Biography
Frank Rosaly functions as drummer, composer, bandleader, sideman, and sound designer from his current residence in Amsterdam. His compositional method fuses jazz, classical percussion practices, improvisation, electronics, and post-classical approaches. Upon moving to Chicago in 2001 he founded Molk Records, issuing One and Two during 2005 and then Boombox Babylon the following year as a duo project with Tim Daisy. Milkwork, which earned strong praise, surfaced in 2010. Across Chicago’s music community Rosaly has partnered with numerous leading figures including Jason Adasiewicz, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jeb Bishop, and Josh Abrams. Cicada Music arrived on Delmark in 2013, succeeded by Malo in 2015. His relocation to Amsterdam took place in 2016, after which he issued the joint recording … Don’t Buy Him a Parrot … with Christoph Erb and Jim Baker in 2017. Northern Duets, released with Daisy in 2019, preceded the 2024 appearance of MESTIZX, the self-titled debut from his long-developing duo venture alongside spouse, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1974 and raised in Phoenix, Arizona once his parents relocated to the United States, Rosaly had a mother named Carmen who worked as a secretary and a father named Francisco who worked as an accountant. He started drum lessons during elementary school, continued at Thunderbird High School, and graduated in 1992. After spending time in the Flagstaff and Phoenix scenes he moved to Los Angeles for several years, where he studied drums and percussion with jazz great Billy Higgins. Returning to Arizona for a couple of years, he performed in composer and bassist Joel DiBartolo’s Raging Jazz Project, which also featured future Big Gigantic founder Dominic Lalli.
Rosaly shifted to Chicago in 2001 and quickly integrated into the city’s extensive music and theater communities, serving as touring and studio sideman across jazz, vanguard, and indie rock ensembles. He assembled Thread Quintet alongside Keefe Jackson, Brian Dibblee, Nick Broste, and Dave Rempis; their debut Long Lines appeared in 2003. That same year he formed Design Flaw with bassist Dibblee and clarinetist Jon Doyle, releasing Ends Meet; both albums came out on Future Reference Recordings.
Over the ensuing years Rosaly performed regularly in clubs with indie rock and jazz musicians. In 2005 alone he contributed to Circular Logic with the Rempis Percussion Quartet, Other Valentines with Lonberg-Holm’s trio, and Sweet Is the Anchor with Steve Dawson’s group. Also in 2005 he launched Molk Records and issued One and Two, his first EP recorded solely on drums and electronics. Additional sessions that year included Nocturnes with Boxhead Ensemble, Ready Everyday with Keefe Jackson’s Fast Citizens, Rip Tear Crunch with Rempis Percussion Quartet, and Solo after releasing Boombox Babylon with Tim Daisy on Utech Records.
During 2007 he continued recording and touring with Lonberg-Holm’s trio and Jackson’s ensemble, appearing on Matana Roberts’ Chicago Project debut alongside Josh Abrams, Jeff Parker, and “Baba” Fred Anderson. In 2008 Rosaly joined vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz in Rolldown and performed on The Year of the Boar with bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten’s quintet.
In 2009 Rosaly and Jackson released the single “Duo” on Molk and recorded Cyrillic with saxophonist Rempis in another duo setting. Milkwork, a solo recital on drums and electronics, also appeared that year. Further credits included Lonberg-Holm’s orchestra on the live sets At the Hideout and At Elastic Arts plus Varmint by Jason Adasiewicz’s Rolldown.
Rosaly remained highly active on the Chicago scene and beyond over the next several years. He made his debut with Josh Abrams on Natural Information, replaced Paal Nilssen-Love in Scorch Trio on Melaza and In Norway (the latter also featuring Mars Williams), and recorded with singer-songwriter Joan of Arc, Nick Mazzarella, and the collaborative Sack alongside Lonberg-Holm, Erb, and Jason Roebke. In 2012 he released the solo drum-and-electronics work Centering and Displacement on Utech, an album that received widespread acclaim and positioned him as both composer and drum authority; he also completed another volume of At the Hideout with Bishop, Jaap Blonk, and Lou Mallozzi.
Throughout 2013 Rosaly drummed for the Joshua Abrams Quartet on the Rogue Art release Unknown Known, recorded Phalanx with Rempis Percussion Quartet, and joined Nicole Mitchell’s Ice Crystal on Aquarius. That year he issued the widely praised Cicada Music on Delmark, performing drums, electronics, and piano while featuring Adasiewicz on vibraphone, Jason Stein, Keefe Jackson, and James Falzone on clarinets, and Roebke on bass. He also put out the digital Viscous on Molk, employing a separate ensemble that included Falzone together with trumpeter Jaimie Branch, oboist Kyle Bruckmann, and cellist Kevin Davis.
Rosaly expanded his output across 2014 and 2015, appearing on twenty-three recordings. Standout releases included Primrose Green by Ryley Walker, Afterimage by Pandelis Karayorgis, Automaginary by Natural Information Society and Bitchin Bajas, The Delaware River by Bobby Bradford and Frode Gjerstad’s quartet, and Malo, a solo date on Utech. He co-founded the experimental sextet Young Mothers with Håker Flaten and released the band’s debut A Mothers Work Is Never Done.
Rosaly departed the United States for Amsterdam in 2016 yet continued traveling to the States for sessions and performances. Credits from this period encompass Ryley Walker’s Golden Sings That Have Been Sung, the duo Hearts & Minds with Stein, Shipwreck 4 alongside bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, trumpeter Darren Johnston, and saxophonist Aaron Bennet, Marshmallow Moon with Thurston Moore, and Labrys with guitarist Shane Parish.
In 2017 Rosaly balanced new projects with ongoing commitments, joining Josh Abrams & Natural Information Society on the widely celebrated Simultonality, recording … Don’t Buy Him a Parrot … and Parrots Paradise with Christoph Erb and Jim Baker, cutting Cochonnerie with Rempis Percussion Quartet, and releasing Twins with saxophonists Fred Jackson, Jr. and Stéphane Payen plus drummer and percussionist Edward Perraud.
Young Mothers issued their second album Morose in 2018 along with ICOCI alongside Rempis and guitarist/bassist Jasper Stadhouders. Although Rosaly released only two albums under his own name in 2019—¡Todos de Pie! with his big band and Codes/Myths in duo with Rempis—he appeared on more than a dozen additional recordings over the ensuing three years by Bishop, Mazzarella, Blonk, Tim Stine, Abrams, Walker, and Rempis Percussion Quartet. Sunday at de Ruimte, a live festival recording with pianist Marta Warelis, bassist Aaron Lumley, and saxophonist John Dikeman, came out in 2021.
During 2022 Rosaly performed with the Meral Polat Trio on Ez Kî Me. The next year he and Ferragutti assembled Silverbones with bassist Janneke de Jonge, guitarist Liu Mottes, and synthesist Jochem van Tol; the group released a self-titled album on Molk. He also rejoined Rempis Percussion Quartet for the double-length Harvesters.
January 2024 brought the Clean Feed release Futuro Ancestrale, documenting a 2022 live performance by Rosaly, saxophonist Giuseppe Doronzo, and guitarist Andy Moor. Rosaly joined bassist Ruth Goller for the duet “I Have for You: Simple Truth,” the closing track on her International Anthem debut Skyllumina. In May, Rosaly and Ferragutti issued MESTIZX on International Anthem through Nonesuch, an evocative exploration of their cultural identities spanning Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico that the duo constructed through sonic rituals as a love letter to ancestors past, present, and future while acknowledging the weight of colonial legacies on their lands, people, and traditions.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1974 and raised in Phoenix, Arizona once his parents relocated to the United States, Rosaly had a mother named Carmen who worked as a secretary and a father named Francisco who worked as an accountant. He started drum lessons during elementary school, continued at Thunderbird High School, and graduated in 1992. After spending time in the Flagstaff and Phoenix scenes he moved to Los Angeles for several years, where he studied drums and percussion with jazz great Billy Higgins. Returning to Arizona for a couple of years, he performed in composer and bassist Joel DiBartolo’s Raging Jazz Project, which also featured future Big Gigantic founder Dominic Lalli.
Rosaly shifted to Chicago in 2001 and quickly integrated into the city’s extensive music and theater communities, serving as touring and studio sideman across jazz, vanguard, and indie rock ensembles. He assembled Thread Quintet alongside Keefe Jackson, Brian Dibblee, Nick Broste, and Dave Rempis; their debut Long Lines appeared in 2003. That same year he formed Design Flaw with bassist Dibblee and clarinetist Jon Doyle, releasing Ends Meet; both albums came out on Future Reference Recordings.
Over the ensuing years Rosaly performed regularly in clubs with indie rock and jazz musicians. In 2005 alone he contributed to Circular Logic with the Rempis Percussion Quartet, Other Valentines with Lonberg-Holm’s trio, and Sweet Is the Anchor with Steve Dawson’s group. Also in 2005 he launched Molk Records and issued One and Two, his first EP recorded solely on drums and electronics. Additional sessions that year included Nocturnes with Boxhead Ensemble, Ready Everyday with Keefe Jackson’s Fast Citizens, Rip Tear Crunch with Rempis Percussion Quartet, and Solo after releasing Boombox Babylon with Tim Daisy on Utech Records.
During 2007 he continued recording and touring with Lonberg-Holm’s trio and Jackson’s ensemble, appearing on Matana Roberts’ Chicago Project debut alongside Josh Abrams, Jeff Parker, and “Baba” Fred Anderson. In 2008 Rosaly joined vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz in Rolldown and performed on The Year of the Boar with bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten’s quintet.
In 2009 Rosaly and Jackson released the single “Duo” on Molk and recorded Cyrillic with saxophonist Rempis in another duo setting. Milkwork, a solo recital on drums and electronics, also appeared that year. Further credits included Lonberg-Holm’s orchestra on the live sets At the Hideout and At Elastic Arts plus Varmint by Jason Adasiewicz’s Rolldown.
Rosaly remained highly active on the Chicago scene and beyond over the next several years. He made his debut with Josh Abrams on Natural Information, replaced Paal Nilssen-Love in Scorch Trio on Melaza and In Norway (the latter also featuring Mars Williams), and recorded with singer-songwriter Joan of Arc, Nick Mazzarella, and the collaborative Sack alongside Lonberg-Holm, Erb, and Jason Roebke. In 2012 he released the solo drum-and-electronics work Centering and Displacement on Utech, an album that received widespread acclaim and positioned him as both composer and drum authority; he also completed another volume of At the Hideout with Bishop, Jaap Blonk, and Lou Mallozzi.
Throughout 2013 Rosaly drummed for the Joshua Abrams Quartet on the Rogue Art release Unknown Known, recorded Phalanx with Rempis Percussion Quartet, and joined Nicole Mitchell’s Ice Crystal on Aquarius. That year he issued the widely praised Cicada Music on Delmark, performing drums, electronics, and piano while featuring Adasiewicz on vibraphone, Jason Stein, Keefe Jackson, and James Falzone on clarinets, and Roebke on bass. He also put out the digital Viscous on Molk, employing a separate ensemble that included Falzone together with trumpeter Jaimie Branch, oboist Kyle Bruckmann, and cellist Kevin Davis.
Rosaly expanded his output across 2014 and 2015, appearing on twenty-three recordings. Standout releases included Primrose Green by Ryley Walker, Afterimage by Pandelis Karayorgis, Automaginary by Natural Information Society and Bitchin Bajas, The Delaware River by Bobby Bradford and Frode Gjerstad’s quartet, and Malo, a solo date on Utech. He co-founded the experimental sextet Young Mothers with Håker Flaten and released the band’s debut A Mothers Work Is Never Done.
Rosaly departed the United States for Amsterdam in 2016 yet continued traveling to the States for sessions and performances. Credits from this period encompass Ryley Walker’s Golden Sings That Have Been Sung, the duo Hearts & Minds with Stein, Shipwreck 4 alongside bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, trumpeter Darren Johnston, and saxophonist Aaron Bennet, Marshmallow Moon with Thurston Moore, and Labrys with guitarist Shane Parish.
In 2017 Rosaly balanced new projects with ongoing commitments, joining Josh Abrams & Natural Information Society on the widely celebrated Simultonality, recording … Don’t Buy Him a Parrot … and Parrots Paradise with Christoph Erb and Jim Baker, cutting Cochonnerie with Rempis Percussion Quartet, and releasing Twins with saxophonists Fred Jackson, Jr. and Stéphane Payen plus drummer and percussionist Edward Perraud.
Young Mothers issued their second album Morose in 2018 along with ICOCI alongside Rempis and guitarist/bassist Jasper Stadhouders. Although Rosaly released only two albums under his own name in 2019—¡Todos de Pie! with his big band and Codes/Myths in duo with Rempis—he appeared on more than a dozen additional recordings over the ensuing three years by Bishop, Mazzarella, Blonk, Tim Stine, Abrams, Walker, and Rempis Percussion Quartet. Sunday at de Ruimte, a live festival recording with pianist Marta Warelis, bassist Aaron Lumley, and saxophonist John Dikeman, came out in 2021.
During 2022 Rosaly performed with the Meral Polat Trio on Ez Kî Me. The next year he and Ferragutti assembled Silverbones with bassist Janneke de Jonge, guitarist Liu Mottes, and synthesist Jochem van Tol; the group released a self-titled album on Molk. He also rejoined Rempis Percussion Quartet for the double-length Harvesters.
January 2024 brought the Clean Feed release Futuro Ancestrale, documenting a 2022 live performance by Rosaly, saxophonist Giuseppe Doronzo, and guitarist Andy Moor. Rosaly joined bassist Ruth Goller for the duet “I Have for You: Simple Truth,” the closing track on her International Anthem debut Skyllumina. In May, Rosaly and Ferragutti issued MESTIZX on International Anthem through Nonesuch, an evocative exploration of their cultural identities spanning Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico that the duo constructed through sonic rituals as a love letter to ancestors past, present, and future while acknowledging the weight of colonial legacies on their lands, people, and traditions.
Albums
Tendresse
2024
MESTIZX
2024
Futuro Ancestrale
2024
Frank Rosaly's Todos de Pie
2019
...Don't Buy Him a Parrot...
2017
Cicada Music
2013
At the Hideout
2012
Milkwork
2010
Singles
