Rent Romus

RENT ROMUS saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, music and performing arts producer, and community leader currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Romus started playing piano when he was five years old. He then switched to the alto saxophone at age thirteen, following the example of his mother. Romus participated in master classes led by Stan Getz and Bruce Forman, Eddie Moore and Dizzy Gillespie at the Stanford Jazz Workshop summer programs. Romus’s first encounter with Stan Getz was pivotal in his development. Getz would ask Romus to use a mirror to improve his tone and watch his embrasure while he played. Getz was his first encounter with the tenor-saxophonist. He picked up his instrument and joined him during a masterclass. Romus’s first experience with curation came at the age of sixteen when his high school teacher Dick Goodrich left him to manage a big band of 17-pieces called North Area Youth Jazz Ensemble (NAYJE). He attended the University of California at Santa Cruz from 1987 to 1991. He was a member of Jazz on the Line, which he founded in 1984. It served as a platform for the members’ compositions and performances. Romus recorded three albums with Jazz on the Line between 1989 and 1994, including “In the Moment” with Chico Freeman, tenor saxophonist. The group also featured saxophonists Michael Sidney Timpson, Dan Magay and pianist Stephano DeZerega. Also, Anna Gurski, Anna Gurski and Ben Leinbach were among the other performers. Ernie Provenchure, Ravi Abcarian and Corin Stiggall were also guest artists. Romus graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1992. He worked odd jobs until moving to San Francisco in 1993. There he formed a trio, with former Sun Ra Arkestra cellist Kash Kilillion and drummer James Zitro, which was originally known as the RKZtet, and later called the Lords of Outland. Romus added Jason Olaine, his long-time associate, and drummer Andrew Borger to the group. Vytas Nagisetty (aka Brock Lee) was also added to the band. Romus toured Denmark in 1995 and 1996 with Jonas Muller, Tomas Barfod and Stefan Pasborg. This led to the 1999 recording of the Blood Motions Trio with Pasborg and Jonas Westergaard. Romus recorded and performed with Jon Birdsong and Dave Mihaly in 1997. John Tchicai, a guest tenor-saxophonist, is best known for his work with John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and other musicians of the 1960’s. Romus collaborated with Tom Nunn, instrument inventor, Doug Carroll, Joel Harrison, and Dave Mihaly, drummer. The formation was focused on a collection of compositions that were inspired by Philip K. Dick’s writings. In 2001, Romus formed the Lords of Outland, along with drummer Dave Mihaly, bassist Bill Noertker and the late trombonist Toyoji Toyita. Later that year, Romus recorded Avatar In the Field, a tribute to the late Albert Ayler. Romus met poet/musician/artist CJ Borosque in 2002. He later married her. They co-produced The Metal Quan Yin (destinations Suite) together with an expanded group, which included vocalist Jesse Quattro and Andre Custodio. Based on her self-published book of the same title. The same year saw a shift in Romus’ musical exploration, which led to him and Ernesto Diaz Infante creating The Abstractions, a collective ensemble of between two and ten musicians. In 2002 and 2004, the group toured the west coast of America and recorded three albums. It included Jesse Quattro and Scott R Looney and Bob Marsh. They also featured Sandor Finta and CJ Borosque, Ray Schaeffer and Dina Emerson. The 2006 Romus tour took them through the Midwest of the United States, performing in St. Lois Missouri and Urbana Illinois as well as Detroit Michigan and Columbus Ohio. They also made stops along the east coast, including stops at Philadelphia and New York City, where they were joined by composer and pianist Thollem Macdonas, and drummer Jon Brumit, who formed the Bloom Project. The Bloom Project released two more albums in 2007 as well as Sudden Aurora in 2009. The Bloom Project had a much more limited melodic repertoire than the Lords of Outland. Romus, Ray Schaeffer, drummer, and CJ Borosque, all no-input effect pedals, produced recordings that are still in production today. His first album featuring strings was released in 2010. It featured the The Emergency String (X), a string ensemble that is loosely led by Bob Marsh, a cellist and instrumentalist from San Francisco. The group changes its members on a regular basis. That same year Romus’ suite of music “Edge of Dark” inspired by Frank Herbert’s science fiction Dune novels was recorded with guest work by multi-reedist/saxophonist Vinny Golia, and was released in 2011 on Nine Winds and Edgetone Records. The music was based on Romus’ early compositional process. CJ Borosque added a third horn to the tumpet, and opened up solos that included Vinny Golia’s reed instruments. Thee Unhip was released again by Romus with the Lords of Outland. It features a mix of old and new compositions, including a tribute to Amando de Ossorio, an Italian horror director, and is inspired by Kraken Mare’s discovery on Saturn’s Moon of Titan. From www.romus.net

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