Mike Rossi
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Mike Rossi remains a well-known jazz musician of this era. He is a professor at the South African College of Music in Cape Town, South Africa. He performs regularly and many jazz festivals, and travels to continents such as Europe, Asia and the United States in order to conduct workshops. His technique remains different to other jazz artists because he not only plays, but also teaches the audience as he does so. Rossi was the first person to obtain the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in jazz studies from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Not only is Michael Rossi a fantastic saxophonist and teacher, he also has written books that researches the different methods in putting music together.
The first observation upon walking in is that there were not many people. This was a little worrying in the beginning but as soon as Mike Rossi picked up his saxophone, all first impressions were changed. The room was dark and the stage was lit up. He looked like a typical jazz musician. He wore slacks and a button down shirt, a very casual look. As he started to play, one could tell that the audience became very much engaged. People began to sit up in their chairs and even started to cheer him on. People were talking about how it was such a great opportunity to be able to see him play in person.
After a song, the audience would engage with Rossi by asking him questions. For example, one audience member asked how he came up with the song, “Night Fright”, Rossi took the time to pause and stop playing in order to explain the significance of the piece. Rossi described his motivation for writing the song in the form of a story. He explained that one night he sat down to write a new song and a large African bug jumped on him and frightened him. That is why throughout the piece the tempo changes from slow to quick and back to slow.
Watching Michael J. Rossi perform and teach to the audience was actually quite an interesting experience that honestly was not expected. The only negative point that one could find about his performance is the fact that towards the end he was a little out of breath. This is very understandable considering many of his songs are upbeat and require a lot of energy. His music was relaxing and enjoyable. Although this is not something that a young person would listen to on a regular basis, one should take the time to sit and appreciate the hard work and skill that this genre requires.