Crossing Paths Renee Rosnes

• 1 Frevo 04:42
• 2 Pra Dizer Adeus 04:15
• 3 Trilhos Urbanos 05:12
• 4 Canta, Canta Mais 03:40
• 5 Casa Forte 04:57
• 6 Essa Mulher 04:42
• 7 Amor Até O Fim 04:30
• 8 Estórias da Floresta 03:00
• 9 Caminhos Cruzados 04:10
• Total Runtime 39:08

Info for Crossing Paths

Acclaimed pianist Renee Rosnes fell in love with the music of Brazil as a teenager, from the moment that she first heard the iconic Bossa Nova singer Elis Regina. With "Crossing Paths," her brilliant new album for Smoke Sessions Records, Rosnes brings to stunning reality a dream held for decades: to explore the intersection between Brazil's scintillating sounds with her own visionary approach to modern jazz. Due out on December 6, 2024, "Crossing Paths" reimagines compositions from master composers like Antonio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, and others. The album brings together a remarkable band - saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Steve Davis, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Adam Cruz - with contemporary Brazilian voices (percussionist Rogério Boccato and vocalist Maucha Adnet) and special guest appearances by legendary vocalist/composers Edu Lobo and Joyce Moreno.

Some paths meet at a single crossroads then move on along their predetermined journeys. Others crisscross again and again, each juncture altering their directions and destinations until the two become indelibly intertwined.

The latter has been the case for the renowned pianist and composer Renee Rosnes and her lifelong love of Brazilian music. The two converge with stunning results on CROSSING PATHS, Rosnes’ new release, instantly marking a highlight of her already remarkable career.

It finds Rosnes leading a stellar band exploring masterpieces from the songbooks of Brazil’s most revered composers, entrancingly melding the beguiling rhythms of bossa nova, frevo, samba, afoxé, and other styles with Rosnes’ visionary approach to modern jazz. The pianist is joined by a phenomenal band mixing American jazz masters (saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Steve Davis, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Adam Cruz) with contemporary Brazilian voices (guitarist Chico Pinheiro, percussionist Rogério Boccato and vocalist Maucha Adnet) and the classical flutist Shelley Brown, who is a longtime member of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra.

Thrillingly, the album is graced by special guest appearances from legendary artists and composers Edu Lobo and Joyce Moreno, who perform their own classic songs. Both provide a direct link from Rosnes’ contemporary interpretations to “the second generation” post-Bossa Nova era, granting this gorgeous new album the imprimatur of some of the music’s pioneering artists.

Like most North American listeners, Rosnes’ path first crossed that of the great Brazilian composers through the immortal songs of Antônio Carlos Jobim, soon followed by NATIVE DANCER, Wayne Shorter’s classic 1975 collaboration with Milton Nascimento. Her passion was truly ignited in her late teens when she discovered the iconic singer Elis Regina, who became a superstar in her native Brazil before her tragic death at the age of 36.

“I love her music,” Rosnes marvels. “Hearing Elis sing made an instant and indelible impact on me. Several of the songs and composers on this recording, I initially discovered through her recordings.”

While CROSSING PATHS is the first project that Rosnes has wholly dedicated to Brazilian music, it’s far from her only exploration of the songbook. Her adoration of the music can be traced throughout her career. Her Juno Award-winning 1996 Blue Note album ANCESTORS opened with Edu Lobo’s “Upa Neguinho,” and 1999s ART & SOUL included Egberto Gismonti’s “Sanfona.” Jobim’s catalogue is represented by “Modinha” on MANHATTAN RAIN (2012) and by “Double Rainbow” on her 2010 two-piano outing with husband Bill Charlap, DOUBLE PORTRAIT.

Rosnes’ most extensive opportunity delving into the repertoire came in 1998 when she was enlisted by Joyce Moreno (also known by the one-word sobriquet Joyce) for the singer-guitarist’s 1998 tribute album, ASTRONAUTA: CANÇÕES DE ELIS [Songs of Elis]. For that outing, she split piano duties with the late, great Mulgrew Miller and was thrilled to record the Jobim classic “Waters of March” with bossa nova titan Dori Caymmi sharing vocal duties.

“I was honored to have been a part of Joyce’s special tribute to Elis,” Rosnes recalls.

Moreno, now 76, returns the favor on CROSSING PATHS to sing a mesmerizing rendition of her song “Essa Mulher,” originally recorded as the title track of a 1979 Elis Regina album and a year later by Moreno herself on FEMININA. The first verse unfolds as a graceful, delicate piano/voice duet before the band enters gently, highlighted by Davis’ sensitive trombone accompaniment.

The album’s other special guest, Edu Lobo, joins for two of his own gems. His relationship with Rosnes began when she received an Instagram message from the singer-songwriter praising her recording of “Upa Neguinho.” A digital pen pal friendship was struck up, bearing fruit on his pair of striking vocals on “Pra Dizer Adeus” and “Casa Forte.” Rosnes’ own voice can also be heard on “Pra Dizer Adeus” as she sings along in unison with her improvised piano solo. At 81, Lobo’s voice is only enriched by age, vividly conveying the songs’ emotional complexity despite language barriers.

CROSSING PATHS opens with a spirited take on Gismonti’s “Frevo,” with Rosnes, Pinheiro, and Brown as the fluid frontline. Brown is one of Rosnes’ oldest friends, dating back to their days as roommates at the University of Toronto. The session offered Rosnes her first opportunity to play with Pinheiro, surprisingly given how magically their two voices combine on their exhilarating duet inventions here, which follow a virtuosic turn by Patitucci on electric bass.

“There’s a wildly compelling athleticism to Egberto Gismonti’s music,” says Rosnes. “Whether listening to it or playing it, you get pulled into a strong vortex of energy.”

Caetano Veloso’s “Trilhos Urbanos” is a Brazilian anthem depicting the bustling streetcars of his Bahia hometown, Santo Amaro, here fueling lively solos by Davis, Pinheiro, and the leader. While she could have opted for any number of familiar Jobim melodies for the date, Rosnes chose the more obscure “Canta, Canta Mais.” The song is stirringly rendered by the Rio-born contralto Maucha Adnet, who spent ten years singing with Antonio Carlos Jobim and his Nova Banda. Adnet invited the band to join her with vocals, in keeping with the lyric (which translates as, “Sing, Sing More”). The album concludes with a return to Jobim for “Caminhos Cruzados,” which translates to “Crossing Paths” featuring a second intoxicating Adnet vocal and a poignant piano solo.

“There’s a certain vulnerability to Maucha’s voice,” Rosnes says. “Even though I’m not conversant in Portuguese, it’s easy to hear that she is a gifted storyteller. There is a beautiful humanity and spirituality coming through the lyric.”

Chris Potter joins the ensemble for three tracks. Lobo’s classic “Casa Forte” features a sprightly soprano solo leading directly into Rosnes dancing across the keys. Gilberto Gil’s “Amor Até O Fim” finds his muscular tenor sparring with Rosnes’ grooving Rhodes, while Milton Nascimento’s “Estórias da Floresta” reprises the tenor/Rhodes combo over an evocative rhythm forest conjured by Cruz and Boccato. The piece comes from Nascimento’s 1990 album TXAI, which was inspired by the composer’s desire to bring more attention to the plight of the Amazon rain forest and its indigenous people.

The song’s environmental concerns resonate with Rosnes’ own, which she’s expressed on albums like her 2018 release BELOVED OF THE SKY.

While CROSSING PATHS could be seen as a departure for Rosnes, it arrives as the culmination of a long-held dream, realized brilliantly. “This project was sparked in my mind about three decades ago,” she says. “I’ve always been passionate about the music of Brazil, and finally, the time felt right to embark on it. With this band, I knew I was with players who hold great respect and love for this music, and that together we could make these songs come alive in the way I had imagined.”

Renee Rosnes

Renee Rosnes
Renee’ already distinguished career continues to reach new levels marked by new music, exciting collaborations, and ever-evolving musicianship. Upon moving to New York from Vancouver, Canada in 1985, she quickly established a reputation of the highest regard, touring and recording with such masters as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, JJ Johnson, Buster Williams and James Moody. She was the pianist for the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra and a founding member of the all-star ensemble, the SFJAZZ Collective, with whom she toured and recorded for six years.

In 1990, Renee released her debut album on Blue Note Records and went on to record 10 albums for the legendary company. In 2020, she returned to the label with ARTEMIS, a jazz supergroup including trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Nicole Glover, alto saxophonist/flutist Alexa Tarantino, bassist Noriko Ueda, drummer Allison Miller and Rosnes serving as pianist and musical director. Artemis’ performance at the 2018 Newport Jazz Festival was so dynamic, Blue Note Records President Don Was signed the group to the label. Tour dates across Europe and North America followed, including performances at such iconic stages as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, SFJAZZ, Chicago Orchestra Hall, and the Detroit and Monterey Jazz Festivals among others. Artemis has been featured on the cover of DownBeat, in Vanity Fair, on NPR’s Jazz Night in America. NPR raved, “A killer line-up of players, composers and performers who hail from all over the world… they all converge on a extremely cosmopolitan, sleek, rhythm-forward, modern sound.” Artemis recently won “Jazz Group of the Year” by the 2023 DownBeat Readers Poll.

Rosnes’ own 2016 outing Written in the Rocks (Smoke Sessions) was named one of ten Best Jazz Albums of the Year by The Chicago Tribune, one of the Best Albums in all genres of music by The Nation, and was awarded a Canadian JUNO. Her latest release, Kinds of Love (Smoke Sessions) was composed during the pandemic and features saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Carl Allen, and the Brazilian percussionist Rogério Boccato. All About Jazz wrote, “Rosnes elicits some of the most emotive and enthralling music of her career.” The recording was honored with another Canadian JUNO award (her 6th) for 2022 Best Solo Jazz Album of the Year.

In 2018, The Montréal Jazz Festival presented Renee with the Oscar Peterson Prize in recognition of her exceptional contributions to jazz. She is also an 14-year member of NEA Jazz Master Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet. The group’s double album “Ron Carter: Live in Stockholm, Vol. 1. & Vol. 2” (In’n’Out Records) was released in 2021.

Renee is married to renowned pianist Bill Charlap ad the two often perform together in a two-piano setting. In 2010, they released their acclaimed duet recording, Double Portrait (Blue Note). Downbeat stated, “The counterpoint and compatibilities are so perfectly balanced, the selections and arrangements so handsome, that Double Portrait is a prize.” The Charlap/Rosnes piano duo was also featured on four tracks of the 2015 Grammy winning album: Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern.

This album contains no booklet.