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On Birdsong
in the Parkade:
GoWestShore!, "Hearing Music in
Everyday Sounds"
Sawatsky Sign-Off "Bird Song", CTV
News
Michael D. Reid, Pianist takes his birdsong out of the
parkade and into the church, Victoria
Times
Colonist
Lorraine Scollan, ShawTV
parkade
interview
Mike Devlin, The
Political Piano Man, Victoria
Times
Colonist
Jennifer Blyth, A Musical Life, West Shore Magazine
(Fall/Winter 2012)
Aaren Madden, Getting past
political roadblocks to sustainability, Focus Magazine
Marjorie Greaves, Piano Tuner at VI Music Fest,
SHAW Cable
Erin Collins, EC
House Concert (with Maureen
Washington), CBC
National News
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"BEST
OF WEST COAST JAZZ
Talented lineup delivers daring and lyrical
tunes
...The repertoire is a mixed bag of Roessingh's
clever originals and soulful interpretations of
jazz standards like My Funny Valentine,
Comes Love, Cheek to Cheek, It Had to be You
and the standout title track. Roessingh has a
lovely, lyrical touch, a deep knowledge of the
historic evolution of jazz, and a quirky sense
of humour. It's all here on these live
solo performances, and it's wonderful."
Joseph Blake - Victoria Times Colonist, 15/01/09
"Back before anyone ever thought up the term
"mash-ups" there was this little thing called
jazz, where musicians would freely mash bits and
pieces of various songs together, often in the
midst of their own material. And local jazz
pianist Karel Roessingh is a master of this
style, as heard on his most recent disc, Nature
Boy, where classical and jazz standards (Moonlight
Sonata, It Had to be You) merge
melodies with a selection of tasty originals (Traffic,
Been There). With 10 tracks running
nearly an hour, and a mood that switches from
the introspection of George Winston to the
bright charm of Oscar Peterson, Nature Boy is
another solo piano gem from one of the city's
finest musicians. I've been listening to this
exceptional album for a few months and have been
remiss in not sharing it with the city sooner. Ideal
for late nights, early mornings or anytime you
need some quiet reflection with a bit of a
quirky twist, Nature Boy is a natural hit."
- John Threlfall - Monday Magazine, 29/4/09
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"INDIE
ISLAND JAZZ
Ten (okay, 11) essential recordings for your
collection
Straight-ahead piano-trio jazz doesn't
get any better, particularly when you
add performers like Gary Karr (arco bass),
Daniel Lapp (horns) and Paul Wainwright (soprano
sax) to the mix. With Joey Smith (bass) and Josh
Dixon (drums), Roessingh offers ten original
tunes that swing smoothly with purity, taste,
and grace."
Rick Gibbs - Monday Magazine, 19/06/08
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Sultry
tones brought home the blues
"Maureen Washington performed at the Prince
George Playhouse last weekend to celebrate her
new CD release Blues in the Night and
what a night it was...I must say Karel Roessingh
the piano player that accompanied Washington was
superb. He literally tickled the ivories and I
finally got what that phrase meant. His fingers
flew so quickly and the notes were so clear and
crisp and I get it. He really did tickle the
ivories."
Christine Skorepa - The Prince George Citizen,
25/10/10
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"CD
REVIEWS
Local artists offer superb new piano
renditions
Karel Roessingh is a local hero... A Renaissance
man with an eclectic career in all phases of the
music business as well as a civic leader, the
veteran recorded Blue/Green...in
concert at Alix Goolden Hall... Karel shares (Bill)
Evans' quiet fire and wistful,
lyrical soul... Scottish folk songs, Beatles
tunes, Brazilian sambas, and jazz
classics....Roessingh blows new life into them
all..."
Joseph Blake - Victoria Times Colonist, 23/11/01
"Sometimes the tastiest music can be found
hiding in our own backyard. Such is the case
with Blue/Green, the latest release
from that ivory-tickling mayor, Karel Roessingh.
A gorgeous selection of solo piano recorded
live...Blue/Green is a clever blending
of originals...with select covers...that often -
and successfully - evokes the spirit of piano
master Keith Jarrett. All in
all, Blue/Green is a great work by a
noted stalwart of the local scene and well lives
up to repeated listening.
John Threlfall - Monday Magazine, 6/01/05
"PIANIST KAREL
ROESSINGH
When you're truly versatile, musical
opportunities abound
Karel Roessingh is a rare musician. He doesn't
have anything to grumble about... Being
versatile is what has made the difference
between Roessingh and so many other talented
Victoria musicians who have been unable to earn
a reasonable living just playing music. He
appears to have played in every imaginable
situation, and the breadth of that experience
shows through at a place like the Herald Street
Caffe, where he's free to play whatever comes to
mind. Characteristically, his playing has nice
walking basslines and the chord voicings of a
player out of the Berklee School of Music in
Boston... He's also fortunate in having zucchini-like
fingers that can take 10ths and 11ths
with relative ease... Here is a man who has
clearly paid his dues, and the success he's now
enjoying in Victoria is well-deserved."
Terry Douglas, Monday Magazine, 12/11/82
"Keys -
Karel Roessingh
(self-produced cassette)
Roessingh puts his stamp on new age music with
seven melancholy, lyrical originals. To call
this music dreamy is an understatement. Not
since Keith Jarrett's early
forays into solo piano improvisation have I been
so moved by a jazz/new age fusion. Like
Jarrett's best work, Roessingh's playing is of
such high quality that his meandering,
unresolved, new age compositions hold my
interest... Recordings like Keys
rescue new age music... It is a rich, lyrical
tapestry of brooding, lyrical solo piano."
Joseph Blake - Victoria Times Colonist, 15/4/89
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