Frank Rosaly has developed a unique approach to creating music and sound with a visceral, energetic stature behind the drums: New video 2018

30.05. – Happy Birthday !!! Frank Rosaly (Francisco Javier Rosaly Amoros born 1974 Phoenix, AZ) is a Chicago drummer and composer who has been involved in the improvised and experimental music community for 10 years. He has developed a unique approach to creating music and sound with a visceral, energetic stature behind the drums.

Frank has become an integral part of the Chicago music scene navigating a fine line between the vibrant improvised, jazz, rock, and experimental communities. He contributes much of his time to performing, composing, as well as organizing musical events, while also touring domestically and internationally on a regular basis.

Frank is currently active in 23 musical projects throughout the city of Chicago, as well as ensembles based in New York and Europe. Rosaly also leads his own Quintet, Viscous, featuring Jaimie Branch, Kyle Bruckmann, James Falzone and Kevin Davis, as well as his clarinet sextet, Cicada Music. Some of the groups he is involved with as a sideman include Matana Roberts Chicago Project, Nels Cline/Jeff Parker Quartet, Rob Mazurek’s Mandarin Movie, The Rempis Percussion Quartet, The Rempis/Rosaly Duo, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten Quintet, Josh Abrams’ Remindring, Fred Lonberg-Holm’s Valentine Trio, The Fast Citizens, Keefe Jackson’s Project Project, The Josh Berman Quartet, The Jeb Bishop Trio, Jason Adasievicz’s Rolldown, Jorrit Dijkstra’s Flatlands Collective & Pillow Circles, Chicago Lucern Exchange, Toby Summerfield’s Never Enough Hope, Hearts and Minds, Slow Cycle, The Outskirts, Daniel Levin Trio and others. Other performances in the recent past include collaborations with Peter Brotzmann, Tony Malaby, Anthony Coleman, Paul Flaherty, Marshall Allen, Louis Moholo, Ken Vandermark, Michael Zerang, Walter Weirbos, and Jorrit Dijkstra among many others.

Frank is involved in two solo projects. One is Milkwork, a study in integration of electronically manipulated percussion instruments, improvising dense sound walls with controlled feedback, overdriven amplified drums and creating soundscapes designed on analog instruments, blending these sounds with more traditional extended techniques on unamplified drum set. The other project, Softbeater, is a ‘solo drums with voice’ outing. Softbeater is Frank’s version of a singer/songwriter performance, taking cues and drawing inspiration from Sonic Youth, Wire, Juana Molina and J Dilla.

Frank organizes and coordinates the Ratchet Series, a weekly showcase of creative music at the Skylark in Chicago. He is also faculty at the Old Town School of Folk Music where he teaches percussion.

Frank has performed at many national and international festivals, including: The North Sea Jazz Festival, The Chicago Jazz Festival, Moers Festival, Lisboa Jazz Festival, Wire Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival, The Edgefest, among many others.

Frank earned a bachelors degree in musical performance from Northern Arizona University. He has studied with Billy Higgins, Joe LaBarbara, Peter Donald, Bob Moses, Joel DiBartolo, Steve Hemphill and Michael Vatcher.