Off the Presses:
Jim Dwyer, NY Times, "Taking Inspiration from Song and Pictures on Refrigerator", April 25, 2013Ken Plutnicki, NY Times, March 2, 2011 "Doris from Rego Park Lives On"Jim Dwyer, NY Times, "Taking Inspiration from Song and Pictures on Refrigerator", April 25, 2013(For all reviews: http://donrosler.com/reviewspressarticles ) "Rosler's Recording Booth" (IMA Nominee, 2012 Best Concept Album"):Song sampler from wide variety of projects: https://soundcloud.com/don-rosler/sets/don-rosler-a-few-faves-sampler/s-AbTSl
BIO: True story. Born in a blackout in NYC. Up at Mount Sinai. Didn't look so great when the doc shone a flashlight under my face. My mom screamed and begged for tranquilizers. In any case, jump ahead, past that rocky start... to being a late bloomer in all sortsa things. Even in making fast shifts to third person. Here it goes:
Don Rosler is the writer/co-writer and producer of the internationally acclaimed concept album Rosler's Recording Booth (original songs inspired by Recordio and Voice-o-Graph booth records), featuring Spottiswoode, Terry Radigan, Jeremy Sisto, John Margolis, Jon Albrink, Isabel Keating, Tamara Hey, Kathena Bryant and Rosler himself, singing, for the first time, a few of his own songs, including "Doris from Rego Park".
Rosler's Recording Booth was nominated by the Independent Music Awards for "Best Concept Album" in 2011.
As a lyricist, Rosler collaborated with Linda Goldstein, Roger Treece and ten-time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin on VOCAbuLarieS, which was nominated for three 2011 Grammy nominations (in the Classical Crossover category). The album features McFerrin, Treece and over 50 singers, including Lisa Fischer (Rolling Stones), Luciana Souza, Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer) and the stellar ensemble singers of New York Voices. VOCAbuLarieS was hailed by critics as a “masterpiece”. Christopher Loudon/Jazz Times Magazine raved: "... the most compelling of these masterpieces is “Messages,” a cornucopia of languages constructed by lyricist Don Rosler that rises like a melodious Tower of Babel, exalting the incomparable beauty of universal harmony.” Treece and Rosler also teamed up to write a vocal take on Pat Metheny/Lyle May's "September 15th" for the "Swimming to London" album by Grammy-winning King's Singers and before that, commissioned to write compositions for the Grammy-nominated L.A. Master Chorale and Chicago Children’s Choir.
John Margolis: Christine's Refrigerator, co-written & co-produced by Don Rosler, was described by Singer Magazine as “a must add to any music connoisseur's collection”. Pulitizer Prize winning journalist, Jim Dwyer recently wrote about the song in The New York Times for his “About New York" column after Christine Lavin created almost overnight a video with her fans for this beloved song.
“Christine’s Refrigerator” was awarded “Song of the Year” by JP Folks, and was featured on the Kitchen Sisters’ “Kitchen Stories” report (NPR’s “Morning Edition”) and on their audio-book, “Hidden Kitchens.” Another track from this CD, “Tanta Belleza (So Much Beauty)” was prominently featured, in full, for the end credits of the HBO/Showtime film, “The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt.”
Don was commissioned to write lyrics on a co-write with Roger Treece for a LA Master Chorale world premiere at the Frank Geary Concert Hall in LA, and co-wrote two others with Roger for the great Chicago Children's Choir. The latter included the composition "When Love Wins the Day" on their "Freedom" album.
Don co-wrote with Jay (aka "dogbrain") Ward a bunch of songs for two Irish Arts Center theater productions, including: "Do What You Gotta Do" for "Brother's of the Brush" and "Whaddya Hear, Whaddya Say" for the U.S. premiere of Kenneth Branagh's U.S. premiere of "Public Enemy".
Don co-wrote songs on Jay's “dogbrain: nest” and "bonejockeys" CDs; with E-Street Band member Everett Bradley with “Christmas Is Kickin' In”, which kicks off Everett’s Christmas CD Toy and "Christmas Past” for Everett’s 2010 Holidelic CD. And, with Peter Valentine, the title track “To Whom It May Concern” for RIFF (on EMI), produced by Grammy-award-winning gospel great Fred Hammond. Rosler and Valentine, along with Jim Gately, continued to have success together by placing a number of songs over the years on international soundtracks on Global/Som Livre, keeping company with Sheryl Crow, Toni Braxton and Crash Test Dummies" (combined over a million sold!).
He is currently dreaming up a new concept album called Catch and gathering up strength to write a musical.