Goodbye Roger Williams

Roger Williams, Pianist Known for Sentimental Songs, Dies at 87

Hear his version of "Autumn Leaves"

What I'm Listening To...

A few records I'm listening to - some new, some old

Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (2011)
Rootsy, folky songs from this amazing American songwriter, Earle and his music have been featured in TV shows Treme and the Wire, among others.


Andy Palacio & the Garifina Collective – Waitina (2007)
Infectious music from Palacio, a musician from Belize, features wonderful grooves that seems to define Caribbean. It's an intersection of many cultures, especially Cuban and West African.


Faithful - Marcin Wasilewski Trio (2011)
Wonderful trio from Poland featuring pianist Wasilewski, is easily the most reserved and sublime jazz that I’ve ever heard. Wasilewski has a wonderful touch and a great sense of time and melody.

Choice Cuts: Tasty Bites from Freshmade Music

Hi there-

I’m beginning a newsletter of sorts to share what I’ve been up to recently.

As usual I’ve been working on a mix of projects. I'm including a few samples below, that are scored to video. Don't miss my listen page at Freshmade Music with some new music samples. Stay tuned for a cool (soon to be released) video that I'm scoring celebrating 10 years of work of a great SF director of photography, Tom Seawell.

Ongo
I worked on a fun, fast-paced animation for a startup called Ongo. I wrote and performed the music, then brought audio engineer Jim Lively aboard to add his magic with sound design and mixing.
Watch it here:




Are you in the Bay Area?
Shop local! Freshmade Music is your nearby, organic, grass-fed (among other things), sustainable, eco-friendly choice.


Google - YouTube
My music was featured in a Google video for YouTube, accompanying Russell from the Happy Tree Friends, as he learns about copyrights. This overly dramatic, orchestral music is my take on the classic animation style, which draws it’s inspiration from some of my favorite cartoons growing up, like Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry – created by composer Carl Stalling and others. You can watch this video here (My music comes in at 1:17.):



Happy Tree Friends
If you’re interested in watching/listening to the latest Happy Tree Friends episode, you can access it here. (If you haven’t seen the show, you should be aware that it’s not appropriate for little kids as it contains some extreme cartoon violence):

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The High Line in NYC

This is a great, short explanation about the High Line in New York City.
Robert Hammond: Building a park in the sky

Tom Petty to Michele Bachmann: Stop Playing My Song

Tom Petty has asked presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann to stop using his song “American Girl” in her campaign. He “has reportedly issued a cease-and-desist letter to the conservative's camp” according to press reports.

Read the article here.


Dear Ms. Bachmann,

I understand you may be looking for some new music for your campaign. Here are some suggestions you may wish to consider:

Crazy – Patsy Cline
Crazy – Willie Nelson’s version (he originally wrote it)
Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne
Let’s Go Crazy – Prince
(Not) “Takin’ Care of Business” Bachman Turner Overdrive
U Don’t Know – Jay-Z
Don’t Know Nothing – Maroon 5
Runaway - The National
Go Away – Roy Orbison
The Longest Day – in honor of (the real) John Wayne

Sincerely,

Jerome Rossen

Customized Music Helps Ongo Hit the Right Notes

Freshmade Music produced the audio for the “About Ongo” video, a fun, fast-paced animation created by veteran animator Tom Westerlin and his team of artists. I (Jerome) wrote and performed the music, then brought audio engineer Jim Lively aboard to add his magic with sound design and mixing.

Upon first listen, you’ll notice that the music isn’t particularly complicated, however I adjust the music’s role to actively support the story when necessary, or lay it in the background to set a mood.

The music track consists of three pieces – the outer space theme at the beginning, the second piece, the one that builds in tension to support the story, then the third happy “Ongo” theme. While it would be possible to provide a soundtrack for a spot like this with library music, I think that having a score unique to the action of the video serves the overall story much better. The area that is most noticeable is the 2nd piece of music (starting in a major key at around 0:04). As the “chaos” enters, the music shifts to minor at 0:12, then there’s a big transition at around 0:30. Having the ability to compose a piece just for this section allowed me to get the right amount of tension in the story at just the right time.

Another feature that you just wouldn’t get with library music – the ending is musically scored to picture. Also, the sound design contains a good portion of musical sound design, often cymbal hits or bells.