He is also a member of the critically esteemed saxophonist, Charlie Kohlhase's, Explorers Club. He is a member of the Jazz Composers Collective, co-led by Allan Chase and Bruno Raberg. Dan is also a member of the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, the Allan Chase Septet, the Bathysphere Big Band (co-led by Pandelis Karayorgis and Jorrit Dijkstra), the Brian Friedland Sextet, and performs weddings frequently throughout the summer with the band, The Sultans.

Rosenthal released his debut cd as a leader, Lines, in 2011 to much critical success. He produced and co-led the debut recording by The Rosenthals, Fly Away, which was released in June of 2013, on the American Melody label. He produced and co-led the new release, "Down the Road,' by the Sommers Rosenthal Family Band, released in September of 2016. Daniel has also appeared on albums by The Either/Orchestra, Mulatu Atstatke, Anthony Braxton, Naomi Sommers, Phil Rosenthal, the David Wax Museum, Bathysphere Big Band (featuring Tony Malaby), Colin Stack, and Paolo Latanzi. New albums to be released in 2017 include Daniel's second jazz record as a leader, plus a new album by The Either/Orchestra, the debut recording by the Jazz Composers Collective, an album by the Ayn Inserto big band, and an instrumental album by Phil Rosenthal.

Daniel grew up in Guilford, CT and went on to study music at the New England Conservatory, earning his B.A. and M.M. in performance. At NEC, Daniel studied improvisation and composition with Steve Lacy, Bob Brookmeyer, John McNeil, and Jerry Bergonzi. He studied classical trumpet for four years with long-time Boston Symphony Orchestra principal trumpeter, Charles Schlueter. Daniel has also studied trumpet technique with Laurie Frink and Steve Emory. Aside from music, Daniel received his certification to teach the Alexander Technique from the Alexander Technique Training Center in Newton, MA, under the direction of Ruth Kilroy. (If you're not familiar with the Alexander Technique, check it out. It is very helpful for performers!)

Mehmet Ali Sanlikol: Turkish Hipster: Tales From Swing To Psychedelic

Read "Turkish Hipster: Tales From Swing To Psychedelic" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 8, 2023

Those who believe the term Turkish Hipster has to be an oxymoron should get to know composer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, a Turk whose seventh album, subtitled “Tales from Swing to Psychedelic," is about as hip as can be. Sanlikol knows where is going but chooses to get there in his own special way, using every weapon in his musical arsenal to create vivid sound pictures whose jazz components rest solidly within a Middle Eastern framework that set them apart from ...

Album Review

The JCA Orchestra: Live At The BPC

Read "Live At The BPC" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
January 13, 2021

The JCA Orchestra has been an important part of the Boston jazz scene since it formed in 1985. Several of its recordings are dominated by the compositions of its leader, Darrell Katz, but this live concert from the Berklee Performance Center features works by several orchestra members other than Katz and gives a fuller picture of the orchestra's range. Violinist Mimi Rabson contributes two atmospheric pieces. “Romanpole" is a musical culture clash inspired by the period when the ...

104

Album Review

Daniel Rosenthal: Music in the Room

Read "Music in the Room" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
December 10, 2017

Trumpeter Daniel Rosenthal and his fellow hornists have all performed with the fabled, Either / Orchestra which to some extent has been an institution for many top-flight Boston area jazz musicians. Here, the leader and the dual sax attack of Charles Kohlhase and Rick Stone incorporate brash and fluid soloing into a program that contains a divergent track mix and covers a multitude of angles, cadences and improvisational applications. Luther Gray has long been a drummer of choice ...

126

Album Review

Daniel Rosenthal: Lines

by Greg Simmons
September 1, 2011

Lines, Daniel Rosenthal's debut as a leader, is a soft-spoken little album with an unusual instrumental mix and inventive tunes. The Boston trumpeter, a five-year veteran of the Either/Orchestra, offers stripped-down arrangements with the periodic inclusion of the banjo to spice things up. With the exception of two Thelonious Monk tunes, Rosenthal is responsible for all of the music on Lines. The feel is loose and conversational, with improvisational duties largely swapped between Rosenthal and alto saxophonist Rick ...

114

Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Mood Music for Time Travelers

Read "Mood Music for Time Travelers" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
February 21, 2011

As saxophonist/founder Russ Gershon has noted, the 25-year history of the Either/Orchestra constitutes a quarter of jazz's eventful history. The changes in this large ensemble's music in part reflect wider trends and at the same time are the results of an organic evolution as members have come and gone. In the early years, Gershon plumbed the jazz cannon for repertory in addition to composing original material. However, arrangements of songs by Bob Dylan, Bing Crosby and Robert Fripp pointed to ...

176

Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Mood Music for Time Travellers

Read "Mood Music for Time Travellers" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
September 11, 2010

The past 25 years have been a time of transition for The Either/Orchestra. Members have come and gone and come back again. Their music has imbibed several styles and genres and grown all the richer. One of the sagest moves they made was the long, and fruitful, collaboration with Ethiopian music and with musicians that included Mahmoud Ahmed, Getachew Mekurya and Mulatu Astatke,For this recording, Russ Gershon wrote a couple of tunes geared to the organ after he ...

322

Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Mood Music For Time Travellers

Read "Mood Music For Time Travellers" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
September 4, 2010

A sense of calm and well-being pervades the Either/Orchestra's Mood Music For Time Travellers, investing its ten tunes with a warmth and good humor that makes the music immediately accessible, and also hides some of the compositions' complexities. It's a calm that comes from experience and confidence, this album celebrating Either/Orchestra's 25th year. The Massachusetts-based group, led by saxophonist and composer Russ Gershon, has a strong reputation for its work with Ethiopian musicians on albums such as ...

Recording

Jazz And Bluegrass: The Rosenthals, Father-son Duo, To Release Cd Collaboration "fly Away"

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
April 26, 2013

Trumpeter/composer Daniel Rosenthal grew up playing folk music in the family band led by his father, acclaimed vocalist, songwriter, and bluegrass string player Phil Rosenthal, but he didn’t follow in his dad’s footsteps. Instead, he poured his creative energy into jazz, becoming a key member of Boston’s storied Either/Orchestra and leading his own forward-thinking quintet. But The Rosenthals’ lifelong musical ties have recently asserted themselves, and on their first recording collaboration, Fly Away, father and son find plenty of common ...
read more

117

Recording

Boston-Based Trumpeter/Composer Daniel Rosenthal Debuts with "Lines," Sept. 13

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
August 2, 2011

Boston-based trumpeter and composer Daniel Rosenthal is a fresh, imaginative new name on the contemporary acoustic jazz scene. His debut CD, Lines, is set for September 13 release on his American Melody Records label. Rosenthal was mentored by legendary saxophonist Steve Lacy while studying at the New England Conservatory of Music, and is the son of acclaimed bluegrass singer/songwriter and string player Phil Rosenthal. He is an artist with a unique, engaging vision and is the latest rising jazz star ...
read more

press quotes about Fly Away (released June 4, 2013 on American Melody):

"Even the original pieces on the disc resonate with a genuine vintage sounding authenticity, almost as if they were written decades ago. They're the real deal, not faux, retro schlock. With their unique vibrancy and freshness, they don't sound old- timey, but just plain timeless. "Fly Away" soars on the wings of Daniel's lyrical, elegantly chosen brass lines, and Phil's finger-picking skills and wonderfully weathered, unpretentiously expressive baritone, evocative of Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash." Owen McNally, Hartford Courant

press quotes about Fly Away (released June 4, 2013 on American Melody):

"At once beautifully strange and deeply traditional... deeply steeped in the vernacular while spreading stylistically in all directions. Fly Away is one of those infrequent recordings that begs a reconsideration of what we label as musical styles." -C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz

"Trumpet playing composer Daniel Rosenthal was born to play music." -CriticalJazz.com

"Fly Away may end up being filed under folk, but that's too simplistic a resting place for this one; The Rosenthals don't really set up camp in one single place, and that's part of what makes this one so appealing." Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

“The sound is a delightful organic brew wafting out from the hippest back porch around. A shining example of the kind of amalgam music that has Jethro Burns smiling down on it, this is the kind of set you want in your collection for those times you want to listen to music that sounds like an old friend. Well done." Midwest Record

press quotes about Lines (released Sept 13, 2011 on American Melody):

"Daniel Rosenthal's album is marked by adventurous writing - and beautiful playing... Rosenthal's lines are so interesting that he gets you to focus more on what he's playing than on how (is he more like Chet Baker here? Don Cherry there?), until he releases a pearl-like string of notes, his rhythmic articulation a lesson in swing all by itself... the relaxed interplay between Rosenthal and Stone moves from solos to two-line counterpoint to unison themes, all with understated ease. The two here seem like halves of the same heart — creating lines that dart and pause, extended clusters of fast notes, long-toned arcs." -Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix

"Daniel Rosenthal's Lines is not a typical debut by a trumpeter in his 20s. For one thing, there’s little emphasis on speed for speed’s sake; chops generally play a subordi-nate role to the compositions. The album’s title comes from the horizontal nature of his tunes: He writes strong melodic lines, even if they come with odd meters, odd intervals and odd numbers of bars... the trumpeter’s tone retains a folkloric feel that echoes his upbringing. With his patient, rounded phrasing, Daniel is part of a generation of players following the trail blazed by producer Manfred Eicher, whose ECM Records has proven that jazz can be equally powerful with the open, organic sounds of a pastoral setting -Geoffrey Himes, Downbeat Magazine

"Rosenthal has a strong vision for his music, and his band supports that vision with deep symbiosis. The compositions are excellent, the band is stress-free, and the recording gives a genuine glimpse of the musical event. Lines is an excellent debut for a young trumpeter with a bright future." -Greg Simmons, All About Jazz

"Featuring 10 Rosenthal originals plus two Monk tunes, the new CD is graced with a fluent conversational tone. It crackles with fresh ideas sparked by contrapuntal conversations between Rosenthal and alto saxophonist Rick Stone. Rosenthal's improvised lines, which resonate with a gorgeous classical tone, stream along with a natural flow, showing a knack for the lyrical while taking surprising, fresh melodic twists and bends." -Owen McNally, Hartford Courant

"Out of Boston's innovative Either/Orchestra comes trumpeter and composer Daniel Rosenthal. His debut record, Lines, is a sturdy introduction to his talents and musical vision... Rosenthal's group tackles his compositions with creativity and a nose for sheer invention... a record about clouding distinctions and walking across genre boundaries. Rosenthal’s quartet handles the task subtly and with flavour." -Jordan Richardson, Canadian Audiophile

"Dusting off a couple of Monk tracks to keep in the spirit of things, Rosenthal acquits himself with high marks for a solo debut. A solid, left leaning winner throughout." -Chris Spector, Midwest Record

"Daniel Rosenthal's Lines is a rewarding 60 minutes and reminds me why my standard disclaimer when dealing with jazz is so silly." -Josh Hathaway, Blinded by Sound

Show less

Primary Instrument

Trumpet

Location

Boston

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

I currently teach trumpet at Lexington High School, Milton High School, and privately in Newton, Brookline and Boston. Please inquire for rates and availability.