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Interview with Jazz Musician Nick Rosen

Posted by editorial on Jul 30, 2010 in Lifestyle | 0 comments

A chance meeting on Twitter led to this interview with young jazz musician and LA resident Nick Rosen. Nick is off to a great start; still early in his career, he has some impressive credits to his name including working with celebrity musicians and featured on scores by Oscar winning composer Michael Giacchino such as the latest Star Trek film and Land of the Lost with Will Ferrell, and the scores to the TV shows Fringe and LOST.

I love jazz music, and in reply to a tweet about jazz, he wrote to share with me some of his music. From the first moment I heard it, I was captivated. The piece was, appropriately titled ‘Blossoming Song’. The atmosphere of the music was uplifting, soul stirring and filled the room with the lightness of its notes, like little floating flower petals. On the release of his debut disc NICK ROSEN Into the Sky (Porter Records, available on iTunes), I had a chance to chat with Nick by email about the man, his music and what inspires him.

Interview with Nick Rosen, Jazz Musician, Los Angeles, California

Who is Nick Rosen, the man and musician?

I am first off a human being and citizen of the world. My main instrument is bass but I love playing guitar, keys, and drums as well. I have always loved the idea of creating a community and that is what drew me towards music. I love sound and people and music was the way I connected these two passions.

You have a new album out (Into The Sky, available on iTunes). Tell us that inspired pieces you wrote and recorded for it?

A lot of the pieces that I wrote for the album were inspired by places or scenery I was thinking of, or emotions I was trying to convey. For instance, African Sun was composed because I was listening to a lot of music from South African around the time I was writing the stuff and I wanted to write something to convey the join and warmth that I felt from that country, I wanted to convey that emotion more than actually emulating exactly what the musicians were playing. Mindy’s Song was written for my girlfriend at the time, I wanted to write a song that would inspire her and show her how much I cared for her; she was always pushing me to write more songs with lyrics. In Her Smile was written as a lullaby for my niece Jillian, I wanted her to have something beautiful to hear when she was going to sleep because she inspires me so much and is such a special girl.

What about jazz music appeals to you and why do you think jazz is so special?

I love the freedom and expression in Jazz. I also love the history and community that is associated with Jazz music and the people involved with it. Music should be contributive, fun, and exciting and I think that jazz embodies these principles.

What is life like for a young musician in Los Angeles?

I get to work with so many great artists in LA and have been so lucky to have been supported by so many great elder artists residing in this city. I love getting to be a part of so many great bands (Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Build an Ark, GO: Organic Orchestra) at the same time and getting to be a part of such a great, diverse community of artists. I have always been the type of person to take the initiative and set up my own events and LA is a very good place for this. I have always felt very free to do what I am feeling and I am thankful to be a artist in LA at this time when there is so much going on in the world and in my community.

How powerful a role do you think music plays in enriching a person’s life? How can they best use music to do that?

Music can save someone’s life. It can be the emotional sound track needed for someones life for whatever they are going through. Sounds can hit everyone in various ways and everyone has certain sounds that just feel right and resonate within the depths of their heart. Those are the sounds that are so important for everyone to find; and those sounds and music are what can play pivotal roles in peoples lives.

On your website, it reads that you wish to “inspire joy and hope”…what influences your music and how do you inject hope and joy into it?

Pretty much everything influences my music, people in my life, places I go, music I listen. I go on what my heart feels and if something resonates with me it will inevitably come out in my music. My hope is that the joy that I feel while creating the music will come off in the end result and will in turn translate into peoples hearts and lives.

Life inspires music…how do you live your life to best inspire your music?

I just try to always have open, honest dialogue with everyone that I come in to contact with and I ask myself if I am creating value in every situation that I am in. I also try to focus on what debts of gratitude I have in my life at all times and how I can repay these, and how I can incorporate altruism into my life more.

What’s in your iPod?

Right now: the new solo album from Jonsi, Sam Cooke, Clap your hands say yeah, John Coltrane, Brad Mehladau, Joni Mitchell, and Rostropovich playing the Bach cello suites (and of course tons more stuff from all genres!).

What are your dreams for your musical career? What’s next for Nick Rosen?

First and foremost lots more of my own human revolution and learning. I also have a TV show that I developed with Marcel Camargo that we are currently finding a network for. I will be doing some touring doing solo/DJ sets for my own music to Japan, Europe, and Australia and around the states over the next 6 months. I’m going to try and spend as much time this year as I can promoting “Into the Sky” and playing the music for the people, I want to connect with as many people as possible and I would like to become a truly global citizen. I will also be doing gigs with bands I am in such as Build an Ark around the world. Other than my own stuff I do a lot of writing with artists in LA and I am very excited to keep doing sessions and working with new artists. I am also in talks to start my own workshop/concert series that would start up in 2011 in LA, NY and London and will involve lots of great vocalists and musicians. Finally, I’m going to start writing material for my next two records that I hope to record early next year, one will have some full orchestral material, as well as some trio an quartet material and will also utilize various electronics and one will be more of a pop/singer-songwriter record.