By Filipe Freitas
Name: Russ Lossing
Instrument: piano
Style: post-bop, modern creative, avant-garde
Album Highlights: As it Grows (hatOlogy, 2004); Motian Music (Sunnyside, 2019); Folks (Sunnyside, 2022)
Your latest release, Folks, was inspired by folk music. When did you become interested in the genre and how do you incorporate it seamlessly with the jazz you play?
I grew up playing classical music in which folkloric melodies were often incorporated and developed. Numerous examples exist in the music of Bach, Beethoven, Bartok and many composers before, in-between and after. Later, when I explored music from all over the world, I came to realize that the raw melodic content of these disparate styles of music were, in their essence, based mostly on analogous melodic components, for instance: the pentatonic scale, a five-note scale. You could think of it as cultures around the world have different traditional apparels but the cloth is made of the same basic materials. Furthermore, folkloric music around the world incorporates improvisation. Improvisation exists in all traditional folk music worldwide. Additionally, as a composer, I have always been interested in writing a good melody: a simple melody that is not clichéd. Not an easy thing to do.
“Country Folk” is one of my favorite pieces on the album. Can you talk a bit more about this one?
I sat down at the piano and just started improvising a simple melody in D minor: a lament. I wrote an A and B section, then decided to add the little Coda section that repeats four times at the end of the melody. After the melody, the trio improvises totally open. We instinctively go back to D minor at the onset of the improvisation and then it evolves from there.
You’ve been playing a lot in trio with different musicians. Is this your favorite format? Have you considered a large ensemble at some point?
I do like the trio format. I’m a big fan of empty spaces in music and three people improvising together seems to help bring about more space. I have been thinking about recording some music for larger improvising ensembles for a while. I have written a book of compositions for septet. Hopefully I will be able to pull that together in the future. Additionally, I have composed pieces for orchestra, string quartet and other classical ensembles.
If you had to pick three albums from your discography that better define your musical identity, which would they be, and why?
Not sure I can answer that. All of my albums are different and reflect my musical identity as a whole. However, I feel pretty strongly about my solo piano disc ‘Eclipse’. This is very personal music and I have about six more hours of solo improvisations that I’m planning to bring out. This is unfiltered improvisation so to speak; music that is not based on compositions but just comes straight from my sub-conscious. I have been improvising in this manner since I was 10.
How enriching was your 12-year collaboration with Paul Motian? Any funny episodes while touring/recording with him?
I learned a lot from Paul over the years. One day he said to me offhandedly: ”you know, my only job is to make everybody sound good.” That statement hit me like a thunderbolt. It was one of those moments in life when everything becomes clear. Things I had been thinking about for years suddenly came into focus.
As for funny episodes: Paul was a very intense person with a quirky sense of humor. His apartment, way up on Central Park West, was filled with interesting things: from his collection of little figurines, hats and sunglasses, to his amazing treasure trove of LPs, CDs and cassettes. One funny thing about him was he used his computer mouse upside down and with his left hand (pull down and the curser goes up). He liked to do things differently! By the way, Paul wrote an autobiography. I hope it gets published someday. It’s an incredibly fascinating document of his life in his own words!
Can you name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to?
So many great players, so little time! I’m hoping to connect with more European jazz/improvising musicians. For example, I have been listening to the French bassist Bruno Chevillon’s solo recording ‘Gestes Défendus’. Such a wonderful player: heart, hands and mind, all working in perfect unison. Logical, mindful, heartfelt, skillful music is what I’m interested in.
Can you select three records that changed your perspective of jazz?
No, sorry, I can’t boil it down to three or even 20 jazz albums that influenced me. There are so many different approaches through the decades. I take something from all of them.
How do you see the jazz scene today?
Big and diverse. There are so many different offshoots going in every direction like a big garden. Wonderful!
Projects for the near future?
I have several recordings in the can, so to speak, ready to go. I’m always hopeful about finding ways to bring them out!
In addition to those, I just recorded duo with Gordon Grdina - oud and piano duets. Last spring, I recorded duos and trios with Samuel Blaser and Billy Mintz. That double album is coming out on Jazzdor label in Fall 2023. I have a trio album coming out in Spring’23 on FSNT with Masa Kamaguchi and Billy Mintz, my long-time trio. This one is all tunes; five standards and three of my originals. I will probably bring out a set of solo piano improvisations on my own label, Aqua Piazza , toward the end of this year. I also have a recording finished by a band I had for five years, King Vulture. We recorded just before the pandemic and I’m looking for a label for it. The band is very strong and the music I composed was developed over years with a concept of “no arrangements”. I play piano, Rhodes and Wurli on it all live in the studio with Adam Kolker, Matt Pavolka and Dayeon Seok.
And tenor saxophonist Michael Adkins and I made a duo recording of improvised music at Systems Two, the great recording studio in Brooklyn, just before it closed down. The recording is very unique; Michael and I have a deep musical connection. There are many more things on the horizon as well!