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Josh Roseman

Trombonist/composer Josh Roseman was born and raised in the Boston metropolitan area. He has been living in New York City since 1990, where he has become a prominent new voice in the improvising musicians' community.

In the mid-1980's the teenaged Roseman began playing throughout the Boston-area club circuit with several popular jazz, soul and reggae bands, doubling on trombone and bass. He attended Berklee while still in high school and later enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music on scholarship, under the guidance of George Garzone, John Swallow and trombonist Gary Valente.

In 1988 a chance recommendation began a long association with World Saxophone Quartet altoist/composer Oliver Lake. Roseman recorded and performed with Lake's ensemble for the first time that year, with a group featuring some of New York's boldest musical persona, including Greg Osby, Frank Lacy, Joe Bowie, Marty Ehrlich, Geri Allen, Michele Rosewoman, John Stubblefield, Fred Hopkins and Pheeroan Aklaff. The experience was persuasive; disenchanted with the isolated environment of the conservatory, Roseman moved to New York in 1990.

It was a fertile time for experimentation in the city. Roseman came to be known for his versatility and sound and he found himself at the center of several energetic improvisational communities. Working with clarinetist Don Byron, Roseman bonded with a dynamic, open-minded group of established players, including drummers Joey Baron and Pheeroan Aklaff, tubist Bob Stewart, violinist Mark Feldman, pianist Uri Caine and the then-unknown trumpeter Dave Douglas. Roseman recorded and performed extensively with these musicians throughout the decade, with groups including Joey Baron's bold trio Baron Down, Caine's award-winning Mahler project, Douglas' celebrated Sextet and Witness projects, and Byron's Mickey Katz, Ellington and Blaxploitation projects. This spate of activity attracted the support of fellow-trombonists Roswell Rudd and Steve Turre, who invited Roseman to join their multi-horn ensembles Broad Strokes and Sanctified Shells, and that of Robin Eubanks, who contracted Roseman to join the Grammy Award-winning Dave Holland Big Band.

In 1992, Roseman co-founded and began performing with an organic collective of creative musicians, rappers and DJ's. This format was new for its time, and proved to be extremely successful, running as a weekly party called Giant Step for the duration of the 1990's. An adventurous ten-piece band called the Groove Collective was born of this effort.

In the late 1990's, Roseman began developing independent projects to further investigate creative use of dance culture. Most notable of these was the Josh Roseman Unit (JRU), a small ensemble combining open improvisation, aggressive arrangements, and a good-natured, ironic take on the American pop canon. The JRU began as a studio project featuring keyboardist John Medeski, guitarist Ben Monder, Joey Baron, Bob Stewart and the late Lester Bowie, resulting in the critically acclaimed recording, Cherry, which was released by Enja Records in 2001. In addition to many domestic four- and five-star ratings, Cherry was voted CD of the week by the British "Guardian" and made top-ten lists in German Rolling Stone magazine. The Unit has since evolved into a true working ensemble, performing new and ambitious material regularly in New York and throughout the U.S.

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Album Review

Andrew D'Angelo: Andrew D'Angelo & DNA Orchestra

Read "Andrew D'Angelo & DNA Orchestra" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Dopo quasi un decennio di attività, la DNA Orchestra di Andrew D'Angelo debutta con questo vulcanico album (al momento reperibile solo su Bandcamp) che raccoglie alcuni brani scritti dal leader e presentati in passati concerti. Dopo le drammatiche notizie del 2008 sulla salute del sassofonista (due interventi chirurgici per un tumore al cervello e una lunga terapia “alternativa" scelta da lui) fa piacere vederlo tornare in attività con quella forza d'urto che l'aveva imposto sulla scena di ...

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Interview

Josh Roseman: Reimagining the Constellations

Read "Josh Roseman: Reimagining the Constellations" reviewed by R.J. DeLuke


Josh Roseman is a busy man. Extremely busy. He's also an extremely bright one, which is good because otherwise one might pause to consider whether, with all those activities, he is wearing himself too thin. Turns out he is spreading wide, but nothing about him or his many pursuits is thin. Especially not his creativity.Trombonist/composer/arranger/cosmic thinker Roseman also has a production studio and venue space in Brooklyn. He heads five bands that play different kinds of music, two ...

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Album Review

Josh Roseman: New Constellations: Live in Vienna

Read "New Constellations: Live in Vienna" reviewed by J Hunter


George Shearing called Don Drummond one of the world's top trombone players, and if the aggressive lines Josh Roseman take on New Constellations are any indication of Drummond's style, it's easy to see why Shearing paid him that compliment. A founding father of Ska, Drummond was as famous for his unique phrasing as he was for the hits he penned for the Skatalites, one of the genre's early super-groups. Roseman--whose mother is Jamaican--has played with groundbreakers like Dave Douglas, Steve ...

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Album Review

Josh Roseman: New Constellations: Live in Vienna

Read "New Constellations: Live in Vienna" reviewed by Troy Collins


Recorded in Vienna at Joe Zawinul's Birdland, trombonist Josh Roseman pays tribute to the legendary Skatalites' trombonist Don Drummond on New Constellations, a scorching live set that bustles with reggae, dub and electro-funk. The performance tapes were remixed in GoodandEvil's Brooklyn studio, endowing the album with additional layers of sonic detail that blur the line between live performance and studio manipulation.

Surpassing orthodox reinterpretations by embracing the polyphony of free jazz and the experimental studio remixing ...

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Album Review

Josh Roseman Unit: Treats for the Nightwalker

Read "Treats for the Nightwalker" reviewed by AAJ Staff


The second record by Josh Roseman's Unit is constructed, piece by piece, from a massive collection of parts. The 23 players who participate in the extravaganza are for the most part well-recognized, accomplished musicians, which makes the disc all the more rich in anticipation. But oddly enough, solo space per se is generally contained, metered out in order to create just enough drama to render the music exciting.

Roseman's production was planned in meticulous detail during the trombonist's ...

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Album Review

Josh Roseman Unit: Treats for the Nightwalker

Read "Treats for the Nightwalker" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Trombonist Josh Roseman keeps winning that “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" poll by Downbeat Magazine (2000, '01, 02). Treats for the Nightwalker, his second recording as a leader, should knock him out of contention for that award. He should get a bunch of recognition for this set. Treats for the Nightwalker is one of those uncategorizables: it's all over the place, with Roseman's sound drawing from seemingly everything he's heard. A member of the acclaimed Dave Holland Big Band, ...

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Album Review

The Josh Roseman Unit: Cherry

Read "Cherry" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


If you ever wondered whether a musician could transform Elvis Presley's “Don't Be Cruel," into a quasi, calypso-funk groove than stop right here. Well, notions such as these may seem fiendishly theoretical in scope, yet New York City-based trombonist, Josh Roseman's debut solo effort is full of dainty little surprises. Not only he does he pay a little homage to King Elvis, but also tackles Burt Bachrach, Led Zeppelin and the late alternative rock icon, Kurt Cobain among others. With ...

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Performance / Tour

Stanford Lively Arts Kicks Off Jazz Series with Josh Roseman Sextet, November 12 At Campbell Recital Hall

Stanford Lively Arts Kicks Off Jazz Series with Josh Roseman Sextet, November 12 At Campbell Recital Hall

Source: Robert Cable

Brooklyn-based trombonist, composer, and all-around musical mad-scientist Josh Roseman celebrates his Jamaican heritage with a musical tribute to the founding fathers of dub and ska, presented by Stanford Lively Arts on Saturday, November 12 at 8:00 p.m. in Campbell Recital Hall. A onetime Skatalite himself and a DownBeat “#1 Rising Star" trombonist, Roseman will be joined in his Lively Arts performance by Curtis Hasselbring (trombone and guitar), Myron Walden (alto saxophone), Barney McAll (piano, keyboards, sound design), Peter Apfelbaum (organ ...

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Interview

Trombonist Josh Roseman Interviewed at All About Jazz

Trombonist Josh Roseman Interviewed at All About Jazz

Source: John Kelman

Josh Roseman is a busy man. Extremely busy. He's also an extremely bright one, which is good because otherwise one might pause to consider whether, with all those activities, he is wearing himself too thin. Turns out he is spreading wide, but nothing about him or his many pursuits is thin. Especially not his creativity. Trombonist/composer/arranger/cosmic thinker Roseman also has a production studio and venue space in Brooklyn. He heads five bands that play different kinds of music, two of ...

224

Performance / Tour

Josh Roseman's Joshua 3 at Rockwood Music Hall, September 25 at Midnight

Josh Roseman's Joshua 3 at Rockwood Music Hall, September 25 at Midnight

Source: 58.northsix

Josh Roseman's Joshua 3 Saturday, September 25, 2010 At Midnight Free Admission Rockwood Music Hall (Second Stage) 196 Allen Street New York, New York 10002 Trombonist and composer Josh Roseman brings his “Joshua 3" group to Rockwood Music Hall for the first time on Saturday, September 25 at midnight. He will be joined by Peter Apfelbaum (sax, bass organ), Barney McAll (keys), Jonathan Goldberger (guitar), and Ted Poor (drums), in what promises to be a ...

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Performance / Tour

Act Local: Josh Roseman at Coco 66

Act Local: Josh Roseman at Coco 66

Source: Inverted Garden by Eric Benson

I can probably count the times on one hand when I've walked from my apartment to a jazz club. Outside of Greenwich Village, I can think of few neighborhoods in the world that host multiple jazz spots, and consequently, the music is something you seek out rather than stumble upon. This isn't unique to jazz, of course: the economy hasn't supported a culture of live, local events since the debut of the television set. The grand old theater in my ...

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Performance / Tour

Upcoming Josh Roseman East Coast Gigs

Upcoming Josh Roseman East Coast Gigs

Source: Michael Ricci

Some new gigs with Josh Roseman featuring Guests:

Josh Roseman featuring Patrice Blanchard and TBA performs at Bar 4 in Park Slope

444-7th Avenue (corner of 15th Street & 7th Avenue) Brooklyn NY 11215 Starts at 7:00 PM

Josh Roseman Trio featuring Mark Guiliana, Patrice Blanchard and TBA perform at the Stone in NYC.

Right in the East Village: E 2nd St & Ave C New York, NY 10009

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Performance / Tour

Josh's King Froopy Allstars AKA Extended Constellations

Josh's King Froopy Allstars AKA Extended Constellations

Source: All About Jazz

JOSH ROSEMAN’S EXTENDED CONSTELLATIONS AT BAMcafe Friday October 9th, 9pm. Trombonist, composer, producer and band leader Josh Roseman is presenting his most ambitious project, his 12 piece ensemble Extended Constellations at BAMcafe. The group features live electronics, a trombone choir, two drummers and an array of innovative soloists including Shane Endsley, Andrew D'Angelo, and Barney McAll. Their program is a blend of electronic and acoustic timbres, creative song structures and adventurous improvisation, with new long-form compositions commissioned by SF JAZZ, ...

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Performance / Tour

Jan 2009 -- Josh Roseman Announces New 12-Piece Big Band

Jan 2009 -- Josh Roseman Announces New 12-Piece Big Band

Source: All About Jazz

Virtuoso Trombonist, Composer, Producer, and Bandleader JOSH ROSEMAN has just announced the full realization and definition of his 12-piece, all-star, multi-coastal ensemble, EXTENDED CONSTELLATIONS. A year in the making, ROSEMAN's visions have coalesced in a special Suite composed via a commission from The Jazz Gallery (NYC), to be premiered January 16th - 17th by the band, which features luminaries PETER APFELBAUM, BARNEY MCALL, TED POOR, Kneebody's SHANE ENDSLEY, and other edgy voices and rising stars from Brooklyn's new jazz scene. ...

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Performance / Tour

Firehouse 12 to Present Josh Roseman's Execution Quintet October 17th

Firehouse 12 to Present Josh Roseman's Execution Quintet October 17th

Source: Improvised Communications

On Friday, October 17th, Firehouse 12 will present a two-set performance by renowned trombonist/composer Josh Roseman's Execution Quintet. One of Roseman's newest ensembles as a leader, this eclectic Brooklyn-based group creates music ranging from the intense to the theatrical, with elements of game theory thrown in for good measure. Its chord-less line-up features trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, Dutch saxophonist Ben Van Gelder, bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Dave Treut.

“Josh Roseman has the quirky charisma necessary to turn the often sedate ...

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Recording

Trombonist / Bandleader Josh Roseman Releases New Constellations on Accurate Records, September 2007

Trombonist / Bandleader Josh Roseman Releases New Constellations on Accurate Records, September 2007

Source: Allegro Media

NEW WORKS RECORDED LIVE AT THE BIRDLAND CLUB IN VIENNA INFLUENCED BY ROSEMAN'S ADMIRATION FOR SKA LEGEND DON DRUMMOND TAKE ON A BOLD AND INNOVATIVE APPROACH FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --- August 7, 2007 - BROOKLYN, NY: Josh Roseman has recorded and toured with the creme de la creme of progressive modern jazz: Dave Holland, Dave Douglas, Steve Coleman and Don Byron, to name but a few. In and outside of these contexts, Roseman projects a big personality, with a kaleidoscopic, ...

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Performance / Tour

Josh Roseman performs at Tribeca Performing Arts Center

Josh Roseman performs at Tribeca Performing Arts Center

Source: All About Jazz


Nick DePinna
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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

New Constellations:...

Accurate Records
2007

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Government Cheese

Fresh Sound Records
2007

buy

Treats for the...

Enja Records
2003

buy

Cherry

Knitting Factory
2002

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Greasy Feets Music

From: New Constellations: Live in...
By Josh Roseman

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