Renee Rosnes


Irene Louise Rosnes, known professionally as Renee Rosnes, is a Canadian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
WWW reneerosnes.com

Early life

Rosnes was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and grew up in North Vancouver, British Columbia. She was three when she began taking classical piano lessons. She attended Handsworth Secondary School, and became interested in jazz music there, introduced to it by the school's band director, Bob Rebagliati.
She went on to the University of Toronto, and studied classical performance with pianist William Aide. In 1985, Rosnes was awarded a Canada Council for the Arts grant, and moved to New York City to continue her studies.

Career

Shortly after arriving in New York, Rosnes became the pianist for the Blue Note Records label band, Out of the Blue, and recorded the 1989 album "Spiral Staircase" with the band. After tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson hired her to play with his quartet in 1986, Rosnes began an international career. In 1988, she was a member of the Wayne Shorter Band and in 1989, she joined trombonist J. J. Johnson's Quintet and remained his pianist of choice until he retired in 1997. In 1989, she also began working with tenor saxophonist James Moody and was the pianist in his quartet for the next 20 years. Rosnes frequently performed with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, and recorded For Sentimental Reasons with his quartet in 2007. She was a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective, and played with the octet from 2004 through 2009. Since 2012, she has been a member of bassist Ron Carter's Foursight Band, which tours frequently in Europe.
In 2023, Rosnes won her seventh Canadian Juno Award for Solo Jazz Album of the Year for Kinds of Love Smoke Sessions Records, recorded with Chris Potter on tenor, soprano saxes and flute, Christian McBride on bass, and Carl Allen on drums and Rogerio Boccato on percussion. She made four Japanese trio recordings for the VideoArts label with The Drummonds with ex-husband Billy Drummond and the unrelated Ray Drummond on bass. She married jazz pianist Bill Charlap on 25 August 2007, and the couple released a piano duet recording titled Double Portrait.
Rosnes was the host of Jazz Profiles, a CBC Radio show in which she profiled Canadian jazz musicians. Guests included pianists Paul Bley, Joe Sealy and Oliver Jones, bassists Don Thompson and Michel Donato, trumpeters Guido Basso and Kenny Wheeler, and drummer Terry Clarke. With producer Kelly Peterson Rosnes is a co-founder of the Canadian Jazz Master Awards and was the artistic director of the Oscar Peterson International Jazz Festival, which took place in Ontario, Canada. Rosnes is the pianist and musical director of the all-female quintet. The other members are Ingrid Jensen, Alexa Tarantino, Noriko Ueda, Allison Miller. The group signed with the Blue Note label, and their eponymously titled debut album was released on 11 September 2020.

Awards and honours

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Face to Face Renee Rosnes – includes live rec. 1988For the Moment Without Words with String Orchestra Ancestors As We Are Now Art & Soul With a Little Help from My Friends Life on Earth Renee Rosnes and the Danish Radio Big Band with DR Big Band – rec. 2001Deep Cove A Time for Love Black Narcissus: A Tribute to Joe Henderson Double Portrait with Bill Charlap – rec. 2009Manhattan Rain Written in the Rocks – rec. 2015Beloved of the Sky Ice on the Hudson: Songs by Renee Rosnes & David Hajdu with David Hajdu
  • ''Kinds of Love''

As a member

Out of the BlueSpiral Staircase
SuperblueSuperblue 2
The Drummonds

With Ray Drummond and Billy DrummondWhen You Wish Upon a Star Letter to Evans A Beautiful Friendship Pas de Trois Once Upon a Summertime
SFJAZZ CollectiveInaugural Season Live 2004 Live 2005: 2nd Annual Concert Tour – The Works of John Coltrane Live 2006: 3rd Annual Concert Tour – The Music of Herbie Hancock Live 2007: 4th Annual Concert Tour – The Works of Thelonious Monk Live 2008: 5th Annual Concert Tour – The Works of Wayne Shorter Live 2009: 6th Annual Concert Tour – The Music of McCoy Tyner
Artemis Artemis, In Real Time
  • ''Arboresque''

As sideperson

With Ron CarterBrasil L.I.K.E. with Vitoria Maldonado Foursight Quartet: Live in Stockholm, Vol. 1 Foursight Quartet: Live in Stockholm, Vol. 2
With Todd CoolmanTomorrows Lexicon – rec. 1991
With Michael DeaseComing Home All These Hands Never More Here
With Billy Drummond
With Jon FaddisInto the Faddisphere Hornucopia
With Jimmy GreeneBeautiful Life Flowers, Beautiful Life, Volume 2
With Joe Henderson
With J. J. JohnsonLet's Hang Out The Brass Orchestra Heroes
With Marian McPartlandJust Friends An NPR Christmas Collection with Marian McPartland and Friends
With Jimmy ScottBut Beautiful Moon Glow
With Gary ThomasThe Seventh Quadrant While the Gate Is Open
With Walt Weiskopf
  • 1998: Anytown
  • 2008: Quartet Live
With Gerald WilsonNew York, New Sound In My Time Monterey Moods Detroit Legacy
With Dave YoungTwo by Two, Vol. 1 Two by Two, Vol. 2 One Way Up Lotus Blossom
With others