Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Mike Rossi Project: Journey

The Mike Rossi Project: Journey

By Dan Bilawsky
November 11, 2018
View read count

The music of Mike Rossi, a multi-reedist who serves as Professor in Jazz and Woodwinds at the University of Cape Town's South African College of Music, is bolstered by tradition. But it isn't built on purist sentiments. Instead, it reflects all that he's seen, heard, learned and/or taught during his decades-long love affair with the music. And with the mutable Mike Rossi Project cutting this way and that across a vast expanse, Journey most certainly speaks to its maker's multi-faceted approach.

Opening with

Chick Corea

piano
1941 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Corea's "Got A Match?," Rossi injects a dose of energy into the proceedings with his tenor while also properly introducing his band mates—trumpeter Marco Maritz, trombonist William Haubrich, pianist

Andrew Ford

bass, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Andrew Ford, bassist Wesley Rustin, and drummer

Kevin Gibson

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Kevin Gibson. From there, moods and horns come and go at will. Rossi's handmade Rampone & Cazzani Altello saxophone takes the lead on "Big Sax," a mellow mover with a lazy waltz gait; his alto flute introduces "Ciao Roma; Don't Say Lazio!" with an air of mystery before turning things over to the tenor for hotter happenings; alto saxophone joins with Ford's piano for a touching duo reading of "Stardust," dedicated to Rossi's mother; and clarinet and soprano, along with the seemingly favored tenor, join the mix on the segmented "Alpe Camasca, Italy."

While Rossi's arsenal of horns, and his mastery across all of them, is one important aspect highlighted on the program, his open embrace of various styles, periods, people, and places is the other. Whether essaying the blues with jam session fervor, taking the flute family through

Chuck Mangione

flugelhorn
1940 - 2025

" data-original-title="" title="">Chuck Mangione's immortal ""Land Of Make Believe," nodding to

Count Basie

piano
1904 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Count Basie on "Shiny Stockings," rocking with his weighty bari on a tribute to friends from the Italian province of Fermo, or honoring South African heart and home through the bass-buoyed "Mra," he proves to be an engaging presence with a long gaze across time. Rossi's journey has covered a lot of ground, and he's still clearly on the move.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Got A Match?; Big Sax; Ciao Roma; Don't Say Lazio!; Stardust; KwaZulu Zam Sam; Alpe Camasca, Italy; Greasy Pan Blues; Land Of Make Believe; Shiny Stockings; Cucciulitti-Snails Of Fermo; Hilda; Mra.

Personnel

Mike Rossi

Mike Rossi: soprano saxophone, altello saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, clarinet, flute, alto flute, piccolo; Marco Maritz: trumpet, flugelhorn; William Haubrich: trombone; Andrew Ford: piano, organ; Wesley Rustin: acoustic bass; Kevin Gibson: drums.

Album information

Title: Journey | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

G8S
< Previous

Jazz of the New South Africa, Part 1
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.