Press Enter Romain Collin with Luques Curtis and Kendrick Scott

• 1 99 02:03
• 2 Clockwork 04:41
• 3 Raw, Scorched and Untethered 06:00
• 4 Holocene 04:47
• 5 The Kids 04:26
• 6 Webs 06:03
• 7 San Luis Obispo 03:27
• 8 Event Horizon 03:40
• 9 The Line (Dividing Good and Evil Cuts Through the Heart of Every Human Being) 05:23
• 10 Round About Midnight 05:48
• Total Runtime 46:18

Info for Press Enter

'I always associate visuals with music - and music with visuals,' says New York based, french-born pianist and composer, Romain Collin. From the very first note on his ACT debut, Press Enter, his music creates evocative moving pictures which cast a spell on the listener. Vivid musical storytelling is at the core of Collin's vision. His compositions, built around powerful melodic themes, fascinate with their far-reaching dynamic and emotional range. Alongside drummer Kendrick Scott and bassist Luques Curtis, Collin's music moves seamlessly between dramatic crescendos and subtle ensemble interplay, whilst all at once creating striking imagery for the listeners.

Romain Collin first came to the piano at an early age through classical music. Shortly thereafter, he discovered Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner and Herbie Hancock, which unearthed a passion for jazz. After visiting New York for the first time at the age of fifteen, Collin made a vow to someday call this place his home. In 2001 - soon after his 20th Birthday - Collin took a major step towards his goal when he took up a scholarship to attend Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music. Romain was then accepted the highly coveted Masters Program at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in LA, after auditioning in front of his musical heroes, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Ron Carter. Soon after, Collin got the chance to tour Vietnam and India with his mentors, of which recalls: 'It was a unique opportunity not only to get to know them first hand as musicians, but also as human beings. We would all spend a lot of time together, go sightseeing before playing big shows where I would trade fours with Herbie! He's one of the reasons I became a pianist in the first place, so that was an unforgettable and incredibly formative experience.'

After graduating from the Monk Institute, Collin fulfilled the dream of his youth and moved to New York City. On life as a NY musician, Collin says “...what makes New York special is its sheer intensity. There are so many amazing musicians on the NY scene that I am lucky to call my friends, and who are constantly inspiring me. Nothing really ever sits still here - it's all growth and discovery.”

Since moving to New York, Collin has rapidly made a name for himself, recording alongside the likes of Mike Stern, John McLaughlin, and Christian McBride, whilst also releasing two critically acclaimed albums as leader: The Rise and Fall of Pipokuhn (2009) and The Calling (2012). NPR (National Public Radio) calls him 'a visionary composer, an extraordinary jazz pianist and a very bright young rising star in the jazz world', while The Boston Globe named him as being 'among the leading lights of a new breed of jazz players'. Meanwhile, Collin's flair for creating music with a strong visual element was given further expression over the course of several award-winning movie scores.

Press Enter merges Collin's influences into one cohesive and unique artistic vision; blending contemporary and traditional American jazz with European classical music and film scoring, framed within a modern production sensibility. The album title is indicative of Romain Collin's singularity of vision and uncompromised dedication to his path, qualities exemplified by the great Wayne Shorter. Collin remembers 'While I was in India with Wayne, we had a discussion about having big plans - in life, or in music - but oftentimes not really acting upon them. Wayne then paused, and said to me 'PRESS ENTER!'. Then he left...but that stayed with me.'

Romain Collin, piano, sound design & programming
Luques Curtis, double bass
Kendrick Scott, drums
Additional musicians:
Mino Cinelu, percussion (on track 9)
Megan Rose, vocals (on tracks 1, 8)
Jean-Michel Pilc, whistles (on track 5)
Grey McMurray, guitar (on track 4)
Laura Metcalf, cello

Recorded October 7 - 9, 2013 at the Clubhouse, Rhinebeck (NY)
Tracking, mixing and additional programming by Jeremy Lucas
Mastered by Mark Wilder at Battery Studios (NY)
Produced by Romain Collin and Matt Pierson

Romain Collin
Described by NPR host Jon Weber as “a visionary composer, an extraordinary jazz pianist and a very bright young rising star in the jazz world”, Romain Collin continues to develop his vision, combining the tradition of improvisation with sound designing and classical music. Now releasing his second record as a leader, Collin keeps making his mark on the New York scene, as well as internationally.

In 2007, Romain Collin graduated from the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz where he held a Full Scholarship as the pianist of an ensemble handpicked by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Terence Blanchard. During his time at the TMIJ, Romain studied with the likes of Larry Goldings, Russell Ferrante, Ron Carter, Charlie Haden, Mulgrew Miller and Wynton Marsalis, and had the opportunity to tour with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter in Vietnam and India. The TMI band also shared the stage with artists such as Marcus Miller, Jimmy Heath, and Terence Blanchard; and performed at a Kennedy Center concert hosted by Quincy Jones and featuring Stevie Wonder, Patti Austin, Joshua Redman and John Patitucci amongst numerous others.

Romain, who was originally born in France, came to the US to attend Berklee College of Music (class of 2004) on a scholarship, where he studied performance with the likes of Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano while majoring in Music Synthesis. During that time, he got the opportunity to perform with drummer Kenwood Dennard, keyboardist/composer George Duke, and also co-produced the critically acclaimed album Moving by prodigious bassist Tony Grey (John McLaughlin, Hiromi). One of the tracks, White Woods, appeared on a Tribute to Weather Report compilation album (ESC Records, 2005 - also featuring performances by the late Tony Williams, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, Dennis Chambers and others). Romain’s performance on the piece was described by All About Jazz as “a transcendent electric keyboard spot... A five-and-a-half star moment”.

In 2009, Collin released The Rise and Fall of Pipokuhn (Fresh Sound), a record described by All About Jazz writer Phil Di Pietro as “an astonishingly mature and ambitious debut that secures Collin a placeholder in the continuing evolution of the grand tradition of the piano trio”. The record received rave reviews internationally and made it to New York Jazz critic David Adler’s list of notable debuts of 2009. Distributed in stores as well as digitally, The Rise and Fall of Pipokuhn got radio airplay throughout France, Japan and the US - including a special feature on WNYC Culture program. Collin was recently invited by legendary pianist Marian McPartland to her prestigious Piano Jazz show on NPR to perform solo piano and to talk about his second record, scheduled for release early 2012 on Palmetto Records. This album, entitled The Calling, was produced by Matt Pierson (Brad Mehldau, Kirk Whalum, Joshua Redman) and features a power rhythm section in rising stars Kendrick Scott on drums and Luques Curtis on bass.

Currently based in NYC, Romain performs with his trio in the US and abroad. Notable shows include Tokyo Jazz Festival, Cyprus Jazz Festival, Blue Note Jazz Festival, Angel City Jazz Festival, Cotton Club Tokyo and NY performances at the Blue Note, Steinway Hall, Smalls and Kitano. While furthering his career as a leader, Romain continues to explore various musical genres as a sideman, performing and/or recording for artists such as Ms. Lauryn Hill, Fredrika Stahl (Sony, BMG), Tony Grey (ObliqSound), Makoto Hirahara (Columbia), Jorscan (co-production of the self-tiled debut jorScan), vibist Chris Dingman , saxophonist Tim Green and bassist Joe Sanders. Romain has also scored short movies including Vlada Subotic’s award winning About Me (2010), and Gleb Osatinski’s Pisces of an Unconscious Mind (2011).

Booklet for Press Enter