It began as a nickname while growing up, became the opener to heat things up from the start of his “Burning Room Only” album, and now it’s evolved into jazz fusion guitarist Ron Bosse’s new single that was released this week by Deep Cat Records. “Bossman,” produced by and cowritten with Grammy winner Jeff Lorber, was instantly added to SiriusXM’s Watercolors playlist and is one of the most added new singles on the Mediabase/Billboard chart.
Augmented by David Mann’s punchy horn arrangement and a valuable assist from Lorber’s dancing keyboard, “Bossman” asserts itself from the go via a Grammy-winning rhythm section. Gary Novak’s shuffling beat and a funky pocket skillfully crafted by bassist MonoNeon buttress Bosse’s electric jazz guitar, which is the focal point – melodically and sonically. Harmonically inviting, the guitarist’s alacritous and dexterous display of riffing reveal astute abilities.
Bosse wrote “Bossman” with his voice, not a guitar.
“As with almost all the songs on the album, I came up with the melody to ‘Bossman’ by singing it; I didn’t use an instrument. I find that this approach makes a melody more organic and lyrical. I specifically remember singing the verse melody to myself and thinking it was really strong. The problem I’ve found with writing a particularly strong section of music is that it can be difficult to build the other sections, especially when the first thing you came up with has such a distinct identity. However, I took it as a challenge to see if I could create a pre-chorus and chorus that really brought the listener on a journey,” said the Boston-based Bosse who derived inspiration for the song from a journey he took years prior.
“Bossman” is the second single issued from “Burning Room Only,” which streeted November 18 and has consistently been hailed by reviewers that cite the virtuoso musicianship from Bosse and his cohorts. “Kiss The Sky” hit first and received airplay from multiple jazz radio formats. Videos of tracks from the collection have generated hundreds of thousands of views on social media, spurring Bosse to play the long game with the album. There’s much more to be spawned from the set as well as new music and several high-profile collaborations inspired by “Burning Room Only,” which will soon be announced.