Unlikely 2.0


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Editors' Notes

Maria Damon and Michelle Greenblatt
Jim Leftwich and Michelle Greenblatt
Sheila E. Murphy and Michelle Greenblatt

A Visual Conversation on Michelle Greenblatt's ASHES AND SEEDS with Stephen Harrison, Monika Mori | MOO, Jonathan Penton and Michelle Greenblatt

Letters for Michelle: with work by Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Jeffrey Side, Larry Goodell, mark hartenbach, Charles J. Butler, Alexandria Bryan and Brian Kovich

Visual Poetry by Reed Altemus
Poetry by Glen Armstrong
Poetry by Lana Bella
A Eulogic Poem by John M. Bennett
Elegic Poetry by John M. Bennett
Poetry by Wendy Taylor Carlisle
A Eulogy by Vincent A. Cellucci
Poetry by Vincent A. Cellucci
Poetry by Joel Chace
A Spoken Word Poem and Visual Art by K.R. Copeland
A Eulogy by Alan Fyfe
Poetry by Win Harms
Poetry by Carolyn Hembree
Poetry by Cindy Hochman
A Eulogy by Steffen Horstmann
A Eulogic Poem by Dylan Krieger
An Elegic Poem by Dylan Krieger
Visual Art by Donna Kuhn
Poetry by Louise Landes Levi
Poetry by Jim Lineberger
Poetry by Dennis Mahagin
Poetry by Peter Marra
A Eulogy by Frankie Metro
A Song by Alexis Moon and Jonathan Penton
Poetry by Jay Passer
A Eulogy by Jonathan Penton
Visual Poetry by Anne Elezabeth Pluto and Bryson Dean-Gauthier
Visual Art by Marthe Reed
A Eulogy by Gabriel Ricard
Poetry by Alison Ross
A Short Movie by Bernd Sauermann
Poetry by Christopher Shipman
A Spoken Word Poem by Larissa Shmailo
A Eulogic Poem by Jay Sizemore
Elegic Poetry by Jay Sizemore
Poetry by Felino A. Soriano
Visual Art by Jamie Stoneman
Poetry by Ray Succre
Poetry by Yuriy Tarnawsky
A Song by Marc Vincenz


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Roger Rosenberg

Roger RosenbergAn A-list baritone man for over three decades, Roger Rosenberg studied at Indiana University, The New England Conservatory of Music, and under the tutelage of players like Phil Woods and composers like Harold Seletsky. He has worked with a stunning list of greats; do the names Tito Puente, Buddy Rich, Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Janet Lawson, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, John Scofield, Sarah Vaughn, Gerry Mulligan, Michael Brecker, The New York Philharmonic, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Bob Mintzer, Eddie Palmieri, David Lahm, Tom Scott, and T.S. Monk ring a bell? Add another 40 or so heavyweight names in jazz, latin, and pop, and you've got a start on Roger's resume.

That Roger has been steadily in demand by the best of the best for so long is no mystery; his strong and searing solo voice combines with his powerful and swinging ensemble playing to make him a great addition to small and large sections alike. He excels at many styles of music and is a crack first-call N.Y. session player to boot. An accomplished woodwind doubler, he also plays clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, and flutes. His work has been acknowledged by the Downbeat critics and by an NARAS MVP award. and Mongo Santamaria's album Amanacer, which featured Roger as composer and soloist, won a Grammy for Best Latin Album.

Roger is based in New York City, where he teaches, plays on Broadway and in the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, and gigs with his Quartet. The photo to the left is from his work on the 2006 Steely Dan tour.

The track we present here at Unlikely, the Benny Golson tune "Killer Joe," is from Roger's 2000 CD, released by JazzKey. Roger brings with him David Budway on the piano, Chip Jackson on bass, and Jeff Brilinger on drums. The disc was produced by Frank Perowski and engineered and mixed by Jim Czuk.

'Roger's at his best here, don't ya think?, with "Killer Joe," where he can stretch out some, tell the whole story. You know, that's Chet Baker's rhythm section, Chip Jackson on bass & Jeff Brillinger on drums, with that cool swing. The tune's a natural for Roger's kind of exploration on baritone sax, turning a Saturday night dance song sexy and sassy into something like Sunday morning: streams of blue be bop glimmer gospel gum drop in a sanctified style, infectious, open, alive. And David Budway, the piano player, is encyclopedic as well; chrysanthemums blossom under his runs.' —KG

'Man, I think you hit it just right when you say "whole story;" there's a clean, clear progression in this piece. It starts out sophisticated and laid back, it ends sophisticated and mellow, and on its way from Points A to B it goes through the various permutations of a party, an adventure, a love affair. This is instrumental storytelling, the story of moods and settings and images of the ear. And yeah, everyone's playing with both precision and enormous passion, that sort of passion that comes with good vibes and easy pleasure.' —JP

'"Killer Joe" is such a smart choice for Roger and his bad-ass band. All four players seem to find in Benny Golson's tune a signifyin' capsule of our music's history, a nod to the many streams that flow from that blues-inflected source. Roger's got the lyrics of the song in his head as well, giving him additional rhythmic opportunity in his soloing. Well, you said it best: precision meets passion. The whole record is like that, don't ya think? Jimmy Czak, the engineer at NOLA, really has ears for the low notes, and Frank Perowsky knows how to produce. I've heard Roger's band live and the record captures the kind of excitement they deliver from the stand.' —KG


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"Killer Joe" is not available for download, but instead can be heard right here on the web site. If you don't see a jukebox above, try downloading Flash player.