Dan Rosenboom embraces the chaos in his upcoming release, Absurd in the Anthropocene - out this Friday, January 31, 2020 via Gearbox Records.
The internationally recognized trumpet player and composer-producer-entrepreneur is in line with his abstract musicianship and virtuous experimentalism & the album's inspirations run the gamut from Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman to Frank Zappa, Soundgarden, and Squarepusher, and its title refers to the complicated and often surreal times in which we live.
Today, Rosenboom shares the intense video for "Lemonade", the final single off the album before the release. "Lemonade" features bassist Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie's Blackstar, Wayne Krantz, The Black Crowes), guitarist Tim Conley (MAST/), saxophonist Gavin Templeton, and drummer Zach Danziger.
Dan says, "'Lemonade' was written the morning of the final recording session, sketched out in pencil quickly, xeroxed at the studio, and untitled when we recorded it. The idea was to do a heavy, Soundgarden-esque jam, and then feature guitarist Tim Conley in an almost psychedelic Buddy Guy-ish solo. The title came from when we performed it at an acoustic jazz gig the following evening - there were some technical issues at the venue and an elderly photographer kept offering moral support to the venue booker in the phrase 'let's make lemonade' (i.e. make the best of a bad situation). I liked that as a title, and I think it's a good hope for our global society, when looking at the mess we're in."
Absurd in the Anthropocene is loaded with an absurd crew of musicians, including producer and keyboard master Jeff Babko, legendary drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Gary Novak, and Zach Danziger, renowned bassists Jimmy Johnson, Tim Lefebvre and Jerry Watts Jr., Rosenboom's longtime collaborator Gavin Templeton and jazz icon David Binney on saxophones, guitarists Tim Conley, Alexander Noice, and Jake Vossler, electronics wizard Troy Ziegler, and horn-playing colleagues Brian Walsh, Ryan Dragon, Juliane Gralle, and Javier Gonzalez. The record's first session was recorded at Capitol Records with prized engineer Steve Genewick, while the second and third took place at Stella Sound Studios under the direction of revered producer, engineer, and mixer Justin Stanley.
"This album is about responding to our modern world in a way that is reflectively critical yet frenetically joyous," Rosenboom says. "Maelstrom and cognitive dissonance are everywhere, online and on the news. People cherry-pick what they want to believe and discount factual data. Inequity is rampant. In the face of such overwhelming chaos, turning toward our inner humanity is a powerful move. I want to take all that emotional fuel, and turn it into something creative, spontaneous, and beautiful."
Absurd in the Anthropocene Release Tour
Jan 31 - Los Angeles, CA @ Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
Feb 06 - New York, NY @ Nublu 151
Feb 11 - Seattle, WA @ The Royal Room
Feb 15 - Santa Barbara, CA @ The Piano Kitchen
Feb 16 - Ventura, CA @ NAMBA Performing Arts Space
Feb 18 - Berkeley, CA @ California Jazz Conservatory
