A Brief History of Buzz Rogowski

Music is emotion, and the music of Buzz Rogowski covers the spectrum of human emotion. His compositions range from the exquisitely intimate to the powerfully passionate. The music also captures his deep love for the natural environment. Pieces such as "Frozen Lake" conjure up landscapes of snowy mountain peaks against a clear blue sky, yet also embrace a certain reverence and spirituality about the mountains and the Earth that are close to the heart of this prolific northwest composer.

Born in New York, outside of Manhattan, and raised in Virginia, outside of Washington D.C., Buzz spent much of his childhood enriched with the cultures of these two great metropolises. "Some of my best memories of living near D.C. were visiting the Smithsonian Institute, and The Museum of Natural History, Buzz recalls" "Particularly favorite exhibits were the live size model of the great blue whale, the pendulum {demonstrating the rotation of the Earth}, and of course the dinosaur skeletons". Buzz's enriching education and deep curiosity about the world, both at a young age and in his adult years is carried over into his musical expression where his sense of bravado and introspection lend themselves to creating exciting, unique and progressive compositions for music.

While attending high school at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut, Buzz enjoyed working on his music at the school's Paul Mellon Arts Center, where he debuted his first formal musical work, a selection of songs written for J.R.R. Tolkien's revered trilogy "Lord of the Rings." The performance was magical. A tape recording of these tunes by a friend at the student radio station gained Buzz admission to The University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music located in Stockton, California. Here Buzz really began to tap into his talent for creating and performing music. Also being within close proximity to San Francisco, brought about many excursions to hear some of Buzz's most inspirational musicians. Such talents as Keith Jarrett, Ralph Towner, and Herbie Hancock, not to mention groups like Oregon, Weather Report, and the Crusaders had a strong influence on Buzz which would stay with him for life.

Intrigued with all aspects of creativity, Buzz moved back to the northwest
to study art and architecture at the University of Washington. He continued to pursue his musical aspirations outside the intelligentsia of the university, and met Windham Hill artist Scott Cossu while performing at the Husky Union Building on campus one afternoon. Excited by Scott's eclectic jazz/world-beat style, Buzz asked Scott if he would play his 20th birthday party. Scott agreed and has become a close musical associate through the years. Recently Buzz recorded a demo at Scott's home studio in Olympia.

Buzz has performed at a variety of venues, from art galleries and restaurants to theaters and gymnasiums. Though Buzz has focused primarily on solo acoustic piano and synthesizer for his live performances, he has also worked with some talented northwest musicians, in various ensembles, as both a lead and as a member. Such groups as the Chris Shacklett Experience, with Chris Shacklett on electric violin, Mechanical Dog, with Brian Botka on drums, and Direct Access, with Don Walker on guitar and vocals. Each group gave Buzz the opportunity to explore the musical canvas more deeply, and to expand the audiences musical horizons.
Currently, Buzz is working on getting a collection of his compositions recorded, with a small ensemble of studio musicians in Port Townsend, WA also known as the land of lost hippies.