‘A WAY TO EXPRESS WHAT I’M FEELING’
Young New York City jazz pianist brings his love of musical exploration to Ottawa for two shows
Jazz pianist Ben Rosenblum has packed an awful lot of music, achievements and travels into his 25 years.
The New York City native's strikingly mature and wellhoned abilities have earned him performance opportunities from Yokohama to Delhi, from Italy to Lincoln Center and the famed Blue Note club in his hometown.
In the next week, Rosenblum's touring will bring him to the Quebec City-Toronto corridor for a road trip that includes a half-dozen gigs, two of which will be in Ottawa. His quartet, which includes Montreal guitarist Sam Kirmayer, will play music from Rosenblum's new album, River City. While the tour's intimate jazz clubs and lounges may be less exotic or high profile than Rosenblum's other destinations, he is raring to play just the same.
“Every time I perform for an audience in a new place, I realize just how universal this music can be, and how important it is for artists to create a space where people can connect and share a bond with each other,” he says.
Below, Rosenblum details the evolution of his globetrotting and
hard-swinging talent.
Q When did you begin playing piano, and how and when did the jazz bug bite?
A I began playing piano when I was five, so I always joke that I don't remember a time when I didn't play. I got more serious about playing when I began to learn about jazz around age 12. I always loved just sitting down at the piano and playing without music, before I knew anything about jazz music or improvisation. My mom is a lifelong jazz fan, so when she heard me doing this, she introduced me to jazz piano, first through the free-form improvisations of Keith Jarrett. I began listening to Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington and all of my piano heroes, and I was completely hooked.
Q What about jazz appealed to you from the get-go, and how has your appreciation of it grown over the years?
A When I was younger, I was not nearly as talkative as I am today. I think improvisation first appealed to me because it was a way to express what I was feeling through a language and a medium that was more comfortable to me than speaking.
As I began to mature and develop friendships through jazz, I learned that jazz has a powerful way of bringing people together from all different backgrounds. It is a music that has the potential to appeal to audiences worldwide, young and old, and I have been able to connect and bond with people that I probably never would have met without this shared love of the music. Jazz has also given me a strong musical foundation to explore various other musical forms, whether global music genres like choro, forro, klezmer, Balkan and Irish music, or pop styles like rock and gospel.