Jazzminn.com

Minnesota Roadkill is a blues and jazz pianist from Minneapolis. His music shows the influence of the jazz music theorist and composer George Russell, and pianist Ran Blake.

Roadkill tries to avoid playing a lot of fast notes. A musical performance is not an athletic event and speed does not necessarily equal beauty. Roadkill tries to hear each note, each chord, and each chord cluster before he plays it.

“Music is about telling a story. The voice is the most expressive instrument, and singers like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, and Mavis Staples are master story tellers who evoke deep emotional responses. They understand the lyrics that they sing. To the extent that I can as a jazz pianist, I emulate them.

“Music connect us with each other. Music tells us that we are not alone and that we share an inner world of familiar structures and ideas. Music connects us to our common history. It describes our present reality and it suggests possible futures. To be compelling and believable, improvised music should tell a story.”

–Minnesota Roadkill