Florian Ross

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Florian Ross 2018 in the Subway

Florian Ross (* 1. August 1972 in Pforzheim ) is a German composer , jazz - pianist and - bandleader .

life and work

Florian Ross initially studied jazz composition and piano at the Cologne University of Music with Joachim Ullrich and Bill Dobbins . From 1995 to 1996 he went to London to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama . With teachers like Django Bates , he dealt with works by British composers of the 20th century, namely Benjamin Britten , Peter Warlock and Edward Elgar . Ross continued for another year in New York City , where he studied with Don Friedman and Jim McNeely and became a member of the BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop.

In 1998, Seasons & Places released his first album under his own name. In a classic trio line-up, it offered “casually swinging modern mainstream” with close contact with contemporary composed music.

As his reputation grew , Ross got more and more commissions to write arrangements and compositions, for example for the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and the NDR Bigband . The Brussels work was published in 1999 under the title “The September Sessions” by “De Werf”. Jazz Week Dublin ordered an orchestral piece from Ross, which was premiered in 2005 in the Irish capital with Joe Lovano and Jim McNeely.

His clients as a composer for orchestras and other large ensembles included the Metropole Orkest , Vancouver Jazz Orchestra, "Oktoposse", "BMI Jazz Orchestra", Joe Lovano and RTÉ Dublin, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra , the " Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra ", the Subway Jazz Orchestra and Deutschlandfunk .

In addition, he got teaching assignments at the music academies in Hanover, Leipzig, Weimar, Dresden, Mainz and Cologne. Practicing as a freelance lecturer at workshops was just as important to him. With concert tours of the Goethe Institute he came as a cultural export to China, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh, Mexico, Chile, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.

According to his homepage, Ross has worked with Vince Mendoza , Bob Brookmeyer , the Big Band of the Bamberg Symphony , Peter Bolte , Joachim Schönecker , Tommy Smith , the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra , George Duke , John Scofield , Ron McClure , Eric Vloeimans , Nils Wogram , John Hollenbeck , Paul Heller , Michael Buckley and Ronan Guilfoyle .

With a line-up of five saxophonists, Ross expanded his trio to form the Florian Ross 8Ball octet . The unusual constellation brought about such exciting music that Ross was the only musician to be invited to the exhibition of contemporary jazz musicians at the Bremen German Jazz Meeting in 2006 and 2008 . The eleven pieces of the CD Eight Ball & White Horse were recorded in the chamber music hall of Deutschlandfunk.

When the album Swallows and Swans (2018) was recorded, his quintet included Matthew Halpin (sax), Dietmar Fuhr (b), Kristin Berardi (voc), Florian Ross (p, comp) and Hans Dekker (dr), and thus for the first time one Singing voice.

Florian Ross lives in Cologne .

Honourings and prices

In 2006 Florian Ross was awarded the WDR Jazz Prize for Composition. Already in 2000 he received the first price of the “Thad Jones Competition” of the “ Danish Radio Big Band ”. He was a member of the "BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop" in 1999/00

Quotes

  • "One of the most amazing musical experiences for me was discovering the music of John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler ."
  • "Composition is really just a slowed-down improvisation in which you have more time to think about the next note, the next minute or the next hour."

Discography (selection)

Florian Ross 2018
  • Florian Ross Quintet: Swallows and Swans (2018)
  • Florian Ross Trio: Pigs & Fairies (Toy Piano Records 2017)
  • Florian Ross Quintett: Lines & Crosscurrents (Toy Piano Records 2015)
  • Florian Ross Big Company: Ties & Lose Ends CD (Fuhrwerk 2013; Jazz Orchestra / Big Band)
  • Florian Ross: Front Room Songs CD (Fuhrwerk 2012; Duets for Piano & Hammond Organ)
  • Florian Ross Elektrio: Wheels & Wires CD (Fuhrwerk 2011; Hammond Organ Trio)
  • Florian Ross: Mechanism CD ( Pirouet 2010; piano solo)
  • Florian Ross 8Ball: Eight Ball & White Horse CD (Intuition 2007)
  • Florian Ross Trio: Big Fish Small Pond CD (Intuition 2006)
  • Florian Ross Quintet: Home and some other Place CD (Intuition 2005)
  • Florian Ross Brass Project: Liliacs and Laughter CD (Naxos-Jazz 2000)
  • Florian Ross: Suite for Soprano Sax and String Orchestra CD (Naxos-Jazz 1999)
  • Florian Ross Quintet: Seasons & Places debut album CD (Naxos-Jazz 1998)

Published compositions

  • Five compositions in: " The European Real Book: The Best in Contemporary Jazz from Europe ". Sher Music Co, Petaluma 2005
  • The pirates and the windmaker radio play for children. NDR big band . Text: Bernhard Lassahn ; Music: Florian Ross. Director: Hans Helge Ott . Jumbo, Hamburg 2004

Web links

Commons : Florian Ross (musician)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Goethe Institute from March 2006: Band portrait of Florian Ross Trio 2006 ( Memento from May 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Goetheinstitut from March 2008: Band portrait Florian Ross 8Ball 2008 ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Jazzdimensions.de of November 1, 2007: CD review of "Eight Ball & White Horse" ( Memento of November 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ "Swallows and Swans" Dreams of Flying , deutschlandfunk.de from January 3, 2019, accessed January 14, 2019
  5. ↑ a b Jazzdimensions.de of May 26, 2004: Interview with Florian Ross ( Memento of October 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ Detailed information from the publisher
personal data
SURNAME Ross, Florian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer and jazz pianist
DATE OF BIRTH August 1, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH Pforzheim