Born in 1990, PJ Rasmussen ....

Born in 1990, PJ Rasmussen entered a world where jazz seemed reserved more for intellectuals than real people. Picking up the guitar at age 10, he spent more time learning Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton than working his way through the Real Book. While his passion for rock and blues never waned, his eclectic taste and exploratory spirit never stopped looking for new music to learn; soon enough he was practicing Joe Pass and Yardbird alongside Slowhand, under the watchful eye of Andrew Light.

A great guitarist in his own right, Andrew introduced PJ to the wide world of jazz. He has never looked back, studying Jazz Performance at William Patterson University as well as with performers like Bucky Pizzarelli, Paul Meyers, and Gene Bertoncini. These experiences have recently resulted in his Avionics EP, recorded with the PJ Rasmussen Quartet.

The recording features Rasmussen’s bebop capabilities married to a bluesman’s aversion to the abstract, his sensitive touch and scorching runs shining in a group setting. The album also featured two original tunes, “Avionics” and “Waltz for Someone,” highlighting his abilities as composer. Rasmussen is also a capable solo performer, utilizing the full range of his seven-string guitar to create the illusion of an ensemble performance as well as in duo or trio performances, where he has played with Bucky Pizzerelli, Steve Laspina, and Jack Wilkins. PJ's ensembles have also shared the stage with such luminaries as Ben Allison, Mulgrew Miller, and Terell Stafford.

PJ is also a busy composer, and he brings together his diverse musical background in surprising ways. He has written for many different settings, including recent commissions for the NY theater. In "The Gambler," based on the gripping novel by Dostoyevsky, Rasmussen was asked to bring together styles as diverse as classical string quartet, tango, and 1960's post bop and funk. In "L'illusion Comique," he was commissioned for charts that included classic ragtime, and orchestral scores that demonstrated "Tim Burton's version of 1916 New Orleans." Based on it's recent success in NY, the show is scheduled to visit New Orleans itself as part of it's annual "Fringe Festival," in November of 2012.

Adventures in Flight

by PJ Rasmussen

A debut album is a daunting experience for any artist regardless of age. But guitarist/composer PJ Rasmussen’s first CD – Adventures in Flight on Third Freedom Music – shows a young man brimming with musical confidence and leadership qualities of a seasoned professional. A truly outstanding composer, PJ has assembled a remarkable sextet for a highly diverse, but totally cohesive set of Rasmussen originals.

Over the past 25 years, many artists have tried to re-create the substance of the classic 1960’s Blue Note era. But what is usually missed is that the music of that era was utterly entrenched in the times it was created – an essential component of the Jazz tradition. While PJ and his cohorts have feet solidly planted in that legacy, the music on this CD is vividly contemporary.

Born in 1990, PJ cut his musical teeth on the rock and blues spirit of men like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and has brought his love of those forms to his serious commitment to Jazz. Combining these elements into a unified musical vision has resulted in carrying that timeless Blue Note recipe of funky hard-bop, soulful lyricism, passionate swing and innovative exploration smack dab into 2013.

With one exception, all of the musicians are contemporaries of the guitarist; and that is the remarkable drummer Steve Johns, whose experience and mastery of a wide variety of styles contributes heavily to the unified thrust of this album. All of the other musicians – tenor saxophonist Nate Giroux, Danny Reyes on trumpet and flugelhorn, Chris Pattishall on piano and Adrian Moring on bass – are superb, performing with youthful vigor and with a sense of urgency that has become increasingly rare. A most surprising element is that this group, after only a few rehearsals, sounds like an ensemble that has been performing together for years, particularly highlighted by the seamless interplay and nearly telepathic interaction between Moring and Johns, who anchor each track emphatically.

A major element of the success of this album is the extraordinary compositional skill of Rasmussen. Eschewing the complex harmonics and rapidly jagged unison lines that young composers often employ to demonstrate compositional and performing virtuosity, PJ strives for lyricism, rhythmic variety and depth of mood, offering both the opportunity for rich musical exploration and the adventurousness of innovative excitement. Each composition is fully thought out and the music is well-planned, but still open enough for the elements of surprise and spontaneity that are essential to the best Jazz expositions. The arrangements are finely crafted to fit both the compositional structure and the musicians who play them. And two of the pieces, Waxing and Wayne-ing and At Long Last have the added spice of the lovely voice of Kelly Green wordlessly enhancing the melodic line.

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