09/11 - Saturday :: Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio

Featuring:

Stephan Crump on Bass Website

Jamie Fox on Guitar Website

Liberty Ellman on Guitar Website

Check out: New York Times article on the Rosetta Trio

Memphis-bred Brooklynite bassist/composer Stephan Crump will perform with his unique all-string Rosetta Trio in support of their new Sunnyside Records release, Reclamation. Featuring nine intensely personal compositions including the polyglot “Pernambuco,” a piece commissioned by 92nd St Y and New York Guitar Festival, Reclamation is a declaration of a unique new compositional voice.

The freshness of the compositions is matched by the intimate synergy of the ensemble, first convened on the 2006 release Rosetta that gave the trio its name. Reviewers were ecstatic about the “engaging and sublime meeting” of Crump on acoustic bass with guitarists Liberty Ellman and Jamie Fox. “Here is a string ensemble for the new century!" raved Donald Elfman in All About Jazz NY. Having toured the US and UK and performed together in a varied contexts for years, Rosetta Trio has developed into a formidable unit, sensitively and powerfully rendering Crump’s often profound, sometimes playful and always honest music.

The diverse array of sounds and sources on display is a natural extension of Crump’s varied work as a performer. Known for transforming his instrument into a speaking entity with a magnetic pull on audiences, Crump recently launched his solo performance career as an invited artist at the 2009 International Society of Bassists conference. 2010 will see the release of new recordings documenting his free-improvised duo collaborations with both alto saxophonist Steve Lehman and pianist James Carney. Crump has received special notice of late for his 10 years of collaboration with pianist/composer Vijay Iyer, whose 2009 trio release, Historicity, has been heralded a game-changing jazz recording. “Someone’s got to be the Holy Spirit, representing your faith that this jazz will breathe..” noted Ben Ratliff in his New York Times review of a Vijay Iyer Trio performance in NYC, “It’s the bassist, of course, cutting through with big, wise, rounded notes.”

The elegance and purposeful groove of Crump’s playing, making him much more than a “sideman”, are also on display outside of the jazz world, most often with the Jim Campilongo Electric Trio and with Crump’s wife, the radiant singer/songwriter Jen Chapin, with whom he has worked as a bassist, arranger, and producer. Over the years, Crump’s performances on both acoustic and electric bass have been heard across North America and Europe with Joel Harrison, Mahavishnu Project, Bobby Previte, Patti Austin, Gordon Gano, Lucy Kaplansky, Big Ass Truck, and the late Johnny Clyde Copeland. His compositions can be heard in Miramax, HBO, Showtime, Bravo, Granada America and Simple Focus Films, as well as on his earlier albums as a leader: Poems and Other Things, Tuckahoe and Rosetta.

Stephan Crump's Rosetta trio features Stephan Crump on bass, Jamie Fox on guitar, and Liberty Ellman on guitar as well. This trio has been together for some time, and will put on a show that you wont want to miss.

Julian's Website

22-year-old Julian Waterfall Pollack, described as a "ferociously assured and creatively dazzling pianist, composer, and arranger" by the San Francisco Chronicle, is quickly emerging as one of the most exciting young pianists on the jazz scene today. A child prodigy, he started studying classical piano at age 5 with his mother. While in high school he received many awards including the Level One Gold Prize from the National Advancement of the Arts and a full-ride scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. Instead of going to Boston, Pollack decided to move to New York in 2006 to study jazz piano and composition at New York University. In his first year of college Pollack was invited to be featured on Marian McPartland's renowned NPR radio show, Piano Jazz. This last May, he debuted at the Blue Note in New York City by opening for Chick Corea with his trio. Recently, Julian was featured on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle's prestigious arts section, Ovation, and his new album, "Infinite Playground," has been receiving rave reviews.

"...completely formed, full of innovative insights, technical skills and lyrical nuance..." - ALL ABOUT JAZZ

"...not only a fine pianist, but a dynamic composer..." - EJAZZNEWS.COM