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An A-list baritone man for over three decades, Roger Rosenberg studied at Indiana University, The New England Conservatory of Music, and under the tutelage of players like Phil Woods and composers like Harold Seletsky. He has worked with a stunning list of greats; do the names Tito Puente, Buddy Rich, Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Janet Lawson, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, John Scofield, Sarah Vaughn, Gerry Mulligan, Michael Brecker, The New York Philharmonic, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Bob Mintzer, Eddie Palmieri, David Lahm, Tom Scott, and T.S. Monk ring a bell? Add another 40 or so heavyweight names in jazz, latin, and pop, and you've got a start on Roger's resume.
That Roger has been steadily in demand by the best of the best for so long is no mystery; his strong and searing solo voice combines with his powerful and swinging ensemble playing to make him a great addition to small and large sections alike. He excels at many styles of music and is a crack first-call N.Y. session player to boot. An accomplished woodwind doubler, he also plays clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and flutes. His work has been acknowledged by the Downbeat critics and by an NARAS MVP award. and Mongo Santamaria's album Amanacer, which featured Roger as composer and soloist, won a Grammy for Best Latin Album.
Roger is based in New York City, where he teaches, plays on Broadway and in the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, and gigs with his Quartet. The photo to the left is from his work on the 2006 Steely Dan tour.
The track we present here at Unlikely, the Benny Golson tune "Killer Joe," is from Roger's 2000 CD, released by JazzKey. Roger brings with him David Budway on the piano, Chip Jackson on bass, and Jeff Brilinger on drums. The disc was produced by Frank Perowski and engineered and mixed by Jim Czuk.
'Roger's at his best here, don't ya think?, with "Killer Joe," where he can stretch out some, tell the whole story. You know, that's Chet Baker's rhythm section, Chip Jackson on bass & Jeff Brillinger on drums, with that cool swing. The tune's a natural for Roger's kind of exploration on baritone sax, turning a Saturday night dance song sexy and sassy into something like Sunday morning: streams of blue be bop glimmer gospel gum drop in a sanctified style, infectious, open, alive. And David Budway, the piano player, is encyclopedic as well; chrysanthemums blossom under his runs.' —KG
'Man, I think you hit it just right when you say "whole story;" there's a clean, clear progression in this piece. It starts out sophisticated and laid back, it ends sophisticated and mellow, and on its way from Points A to B it goes through the various permutations of a party, an adventure, a love affair. This is instrumental storytelling, the story of moods and settings and images of the ear. And yeah, everyone's playing with both precision and enormous passion, that sort of passion that comes with good vibes and easy pleasure.' —JP
'"Killer Joe" is such a smart choice for Roger and his bad-ass band. All four players seem to find in Benny Golson's tune a signifyin' capsule of our music's history, a nod to the many streams that flow from that blues-inflected source. Roger's got the lyrics of the song in his head as well, giving him additional rhythmic opportunity in his soloing. Well, you said it best: precision meets passion. The whole record is like that, don't ya think? Jimmy Czak, the engineer at NOLA, really has ears for the low notes, and Frank Perowsky knows how to produce. I've heard Roger's band live and the record captures the kind of excitement they deliver from the stand.' —KG
"Killer Joe" is not available for download, but instead can be heard right here on the web site. If you don't see a jukebox above, try downloading Flash player.