For jazz musician Ben Rosenblum music is more than melody and rhythm. His goal with every performance is to tell a compelling story through his music and connect authentically with the audience.
CSMA is excited to welcome the accomplished pianist, accordionist and composer for the opening of our 2024-25 Fall Community Concert series at 7:30 pm on Sept. 14 in Tateuchi Hall.
Rosenblum will team up with two long-time collaborators, Bay Area bassist Mat Muntz and NYC-based drummer Ben Zweig, to create a program spanning multiple continents and eras.
The upcoming show is titled, “Jazz Around the World.” The trio will perform an eclectic mix of familiar jazz standards, original compositions and selections from a variety of world music genres. Every concert is uniquely shaped to the space, the setting and the moment as the trio selects from its repertoire of hundreds of pieces.
Described as “one of the most electrifying eclectic voices in jazz,” (Lucid Culture, 2023), Rosenblum’s projects often draw on influences from ten or more cultures, including South America, Eastern Europe, Ireland, India, the Caribbean and the Middle East.
“Growing up in New York, I’ve always been surrounded by global music traditions at the highest level,” Rosenblum said in a 2023 Downbeat interview. “Early experiences going to hear Indian classical music and dance concerts, Japanese koto ensembles and Brazilian music primed my ear to be always searching for inspiration from different parts of the world.”
Rosenblum’s musical journey is diverse and continues to evolve. It has taken him on tours with Grammy-winning pop artist Rickie Lee Jones and Juno-winning contemporary Indian singer Kiran Ahluwalia. He’s also played Brazilian choro with Ephrat Asherie Dance and Brazilian forró with The Late Night Show’s Nêgah Santos and famed forró band Forró in the Dark, according to his website.
His roots in jazz have also led to a decades-long relationship with Grammy-winning bassist Curtis Lundy, performing at festivals alongside jazz luminaries Bobby Watson, Sean Jones and Warren Wolf.
Exposure to different cultures can provide such rich experiences. He shared that his musical world truly expanded for the better when he picked up the accordion. As an artist, his aim is to help the musical worlds of the audience expand as well.
“It is always a priority for me to bring jazz music to communities that do not have many opportunities to interact with the genre otherwise and also for me to go to places where I’m exposed to cultures and music that shape me,” he said.
By TaLeiza Calloway-Appleton
