Jazz is a repertory music much like most of the classical canon and similar to classical music’s greats, e.g. Beethoven and Stockhausen, the names of the genre’s pen masters are instantly recognizable. From Ellington and Monk to Silver and Braxton, compositional genius comes in many forms in jazz. Drummer/composer Paul Motian was brilliant at creating subtle, singable melodies and rhythmically ambiguous, floating forms. Former Motian collaborator and pianist Russ Lossing chose to honor Motian and his work by recording Motian Music, a collection of Motian’s idiosyncratic pieces played by Lossing’s trio. Lossing is in the perfect situation to reflect on the legacy of composers of all sorts. Having studied classical music, including time under the tutelage of John Cage, Lossing has covered a vast breadth of creative music, from modern classical to jazz to free music. His attraction to the idea of improvisation reflecting and enhancing composition has led the pianist to pursue a lifetime of performing jazz. It was only natural that Lossing would come into the fold of Paul Motian, a musician with a very similar modus operandi. Motian came through the worlds of contemporary classical, bebop and hard bop before finding his singular musical identity. It is no surprise that the two were close collaborators and friends for twelve years, where Motian was at ease enough to ask Lossing for opinions and suggestions on his compositions.
