Insight with Beth Ruyak Capital Public Radio Sacramento California
Insight with Beth Ruyak Capital Public Radio Sacramento California
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| Image Galleries Finland Tour 2019 (Otherworld Ensemble) various photographers Manala Debut (Berkeley Finnish Hall 2019) by Peter B Kaars Road to Aacheron Debut (Berkeley Finnish Hall 2017) by Peter B Kaars Otherworld Cycle (Sacramento Gold Lion Arts 2015) by Michael Zelner Otherworld Cycle Debut (CMC San Francisco 2014) by Michael Zelner Romus/Rankin-Parker/Pearce (Vamp, Oakland 2014) by Michael Zelner Benefit Concert for Arthur Blythe (Berkeley Arts 2013) by Michael Zelner |
Interviews & Features WFMU (Guest DJ, Music For a Free World with Dave Sewelson, New York 2023) SF Classical Voice (Itkuja CD release preview by Jeff Kaliss, San Francsico 2023) Activator (Actual/Actual Review by Richard Gilman-Opalsky, Springfield, IL 2022) SF Classical Voice (Itkuja preview by Jeff Kaliss, San Francsico 2022) The Rehearsal Studio (Itkuja Suite Preview by Stephen Smoliar, 2022) SF Classical Voice (Manala review by Andrew Gilbert, San Francsico 2020) Karjalainen (Manala review by Jyri Ojala, Joensuu Finland 2019) Memory Select (Manala Preview and Album review by Craig Matsumoto 2019) Insight With Beth Ruyak Capital Public Radio (Rogue Star Preview 2018) by Beth Ruyak CatSynth TV (Performance Review Albany California USA 2018) JazzTokyo (Interview 2018) by Kudo Takeshi Takeshi Goda, Junichiro Atsushi Joe & Satoshi Saito Akira Saito Aamulehti (Performance Review Tampere Finland 2017) by Jussi Niemi Interview (with Jazzpastori Markku Salo Kerava Finland 2017) . Rytmimusiikkia (Performance Review Tampere Finland 2017) by Jyrki Kallio Hufvudstadsbladet (Performance Review Kereva Jazz Festival Kereva Finland 2017) by Jan-Erik Holmberg Memory Select (Road to Aacheron Review 2016) by Craig Matsumoto Berkeleyside (Road to Aacheron Preview 2016) by Andrew Gilbert Experinautas (On the San Francisco Music Scene 2015) by Diego Villaseñor de Cortina Berkeleyside (Otherworld Cycle Preview 2015) by Andrew Gilbert Insight With Beth Ruyak Capital Public Radio (Otherworld Cycle Preview 2015) by Beth Ruyak Memory Select (Otherworld Cycle Preview 2014) by Craig Matsumoto Beyond Chron (Otherworld Cycle Preview 2014) by E. Doc Smith Examiner (Otherworld Cycle Preview 2014) by Stephen Smoliar New World Finn (Otherworld Cycle Preview 2014) by Gerry Henkel SFWeekly (Otherworld Cycle Preview 2014) by Andy Gilbert Tokafi (On Originality 2014) by Tobias Fischer Avant Music News (Interview 2014) by Mike in AMN Interviews Picoas Project (Interview 2014) by Thollem McDonas Taran's Jazz Hour (Podcast 2009) by Taran Tokafi (CD Feature 2009) by Tobias Fischer SF Classical Voice (Field Notes From the Bleeding Edge 2009) by Noel Veroza Tokafi (15 Questions 2006) by Tobias Fischer Stockton Record (Top Pick December 2006) by Ian Hill |
Quotes “One way to say he is “incomparable” is to say that sometimes he recalls for me Oliver Lake, then Charles Parker in the next moment, then Roscoe Mitchell, with fleeting melodic runs a al Ornette Coleman. The players I just mentioned are so radically unlike one another that to hear all of that and more in Romus’ playing is to declare his uniqueness.” Richard Gilman-Opalsky author/journalist, Activator Magazine USA " As a composer Rent Romus seems to have spiritual connection to ancient Finnish spirits." - Sonata Hauta-aho, Finland "Finnish-American Rent Romus (alto and soprano saxophones, flute, and Finnish kantele — plucked psaltry) and Finnish-born master Heikki “Mike” Koskinen (e-trumpet, tenor recorder, and kantele) create strikingly vivid, deeply textured music that evokes stark landscapes and heroic deeds." - Andrew Gilbert, SF Classical Voice, USA " For sure he is an important force in animating the improve scene, bringing together musicians..." - Vital Weekly, Netherlands "He plays as the dignified giant when blowing a melody with a bright and glossy sound, but when the solo comes the screw turns flying in multiple directions." - Takeshi Goda, A Challenge to Fate, Japan "Romus turned out to be, besides a very adept improviser, also a high quality composer. His songs were full of abundant ideas avoiding the easy clichéd “theme/solos/theme” formats." - Jussi Niemi, Tampere Aamulehti, Finland "Alto saxophonist, one of the more consistently interesting figures of recent years..." - Tom Hull, USA "Romus has a bold sound, unmistakable sincerity and conviction." - Downbeat, USA "Romus' sax rekindles that flame egregiously, thematic sketches becoming instant excuses for the instruments to coalesce into a gruelling mass of Pollockian sonic painting that plumps on the brain and self-adjusts until your synapses are completely disjointed." Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes, Itlay "Sounds to me like what Charlie Parker should have sounded like if he was really as great as they say." - Tom Hull, The Best Jazz Albums of 2014, USA "Rent Romus and his Sax are the rudder, guiding the way....his frenzied summersaults lead the band ever upwards towards the sky." Tobias Fischer, Tokafi, Germany "...his (mostly) gentle phrasing underlining a potential, yet still non-existent rebellion while transmuting the predominant tides into deformed film-noirish soundtracks, with rain pouring down on the trash amassed in dark alleys." Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes, Rome, Italy "Rent remains a force for me, his restraint as powerful as his melodic attacks." Thurston Hunger, KFJC 89.7 FM Los Altos, California, USA “Swings like death and hell.” Jack Lind, Det Fri Aktuelt, Copenhagen, Denmark “...a ferocious improviser.” San Francisco Weekly, USA “...dynamic, and monstrous.” “Overall, Romus’ performance was raw and full of musical vigor, which inspired a higher order and left the audience with a smitten effect. “Romus has been central to the creative music world of the West Coast for a number of years, and he keeps stretching the boundries of originality with each new release.” "Rent Romus is certainly carving a distinctive musical niche for himself. "Romus should by now be as well-known as David S. Ware or John Zorn, so catch up, comrades." “Romus and Tchicai ignite when pitted together and complement each other’s efforts. Romus’ tone is bold and audacious…on occasion you can hear Ayler’s ghost in his alto playing.” "Romus' solos served to liberate the music from the group's comfort range . . . particularly noteworthy in Romus' playing is his apparent sense of the tradition of jazz." -- Robin L. Hammer, JazzNow Magazine
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