The Squid's Ear Magazine


Lossing, Russ Trio: Ways (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

An essential part of the New York jazz scene since the mid-80s, pianist Russ Lossing's compositions employ concept and space in unique and personal ways, as heard in these 8 original works performed with his trio of long-time collaborators, double bassist Masa Kamaguchi and drummer Billy Mintz, for an album of highly evolved and lyrically sophisticated music.
 

Price: $18.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 2.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Russ Lossing-piano

Masa Kamaguchi-double bass

Billy Mintz-drums


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 752156100621

Label: ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd
Catalog ID: ezz-thetics 1006
Squidco Product Code: 27857

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2019
Country: Switzerland
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Charlestown Road Studio, in Hampton, New Jersey, on January 18th, 2011, by Paul Wickliffe.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Critics get a bad name for writing nonsense, and sometimes artists do, too. In fairness, we're all just trying to find ways of saying the unsayable, communicating in one medium sometimes quite profound ideas about what is happening in another. So when I say that with Russ Lossing's music I'm less interested in the notes than in the spaces between the notes, this isn't just pseudo-Zen nonsense and isn't a sneaky way of revealing that I know he once met John Cage and was much influenced by his ideas. In point of fact, there isn't another player around who makes me think more deeply about the distance between one tone and another, their spectral or textural relationships, and their interaction, sometimes over quite long durations.

These interests help explain why Lossing was so drawn to the music of [percussionist] Paul Motian, who had a unique and uniquely musical sense of distributed sound. We think of "intervals" as a rather abstract aspect of music, mathematical ratios that maybe appeal more to the mathematician than to the poet in us, but intervals are actually all we're hearing and Lossing's attachment to them is key to his work. He and Motian worked together on a couple of very fine albums, including the peerless hatOLOGY set As It Grows - more than a decade and a half old now: where does the time go? - and Lossing paid special tribute to the older man, who died in 2011, with a lovely set of piano interpretations that like the present trio set explored deeply into the concept and the practice of musical interval.

Recently, he has found other partners who embody the same qualities. Drummer Billy Mintz, who has done remarkable work with Vinny Golia and others, is a secret treasure, one of those musicians who like the leader here has power at his disposal but doesn't succumb to any macho urge to use it all the time. Bassist Masa Kamaguchi once made my jaw fall open with a tiny little spontaneous figure on a Matt Renzi album (he's the kind of bass player you actually do remember and listen for), and he does it again several times here on this extended programme of improvised pieces.

Lossing's debt to Motian is obvious and well-attested, but I wonder if he also takes inspiration from one of his native city's most famous sons. I once had the privilege of meeting Rahsaan Roland Kirk, the great master of multiple horn playing. I was 21 and dumb, but trying to play the saxophone (just the one), so I asked him what he thought improvisation was. Snaking his good hand from side to side, Kirk said it was simple, it was about "finding the way", which was a pretty extraordinary and moving thing to hear from a blind man. Kirk is nowadays a somewhat underrated figure, affectionately dismissed as something of a novelty act, but his playing often deals in very complex harmonics and unexpected juxtapositions of pitch and texture, qualities we would admire if Webern were doing it, but which we sometimes overlook because it comes out of Columbus, Ohio.

Whether from something in that city's water orjust a common philosophy of quest, Lossing and his colleagues seem to be exploring similar territory. These ways are like little journeys in sound, passages between one space and another. They're negotiated not in a choreographed way but in the natural, human way that we explore our surroundings or make purposive trips from one part of town to another. Elias Canetti wrote about this in Crowds and Power, a book that all improvisers would do well to study. The difference between an individual and a crowd is a matter for aesthetics as much as for politics. The relationship between individuals' trajectories, likewise. So when Lossing improvises, one knows that he does so within a set of language rules that have held fair for decades in our music. Canetti points out that the "entrances to [any given] space are limited in number" and that recognising the boundaries "prevents disorderly increase" and "postpones the dissolution" of the ensemble. You'll hear exactly this many times on Ways.

The album ends, not as it might with "The Way", which implies some kind of philosophical destination, but simply with "Way". I like the modest elegance of this, not just as a title but in execution as well. Here is a record that draws deeply on history but doesn't insist on inhabiting any of its contrived passages or halls of mirrors. It gives us something more precious: three men, finding a way ..."-Brian Morton, from the liner notes



This album has been reviewed on our magazine:

The Squid
The Squid's Ear!

Artist Biographies

"Russ Lossing (born 1960) is an American jazz pianist, composer, improviser, arranger, educator, scholar.

Early life

Lossing was born in Ohio in 1960, and is from Columbus, Ohio. He had classical piano lessons from the age of 5 and began studying jazz aged 13 in Columbus at the Jazz and Contemporary Workshop with Dave Wheeler. After high school Lossing went on the road with a wide variety of bands including jazz, funk, rock, pop and country music for four years before attending university. He obtained a Bachelor of Music in piano at Ohio State University in 1986. In the early 1980s meetings with composer John Cage had a big effect:

We only had two occasions to get together and talk, but any time spent with him was utterly valuable. He read through my scores we played piano together. His thing was creating, not emulating: don't copy; trust YOURSELF. I was already going in this direction but this experience, listening to Cage's concepts and philosophy in this setting, made so much sense.

Later life and career

Lossing has been part of the New York jazz scene since 1986. In 1988 he earned a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music. He has led or co-led numerous bands, including: his own trio with Masa Kamaguchi and Billy Mintz; Three-Part Invention with bassist Mark Helias and trumpeter Ralph Alessi; and duos with saxophonist Tim Berne, drummer Gerry Hemingway, and guitarist Ben Monder. Others are: trio with Paul Motian and Ed Schuller (Dreamer and As It Grows); trio with Mat Maneri and Mark Dresser (Metal Rat); trio with John Hebert and Jeff Williams (Phrase 6); quartet with Loren Stillman, John Hebert and Eric McPherson (Personal Tonal); King Vulture with Adam Kolker, Matt Pavolka and Dayeon Seok; and duos with saxophonist Loren Stillman, bassist John Hebert (Line Up,Hatology), and saxophonost Michael Adkins.

Lossing played with drummer Paul Motian over a period of 12 years and recorded Drum Music, a solo piano tribute album to him in 2011. The JazzTimes reviewer of Drum Music commented that "his two-fisted takes on 'Fiasco', 'Dance' and 'Drum Music' capture the great drummer's unpredictable and audacious rhythmic pulse. Lossing's stark re-imaginings of [... other Motian pieces] all vibrate with a new spirit of exploration." Swiss newspaper Der Sonntag wrote that "Drum Music is a stunning improvisational solo recital, a convincing plunge into 10 Motian compositions. This is music in between contemporary jazz and up to date tonal concert music."

Lossing has performed in some of the world's leading jazz festivals including the London, Vienna, Harlem, Cully (Switzerland), Toronto and Venice (Italy) Jazz festivals to name just a few. He has also performed in jazz clubs in New York and Europe including The Village Vanguard (with Paul Motian), Blue Note NYC, The Jazz Standard, Birdland, Porgy and Bess (Vienna), Unterfahrt (Munich), Jazz Club Ferrara (Italy) and many more over a span of 25 years.

In February 2016, Lossing was invited by John Zorn to do a week long residency at The Stone NYC in which he presented 12 of his ensembles over 6 nights.

Lossing has composed over 400 pieces of music in many genres including jazz, contemporary classical (solo piano works, string quartets, orchestral works and song cycles), song writing in various styles, pop, rock, funk, fusion (in early life), film scoring (30+ films).[citation needed] In 2015, he founded the record label Aqua Piazza."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Lossing)
3/25/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Masa Kamaguchi - Bass, Japan

Masa Kamaguchi was born in 1966 in Wakkanai City, the northernmost city in Hokkaido, Japan. Masa was inspired to take up the electric bass at age 14 after listening to the records of Jaco Pastorius. In 1985 he moved to Tokyo to attend the Hosei University where he studied engineering but also took up the acoustic bass, studying privately with Yoshio Ikeda, himself a former student of Gary Peacock. In 1990, Masa moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music, and proceeded to study with drummer Joe Hunt. While based in Boston, Kamaguchi was in demand to play with many of the area's great musicians, including Geoge Gazone, Bert Sieger, Hal Crook, Herb Pomeroy and Frank Carberg. During this time in Boston, Masa also toured Europe and Scandinavia on several occasions.

In 1994, Masa moved to New York City where he is much in demand by many groups, performing with such lumininaries as Frank Kimbrough, Sonny Simmons, Ben Monder, David Murray, Toots Thielmans, Tony Malaby, Charles Gale and many others. His recording credits include dates with Frank Kimbrough, Paul Motion, Ron Horton, Dave Douglas, Sonny Simmons, Tony Malaby, John O'allager, Russ Lossing, Billy Mintz and many others.

in 2006, Masa moved to Barcelona, while he maintains strong connections with NY musicians. He also started to play with European musicians, such as Albert Bover, Perico Sambeat, Albert Sanz and Sara Serpa.

In January 2010, for Jamboree's 50-year anniversary, he played for the Jamboree All Star group and also the Fresh Sound All Star Group.

An acutely intuitive player, Masa brings an individual sound and fresh perspective to the acoustic bass. His rich warm tone and modern style define his individuality. Kamaguchi is a versatile player, at home with a truly wide range of musical influences, that translate into his brilliant concept."

-Global Music Foundation (http://www.globalmusicfoundation.org/people/masa-kamaguchi/)
3/25/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Billy Mintz was born in Queens, New York. By the age of 15 he was playing in the show bands of the Catskill Mountain resorts developing his musicianship.

In his twenties, while living in New York City, he played and recorded with the Lee Konitz Nonet (1978), Kundalini with Perry Robinson and Badal Roy, the Eddie Daniels Quartet, Gloria Gaynor, the Steve Tintweiss Quartet, and the Harold Danko Quartet.

In 1981 Mr. Mintz relocated to Los Angeles where he was a member of the Mike Garson Trio with Stanley Clarke ; the Kim Richmond Sextet; the Bobby Shew Quintet, the Joey Sellers' Jazz Aggregation, and the Vinny Golia Quartet. He also perfomed several times with the Mose Allison Trio and with Mark Murphy, and did a stint with the Merv Griffin Show band.

In LA, Mr. Mintz was also the drummer for the Bill Mays Quartet, as well as for Road Work Ahead, with Mr. Mays, Bob Magnusson and Peter Sprague. In 1988 he toured Europe with saxophonist Charles Lloyd's band. Throughout the 1980's he performed and recorded with Bill Perkins, Frank Strazzeri, and Pete Cristlieb.

Throughout his life Mr. Mintz has taught privately and done clinics at schools around the world, including the Berklee School of Music, NYU, California Institute of the Arts, North Texas State University the Dick Grove School of Music, Musikgymnasium in Innsbruck, Austria, Long Island Drum and Percussion Club, Eagle Rock H.S., Arizona State University at Tempe, and University of Arizona at Phoenix,. He also taught extensively while on tour with various artists in Sydney, Australia, Tel Aviv, Israel and Wellington, New Zealand.

Mr. Mintz has written two books: Different Drummers (AMSCO Music Publishing) and Advanced Sticking and Sight-Reading (BM Publications). His articles have been published in Not Just Jazz and Modern Drummer magazines.

Mr. Mintz currently lives in New York, where he performs with the Alan Broadbent Trio, Roberta Piket Trio, the Russ Lossing Trio, and Tony Malaby, among others.

In recent years, Mr. Mintz has taken on new roles as a bandleader and composer. For the past 15 years he has led the Two Bass Band, a ten-piece ensemble which features his compositions and arrangements. He also leads the Billy Mintz Band (with Tony Malaby, Rich Perry, Adam Kolker, Hilliard Greene and Roberta Piket) and performs solo drumset concerts.

As a soloist Mr. Mintz has performed extensively on both coasts of the US as well as internationally."

-Billy Mintz Website (https://www.billymintz.com/bio.html)
3/25/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Passageway 11:19

2. Breezeway 4:41

3. Causeway 8:36

4. Archway 12:16

5. Skyway 2:56

6. Byway 4:58

7. Away 3:23

8. Way 11:04

Related Categories of Interest:


Hat Art
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Saxophone & Drummer / Percussionist Duos
Duo Recordings
Hat Hut Masters Sale

Search for other titles on the label:
ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Novoa, Eva
Novoa / Kamaguchi / Cleaver Trio - Vol. 1 [VINYL CLEAR]
(577 Records)
Spanish pianist based in NYC Eva Novoa has since 2017 led this international but definitely NY-oriented piano trio of Japanese bassist based in NY Masa Kamaguchi and drummer Gerald Cleaver, here in her first album on 577, her sixth as a leader, presenting eight Novoa compositions of restlessly probing, dynamically interactive and inherently melodic free improvisation.
Blaser, Samuel / Consort In Motion
A Mirror To Madchaut
(Songlines)
The Consort in Motion ensemble of Samuel Blaser on trombone, Joachim Badenhorst on bass clarinet, clarinet & tenor saxophone, Drew Gress on double bass, Russ Lossing on piano, Rhodes & Wulitzer and Gerry Hemingway on drums & percussion adapt the late medieval court music of Guillaume de Machaut and Guillaume Dufay into arrangements for modern creative improvisation.
Blaser, Samuel
Spring Rain
(Whirlwind)
Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser pays tribute to clarinetist and composer Jimmy Giuffre, in a quartet with Russ Lossing on piano & keys, Drew Gress on double bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums, merging Giuffre's lyrical forms to create new and innovative compositions.
Other Recommended Releases:
Blaser, Samuel / Russ Lossing / Billy Mintz
Roundabout / Triple Dip [2 CDs]
(Jazzdor)
Recording in the NY Metropolitan area, this superb 2-CD collection of studio recordings begins with a series of duos between trombonist Samuel Blaser and pianist Russ Lossing performing lyrically and structurally interesting compositions from both performers, then joined by drummer Billy Mintz for a mix of original compositions plus 1 each from Blind Willie Johnson and John H. Mercer.
Reboul, Mark / Roberta Piket / Billy Mintz
Seven Pieces / About an Hour / Saxophone, Piano, Drums
(ESP-Disk)
A sophisticated album of collective free jazz recorded in Brooklyn in 2004, from the trio of husband and wife improvisers Roberta Piket on piano and Billy Mintz on drums, with under-recorded saxophonist Mark Reboul rounding out the trio, as the three present "Seven Pieces" in "About an Hour" of stunningly elegant, implicitly melodic and impressively creative playing.
Giuffre, Jimmy (w / Bley / Swallow)
Free Fall Clarinet 1962, Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Reissuing clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre's 1963 Columbia album Free Fall, presenting trio performances with bassist Steve Swallow and pianist Paul Bley recorded after their 1961 European tour, along with duos between Giuffre and Swallow and several solo tracks from the clarinetist himself, propelling himself and his band into his sophisticated, risk-taking chamber jazz compositions.
Parker, Charlie
Selections From The SAVOY Recordings
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The second of two volumes in celebration of legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker's 100th birthday, here remastering his landmark recordings for the Savoy label in New York City between 1945-48, performing with jazz greats including Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, John Lewis, Curley Russel, Max Roach, &c. for some of be-bop's finest and best known compositions.
Parker, Charlie
Selections From The DIAL Recordings
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The first of two volumes in celebration of legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker's 100th birthday, here remastering his landmark recordings for the Dial label on the US West Coast between 1946-47, performing with jazz greats including Miles Davis, Lucky Thompson, Erroll Garner, Barney Kessel, Red Calender, JJ Johson, Max Roach, &c. for some of Parker's best known and essential compositions.
Coltrane, John Quartet
My Favorite Things Graz 1962
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The 2nd volume from tenor & soprano saxophonist John Coltrane 1962 tour of Europe and Scandinavia, heard here in late November at Stefaniensaal, Graz with his quartet of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones, the band playing classic numbers under the influence of Coltrane's expanding drive to transform his music toward greater freedom.
Caine, Adam Quartet, feat Adam Lane / Bob Lanzetti / Billy Mintz
Transmissions
(NoBusiness)
Embracing a wide and diverse stylistic range, from burning modern electric jazz to introspective interplay, NY guitarist Adam Caines' band with fellow guitarist Bob Lanzetti, Adam Lane on acoustic bass, Billy Mintz on drums, and Nick Lyons on alto saxophone, perform with great taste, technical mastery and superb interplay, releasing an extremely well-balanced collection.
New York Contemporary Five
Consequences Revisited
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Though short-lived, the New York Contemporary Five brought together NY free players Don Moore on bass, J.C. Moses on drums, Archie Shepp on tenor saxophone, and Don Cherry on trumpet with Danish alto saxophonist John Tchicai, in a remastered edition of their 1966 album "Consequences", expanded with Shepp's revisiting of the material in a sextet with Sunny Murray and Ted Curson.
Ayler, Albert Trio
1964 Prophecy Revisted
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
With the essential sidemen to express his unique voice and approach to free jazz, saxophonist Albert Ayler, double bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Sunny Murray, recorded these sessions in 1964 for the ESP label as "Prophecy", this excellent reissue & remaster also adding the live "Albert Smiles with Sunny" (inRespect) from the same concert; essential.
Coltrane, John Quartet
Impressions Graz 1962
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Taking his quartet on a European tour in the fall of 1962, Coltrane's band with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on double bass, and Elvin Jones on drums performed in Graz, Austria at Stefaniensaal, the concert beautifully recorded by ORF Steiermark and here released as the first of two volumes, showing both Coltrane's lyrical origins and expanding free inclinations.
Inoue, Satoko
Presents Jo Kondo's New Works For Piano
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The second album of piano works from Japanese composer Jo Kondo performed by pianist Satoko Inoue--a noted interpreter of solo works by Feldman, Ferrari, and Cage--here presenting all of Kondo's works for solo piano written from 2001 to 2012, alongside two early works from 1975, exploring a wealth of harmonic, rhythmic, and conceptual ideas from a diversity of projects.
von Orelli, Marco / Tommy Meier / Luca Sisera / Sheldon Suter
Lotus Crash
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Trumpeter Marco von Orelli's piano-less quartet with Tommy Meier on tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, Luca Sisera on double bass, and Sheldon Suter on drums is caught live at Theater am Gleis, in Winterthur, Switzerland in 2018, and at Boudoir au Revoir, the same year, performing von Orelli's compellingly clever compositions, plus one each from Adam lane and Tommy Meier.
Shipp, Matthew
Invisible Light, Live Sao Paulo
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Captured live at the 2016 Jazz at the Factory Festival in Sao Paulo, this addition to New York pianist Matthew Shipp's catalog finds the masterful player presenting his own compositions like "Symbol Systems", "Gamma Ray" or "Invisible" light alongside unique takes on "Angel Eyes", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Yesterdays" and "Summertime".
Koglmann, Franz Septet (w / Clark / Arcari / D'Agaro / Turkovic / Pasztor / Herbert)
Fruits Of Solitude
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
With a superb septet of improvisers also versed in contemporary music, trumpeter Franz Koglmann presents sophisticated compositions that interject the concept of "solitude" in the three-part title track, alongside Koglmann compositions and Jimmy Giuffre's "Finger Snapper", using striking orchestration of trumpet, sax, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, french horn, cello and double bass.
Kleeb, Hildegard / Roland Dahinden / Alexandre Babel
Lines
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The long-running duo since 1987 of spouses, pianist Hildegard Kleeb and trombonist Roland Dahinden, are joined by Swiss-born/ Berlin-based percussionist & vibraphonist Alexandre Babel for an album of interweaving and contrasting instrumental lines, blurring the boundaries between contemporary music and improvisation through exceptional mastery and dialog.
Hendriksen, Alex / Fabian Gisler
The Song Is You
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Drawing on material from Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, Michel Legrand, Harry Warren, and Victor Young, the lyrical duo of saxophonist Alex Hendriksen (Swiss Jazz Orchestra) and double bassist Fabian Gisler (Jurg Wickihalder European Quartet) cite the art form of storytelling as central to their music as they reflect thoughtfully on the American Songbook.
Giuffre, Jimmy 3 (w / Bley / Swallow)
Graz Live 1961
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
After introducing his new trio with pianist Paul Bley and double bassist Steve Swallow in two 1961 albums on Verve, clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre embarked on a tour of Europe, this recently discovered, well-recorded concert in Graf, Austria the perfect example of his unique concepts yielding intensely focused, harmonically challenging, rhythmically abstract, and exquisite chamber jazz.
Lossing, Russ / Ed Schuller / Paul Motian
As It Grows
(Hatology)
Composer and pianist Russ Lossing explores the eloquence of silence as his music grows out of silence and the space between thought and gesture in this trio with Ed Schuller (bass) and Paul Motian (drums).
O'Gallagher, John Trio
Dirty Hands
(Clean Feed)
New York alto saxophonist O'Gallagher's trio with Jeff Williams and Masa Kamaguchi recording during their tour through France and Portugal.
Adkins, Michael Quartet
Rotator
(Hatology)
New York tenor saxophonist and composer Michael Adkins with his quartet including Paul Motian on drums in a set of 9 original compositions.
Lossing, Russ / John Hebert
Line Up
(Hatology)
After a decade of playing together pianist Lossing and bassist Herbert release this duo album relfecting their close musical kinship and friendship.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
von Orelli, Marco / Sheldon Suter
Draw From The Source
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
A series of extraordinary sound painting from the Swiss duo of trumpeter Marco von Orelli and percussionist Sheldon Suter, von Orelli also performing on cornet, prepared slidetrumpet & little bells while Suter works with drums, cymbals, prepared zithers, gong & singing bowls, creating detailed aural environments that evoke bewitching twilight spaces.
Lucaciu, Simon Trio
STRG + X
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Referencing their influences as Punkt.Vrt.Plastik or the Kris Davis Trio, the uniquely voiced young piano trio of Simon Lucaciu on piano, Florian Muller on double bass and Lukas Heckers on drums formed in 2016 to compose and perform original work, inspired by Christopher Dell's possibilities of differentiation and unusual forms, receiving the Central German Jazz Prize in 2022.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC