"Rossi's piano is the most rooted, solid and resistant spine. Not only for the peculiarities of his instrument, for the implicit polyphonic and therefore harmonious possibilities, but most of all for the authority and serenity that rule his approach. For his courageous minimalism, for his desire to derive unthinkable sounds from his bulky instrument. For his coherent improvisational linearity..." - All About Jazz Italy

"One Block From Planet Earth, [is] multi-faceted, humorous, life relishing, [and] unpretentiously profound." - All About Jazz

"Four Stars...rife with imagery" [One Block From Planet Earth] - Down Beat

"...Rossi is the commanding force...the lines between pre-composed and instantly composed are blurred...a showcase for both the playing and compositional skills of Rossi." - One Final Note

"The full crossing of intelligent digressions that make us slip and fall at times sweetly, at times swiftly, towards a parallel world that is, as is already stated by the title, isolated by distance from our old and rugged terrain. [Rossi] is one of the most courageous and gifted charismatic characters of those that are affirming themselves in New York and beyond." - All About Jazz Italy

"New Math is challenging but stunning terrain, spare but beautiful, affecting to the emotions.Their duets are musical poetry slams, a blueprint for performance jazz, with three-digit numbers identifying the songs on this envelope-shredding disc." - All About Jazz

"...So encapsulating in a few minutes the whole history of piano in the last 150 years (from Satie to Jarrett). Another great album from the thriving NY downtown scene." [They Have A Word For Everything] - Musicboom

"Both of these musicians are masters of improv and ideas, constantly coming up with some fascinating explorations [on New Math]. ...dig this excellent duo excursion." - Downtown Music Gallery

"Besides his technical abilities, Rossi displays a worldly approach through these glistening mood evoking pieces which run the gamut from being sublime and pensive to brash, well-orchestrated charts brimming with sharp interplay and meaningful soloing. In a nutshell, They Have A Word For Everything is a superb effort and perhaps a late entry into multiple top 10 lists for 1999. Highly Recommended!" - All About Jazz

"Rossi's musical mind is fun to be around and he is serious without taking himself too seriously." - Budd Kopman/All About Jazz

"Pianist Rossi writes and plays with an original voice. The twelve featured compositions sound like something Bach might have scripted if he had been a musician of our times. There are moments of strict counterpoint and others totally free of form. At times the music sounds like a film score from some ghostly civilization that could have possibly existed around the turn of the 19th century. Trumpeter Dave Douglas turns in another one of his stellar performances. Magnificent!" - The Jazz Report

"[One Block From Planet Earth] is a CD that flawlessly shifts gears between multiple dimensions. Rossi's writing is plainly twisted, but in all the right ways." - Randy Raine Reusch/Musicworks

"Rossi's solos are filled with harmonic tension, implying modulations that never occur, and also floating over the bar line in a delicious way. [His] tunes are very infectious, leaving plenty of room for interpretation, and with a consistency that lingers in the mind. No problem recommending this one." - Cadence

"This is music without any hyphens. Great writing by Rossi, serious playing by all." - Down Beat

"In his improvisations, he's a lot like Don Pullen, pounding out complex left-hand figures while playing with fire in the upper-register. [Also]...recalls some of the more folkish moments of Keith Jarett's "European" quartet." - Cadence

"Effective, convincing, [an] individual voice." - JazzTimes

"Rossi as a pianist is gifted and subtle, ...with exceptional finesse, ...a treat for the avant-garde/free-form fanatic." - JazzReview

"Rossi can play with [Paul] Bley-like lucidity, and he has an excellent rhythm section in Driscoll and Descarfino. The group creates vital music from increasingly tense interactivity." - Cadence

"...a pleasant surprise. A sense of fun. A group of musicians well-schooled in the genres and rules they choose to depart from. I hope more of this stuff is happening in New York." - All Music Guide

"Though it is really difficult to do something new in this format, these three musicians having succeeded in doing so." - Jazz Live

"Rossi's music can be compared to Samuel Barber's in its spacious, tense lyricism. Evocatively melds chamber music and jazz motifs; it pulsates, undulates, romanticizes and bangs along." - Philadelphia Inquirer

"Inside The Sphere is Powerful" - Jazz Live

"[Nosferatu] stands on its own as a significant artistic work...an emotionally charged, cross-genre event." - All About Jazz

"Inspired compositions, perceptively played by wonderful soloists." - Jazz Podium

"Rossi's music inspires adjectives like 'dark,' 'moody,' 'imaginative' and 'affecting', [and] has a real power over the listener. It is full of paradoxes: dark yet pleasant, pensive yet not brooding. Mick Rossi's fine penmanship utilizes each instrument to superior advantage." - Jazziz

"...[He] displays theatrical flair, his allusive, boldly articulated, shapeshfting music is inherently dramatic. His breadth of playing experience is matched by his stylistic resourcefulness as a writer..." - The Wire

"Sublime." - Jazzman

 

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