Irene Louise Rosnes (born 24 March 1962), known professionally as Renee Rosnes ( ), is a Canadian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

Early life

Rosnes was born in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...

, and grew up in North Vancouver,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. 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 The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, and studied classical performance with pianist William Aide. In 1985, Rosnes was awarded a

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study a ...

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 Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

label band, Out of the Blue, and recorded the 1989 album "Spiral Staircase" with the band. After tenor saxophonist

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

hired her to play with his quartet in 1986, Rosnes began an international career. In 1988, she was a member of the

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Shorter came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary comp ...

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 Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note Records, Blue Note album ''Components (album), Components'', is one of his best-known composi ...

, 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 Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy Awards, and is also a Cello, cellist who has reco ...

's Foursight Band, which tours frequently in Europe. In 2023, Rosnes won her seventh Canadian

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

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 William Morrison Charlap (born October 15, 1966, pronounced "Shar-Lap") is an American jazz pianist and educator. Early life and education Born in New York City, Bill Charlap is the son of American Broadway composer Moose Charlap and the singe ...

on 25 August 2007, and the couple released a piano duet recording titled ''Double Portrait'' ( Blue Note). Rosnes was the host of ''Jazz Profiles'', a

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

show in which she profiled Canadian jazz musicians. Guests included pianists

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

, Joe Sealy and Oliver Jones, bassists Don Thompson and Michel Donato, trumpeters Guido Basso and

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

, 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 (trumpet), Alexa Tarantino (alto sax & reeds), Noriko Ueda (bass), Allison Miller (drums). The group signed with the Blue Note label, and their eponymously titled debut album was released on 11 September 2020.

Awards and honours

* Hugh Fraser (musician)'s tribute composition ''Irenerosnesity'' was recorded by The Hugh Fraser Quintet on their album ''Looking Up'' (CBC Records 1988) and performed by them at the Montreal Jazz Festival (1988) *

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

, Best Jazz Album, '' For the Moment'' (1992), '' Ancestors'' (1997), '' Life on Earth'' (2003), '' Written in the Rocks'' (2017), Kinds of Love, (2023) * Juno Awards, Best Mainstream Jazz Album, ''Free Trade'' (1995) * Juno nominations, Best Mainstream Jazz Album, ''As We Are Now'' (1998), ''Deep Cove'' (2005) (Ryga/Rosnes), * Juno nominations, Best Jazz Album, ''Renee Rosnes'' (1991), ''Art and Soul'' (2000), ''Beloved of the Sky'' (2018) * SOCAN Composer of the Year, 2003 * Western Canadian Music Awards, Jazz Recording of the Year, ''Deep Cove'' by Ryga-Rosnes Quartet, (2005) * Sikh Centennial Gala Award, Sikh Foundation of Canada, 2015 * Newark School of the Arts, Artistic Honoree, 2016 * Oscar Peterson Award, Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, 2018

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* ''Face to Face'' (Toshiba/EMI, 1989) * ''Renee Rosnes'' ( Blue Note, 1990) * '' For the Moment'' (Blue Note, 1990) * ''Without Words'' (Blue Note, 1992) * '' Ancestors'' (Blue Note, 1996) * '' As We Are Now'' (Blue Note, 1997) * '' Art & Soul'' (Blue Note, 1999) * ''With a Little Help from My Friends'' (Blue Note, 2001) * '' Life on Earth'' (Blue Note, 2001) * ''Renee Rosnes and the Danish Radio Big Band'' with DR Big Band (Blue Note, 2003) – rec. 2001 * ''Deep Cove'' (CBC, 2004) * ''A Time for Love'' (Video Arts, 2005) * ''Black Narcissus: A Tribute to Joe Henderson'' (

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

/M&I, 2009) * ''Double Portrait'' with

(Blue Note, 2010) – rec. 2009 * ''Manhattan Rain'' (Pony Canyon, 2012) * '' Written in the Rocks'' ( Smoke Sessions, 2016) – rec. 2015 * ''Beloved of the Sky'' (Smoke Sessions, 2018) * ''Ice on the Hudson: Songs by Renee Rosnes & David Hajdu'' with David Hajdu (SMK, 2018) * ''Kinds of Love'' (Smoke Sessions, 2021)

As a member

Out of the Blue * ''Spiral Staircase'' (Blue Note, 1989) Superblue * ''Superblue 2'' (Blue Note, 1989) The Drummonds
With Ray Drummond and Billy Drummond * ''When You Wish Upon a Star'' (VideoArts, 1999) * ''Letter to Evans'' (VideoArts, 2000) * ''A Beautiful Friendship'' (VideoArts, 2002) * ''Pas de Trois'' (True Life Jazz, 2002) * ''Once Upon a Summertime'' (VideoArts, 2003) SFJAZZ Collective * ''Inaugural Season Live 2004'' (SFJAZZ, 2004) CD* ''Live 2005: 2nd Annual Concert Tour – The Works of John Coltrane'' (SFJAZZ, 2005) CD* ''Live 2006: 3rd Annual Concert Tour – The Music of Herbie Hancock'' (SFJAZZ, 2006) CD* ''Live 2007: 4th Annual Concert Tour – The Works of Thelonious Monk'' (SFJAZZ, 2007) CD* ''Live 2008: 5th Annual Concert Tour – The Works of Wayne Shorter'' (SFJAZZ, 2008) CD* ''Live 2009: 6th Annual Concert Tour – The Music of McCoy Tyner'' (SFJAZZ, 2009) CD * ''Artemis'' (Blue Note, 2020) * ''Artemis, In Real Time'' (Blue Note, 2023)Blue Note Records
ARTEMIS "IN REAL TIME" – Blue Note Records
accessdate: 23 May 2023 * ''Arboresque'' (Blue Note, 2025)

As sideperson

With

* ''Brasil L.I.K.E.'' with Vitoria Maldonado (

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

, 2016) * ''Foursight Quartet: Live in Stockholm, Vol. 1'' (In and Out, 2019) * ''Foursight Quartet: Live in Stockholm, Vol. 2'' (In and Out, 2020) With Todd Coolman * ''Tomorrows'' (BRC, 1991) * ''Lexicon'' ( Double-Time, 1995) – rec. 1991 With

Michael Dease Michael Patrick Dease (born August 25, 1982) is an American jazz tenor and bass trombonist, composer and producer. He also plays saxophone, trumpet, flugelhorn, Double bass, bass and piano. Biography Michael Dease was born in Augusta, Georgia a ...

* ''Coming Home'' (D Clef, 2013) * ''All These Hands'' ( Posi-Tone, 2016) * ''Never More Here'' (Posi-Tone, 2019) With Billy Drummond *'' Native Colours'', (Criss Cross, 1992) * ''The Gift'' (Criss Cross, 1993) With Jon Faddis * ''Into the Faddisphere'' (

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

, 1989) * ''Hornucopia'' (Epic, 1991) With Jimmy Greene * ''Beautiful Life'' ( Mack Avenue, 2014) * ''Flowers, Beautiful Life, Volume 2'' (Mack Avenue, 2017) With

* 1986: ''Punjab'' (Arco, 1990) * 1988: ''Humpty Dumpty'' with Akio Sasajima (BRC, 1990) With J. J. Johnson * ''Let's Hang Out'' ( Verve, 1993) * ''The Brass Orchestra'' (Verve, 1997) * ''Heroes'' (Verve, 1998) With Marian McPartland * ''Just Friends'' ( Concord, 1998) * ''An NPR Christmas Collection with Marian McPartland and Friends'' (NPR, 2006) With

Jimmy Scott James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs. After ...

* ''But Beautiful'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...

, 2002) * ''Moon Glow'' (Milestone, 2003) With Gary Thomas * ''The Seventh Quadrant'' ( Enja, 1987) * '' While the Gate Is Open'' (JMT, 1990) With Walt Weiskopf * 1998: ''Anytown'' (Criss Cross, 1999) * 2008: ''Quartet Live'' (

Capri Capri ( , ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A popular resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, its natural beauty ...

, 2011) With

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. He arranged music for D ...

* '' New York, New Sound'' (Mack Avenue, 2003) * '' In My Time'' (Mack Avenue, 2005) * '' Monterey Moods'' (Mack Avenue, 2007) * ''

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

'' (Mack Avenue, 2009) * ''

Legacy Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy ...

'' (Mack Avenue, 2011) With Dave Young * ''Two by Two, Vol. 1'' ( Justin Time, 1995) * ''Two by Two, Vol. 2'' (Justin Time, 1996) * ''One Way Up'' (Modica Music, 2016) * ''Lotus Blossom'' (Modica Music, 2019) With others *

Howard Alden Howard Vincent Alden (born October 17, 1958) is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. Alden has recorded many albums for Concord Records, including four with seven-string guitar innovator George Van Eps. Early life Ho ...

, ''Take Your Pick'' (Concord, 1997) – rec. 1996 *

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

, '' The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern'' (RPM/Columbia, 2015) – Grammy won album * Adrian Cunningham and Ken Peplowski, ''Duologue'' ( Arbors, 2018) * Brandi Disterheft, ''Gratitude'' ( Justin Time, 2012) * Ray Drummond, '' Vignettes'' (Arabesque, 1996) – rec. 1995 * Robin Eubanks, ''

Karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

'' ( JMT, 1991) * Nick Finzer, "Legacy: A Centennial Celebration of JJ Johnson (Outside in Music) *

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

, ''Christmas in New York'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, 2014) *

Sonny Fortune Cornelius "Sonny" Fortune (May 19, 1939 – October 25, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist. He played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, clarinet, and flute. Biography He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Af ...

, ''Invitation'' (Century, 2010) – rec. 1987 *

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

All-Star Big Band, ''Things to Come'' ( MCG Jazz, 2002) * David Hajdu, ''Waiting for the Angel'' (Miranda, 2015) *

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombone, jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tub ...

, ''Inclusion'' (Twin, 1999) – rec. 1998 * Vincent Herring, ''Secret Love'' ( MusicMasters, 1993) *

, ''For Sentimental Reasons'' (Kind of Blue, 2007) * Joyce Moreno, ''Astronauta – The Songs of Elis'' (Blue Jackel, 1998) * Steve Kaldestad, ''New York Afternoon'' (Cellar Jazz, 2015) * Tom Kennedy, ''Just Play'' (Capri, 2013) – rec. 2012 * Peter Leitch, ''Blues on the Corner'' (

Reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

, 1999) * Joe Magnarelli, ''Why Not'' (Criss Cross, 1995) * George Mraz, ''Duke's Place'' (Milestone, 1999) * Mike Murley, ''Taking Flight'' (Cornerstone, 2020) * Lewis Nash, ''Highest Mountain'' (Cellar Live, 2011) * Native Colors, ''One World'' (Concord, 1995) * Greg Osby, '' Season of Renewal'' (JMT, 1990) – rec. 1989 *

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (; 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son o ...

, ''Friends Forever'' (Milestone, 1997) – rec. 1995 * Rich Perry, ''So in Love'' ( Steeplechase, 1998) – rec. 1997 * Jim Snidero, ''Strings'' (Milestone, 2003) – rec. 2001 * Neil Swainson "Fire in the West" (Cellar Music Group) 2022 * Steve Turre, ''One4J'' (

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long assoc ...

, 2003) *

Chip White Alan White (21 December 1946 – 5 August 2020), known as Chip White, was an American jazz drummer who has performed and/or recorded with a variety of artists, including Carmen McRae, Jaki Byard, the CETA Artists Project (NYC Cultural Council Foun ...

, ''Personal Dedications & Percussive Tributes'' (Dark Colors, 2011) * Nancy Wilson, ''A Nancy Wilson Christmas'' (Telarc, 2001) * Pete Yellin, ''How Long Has This Been Going On?'' (Jazzed Media, 2009) * Libby York, ''Sunday in New York'' (Blujazz Productions, 2004)