Bio

RUSS LOSSING   

Pianist, composer and improviser Russ Lossing, based in New York City for over 35 years, has been a tenacious creative force for more than three decades performing and recording with Paul Motian, Mark Helias, Billy Hart, Samuel Blaser, Michael Formanek, Eric McPherson, Tim Berne, Billy Mintz, Tyshawn Sorey, Cameron Brown, Gerry Hemingway, Ralph Alessi, Mat Maneri, Drew Gress, Oliver Lake, Kirk Knuffke, Gerald Cleaver, Gordon Grdina and many others.

Lossing played with master drummer Paul Motian over a period of 12 years performing and recording including week-long stints at the Village Vanguard as a member of Motian's Quintet. He has toured world-wide playing major jazz clubs and festivals both as leader and side-man.

Russ Lossing has 23 records as leader on European and American record labels hatOLOGY, Ezz-Thetics, Sunnyside, Cleanfeed, Fresh Sound, Double Time, Steeplechase and OmniTone labels. In 2015, he founded his label Aqua Piazza Records. Lossing was named Rising Star in the Down Beat Magazine Critics Poll from 2015-2022.

Lossing is drawing global attention for his unique vision, deep integrity, and thoughtfully humanistic voice.  A master of the moment, pianist, composer and improviser Russ Lossing electrifies audiences worldwide. A deeply intellectual and emotional improviser, he casts a spell over the room and gives audiences an unforgettable musical experience.

All About Jazz hails him as:"…an iconoclast in the best sense of the word, a true innovator."

“...an intrepid searcher with an end point in mind.” -New York Times

ICON Magazine says, "Stylistically, Lossing is, simply, a 'space man' – like Thelonious Monk and Paul Bley, letting the spaces between notes do the talking."

All About Jazz Says; "Listening to jazz music, we often hear the influence of the masters filtered through the hearts and minds of new artists. [...] However, listening to Russ Lossing, we mainly hear Russ Lossing. It's not that the influences and the tradition are not present. On the contrary, it's all here and then some – from Scriabin to Bill Evans, Bartok to Paul Bley – but Lossing isn't a newcomer. [...] His phrases are formed with tone and touch the way a vocalist shapes words with breath and nuance to articulate the message, and he has developed an expansive vocabulary to spark and kindle his explorations."

“strikingly lyrical” - jazztimes

“Add Russ Lossing to the current list of jazz piano luminaries”- All About Jazz, NY

“A masterful utilizer of musical space”.- Hot House

Musicians performed with

(partial list)

Paul Motian, Billy Hart, Mark Helias, Eric McPherson,Masa Kamaguchi, Billy Mintz, Samuel Blaser, Michael Formanek, Loren Stillman, Gerry Hemingway,  Michael Moore, Tom Rainey, Cameron Brown,  Mark Dresser, Ralph Alessi, Tony Malaby, Ellery Eskelin, Dave Liebman, John Abercrombie, Michael Sarin, Herb Robertson, Mat Maneri, Kirk Knuffke, Rudy Royston, Kermit Driscoll, Chris Lightcap, Nasheet Waits,  Thomas Morgan, Drew Gress, Gerald Cleaver, Billy Drewes, John Hebert, Gary Thomas. Marty Erlich, Michael Adkins, Oscar Noriega,  Sean Conly, Jeff Williams, Dave Phillips,, Ray Anderson,  Satoshi Takeishi, Ben Monder, John O'Gallagher, Rich Perry, Tim Berne, Johannes Weidenmuller, Michael Bates,  Andy Manndorff, Jay Anderson,  Michael Attias, Bobby Previte, Jamey Haddad, Shane Endsley, Francios Moutin, Adam Kolker, Randy Peterson,  Peter Herbert, Tyshawn Sorey, Trevor Dunn, Andrew Rathbun, Ed Schuller, George Schuller, Tony Moreno, Wolfgang Pushnig, Rudresh Mahanthappa , Dan Weiss, Scott Colley, Marc Mommas, Ben Street, Mike Clark, Dave Binney,  Dave Ballou, Jeff Davis, Chris Speed,  Mark Feldman, Russ Johnson, Matt Pavolka, Jason Rigby,  Kenny Wollesen, Bob Moses, Tim Hagans,  Aidan O’Donnell, Jerome Harris, Brad Shepik, ,Ralph Alessi, Kyoko Kitamura, Kendra Shank, Louie Belogenis, Eivind Opsvik,Dayeon Seok, Wallace Roney, Oliver Lake, Gordon Grdina, Caroline Davis, Deric Dickens, Lena Bloch, Adam Lane, Johnathon Goldberger, Lim Yang, Bob Moses

1965 - started classical piano lessons

1970 - began composing and improvising

1973 - began jazz piano and theory lessons

1978 - 1982 - toured 48 weeks per year/6 nights per week

1982-1986- earned  Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Ohio State University

1986-1987 - earned Master of Music in Jazz Studies from Manhattan School of Music

1987- present - NYC jazz scene/touring Europe, U.S. and Canada