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Kelly Rossum: Party's Over/Begun

By Dan McClenaghan
November 4, 2002
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Trumpeter Kelly Rossum and the quintet open up Party's Over/Begun relaxed and loose-jointed on bass man Michael O'Brian's "Scatterlogic", a rollicking straight ahead quintet workout. Stretched (like a rubberband) trumpet lines, rhythm rolling free and easy. Sounds like the band tried and tried to record it just right, then gave up and said, "What the hell; let's just cut loose and have a good time on this take." And they nailed it. Reviewer speculation, to be sure, but it's a hellva a good time listen, and a great opener to the CD.

The Rossum-penned "The Witch" bops along, tenorist Witt sounding sort of (early)Coltranish; and on "Little Mary", another Rossum song, the trumpeter breaks out the mute. The song has a lovely, lyrical melody; Rossum's mute work is superb. The performance sounds like a lost track from Miles Davis's last marathon Prestige Records session, a thoughtful take on an obscure classic, a forgotten Cole Porter Show tune, say, that features a delicately beautiful rhythm section interlude.

The ten and a half minute "Sand Dunes" may be the highlight, Rossum's trumpet echoing mid-sixties Miles or seventies Freddie Hubbard. Witt sounds Wayne Shorterish in front of a relaxed rhythm. And then—the highlight within the highlight—an oddly gorgeous piano solo by Ellen Lease: classical inflections giving way to Satoko Fujii-ish free playing.

"The Mighty Monarch of the Air" is, according ot the liner notes, the name of an old 78 RPM record player/radio; but the way Rossum floats his trumpet notes over the light-stepping rhythm brings the butterfly to mind.

They close out with "Rush Hour", a free-ish tune, angular blowing, with pianist Lease flying into a Cecil Taylor mode.

A fine quintet set, a lot of stylistic diversity in the compositions, the package held together into an artistic whole by the versatality of the musicians. A must have CD for fans of the sax and trumpet in front of the rhythm section quintet mode, and a (if I were a betting man) precursor to solo CDs by each and ever band member.

Track Listing

Scatterlogic, The Witch, Little Mary, Toxic Fruit, Sand Dunes, Through the Fog, Lowlands, Majestic Monarch of the Air, a.m. quiet, Rush Hour

Personnel

Kelly Rossum

trumpet

Kelly Rossum, trumpet; Woody Witt, tenor sax; Ellen Lease, piano; Michael O'Brian, bass; Edgar Olivera, drums

Album information

Title: Party's Over/Begun | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Yebo Productions

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