The life of Russell Tessier was celebrated on 03.26.2022 at Cobblestone Farm Park in Ann Arbor (where he and his wife, Amelia, were married in 2014).
The live stream recording of the event is available on Russ's Facebook page: facebook.com/russtessier
03.29.1982 - 01.22.2022
Russell Tessier
About Russ
Russ was an extraordinarily exuberant, passionate, creative, and authentic man with a beautiful, youthful buoyancy. He was extremely silly and serious; he had a remarkable generosity of spirit and capacity for love. Russ truly embodied the phrase "living with your heart on your sleeve," you never had to guess how he felt or what he thought because he would tell you.
Russ was aptly described as fearless and indefatigable.
Russ and his wife bought a house in Ann Arbor and got a Rottweiler puppy, Rex, in 2013. In 2015 they all moved to Los Angeles, where Russ actualized his dream of being a professional musician in L.A., and Amelia is currently working on a Ph.D. at UCLA. Yearly visits to Ann Arbor allowed them to stay connected and vacation in Big Bay on Lake Superior. Russ and Amelia loved living in L.A., where they have great friends, and Russ played all over, working with many different artists.
Russ's intelligence and persistence supported his inherent musical talent as an electric and upright bass player, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer. He was extremely creative and dedicate to music. Some of his extensive musical catalog under RussRhythm is available below. Russ's legacy lives on through his music, loved ones, and those who were touched by his spirit.
Russ was extremely brave and graceful after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis in July 2021. He was not afraid to talk about having cancer and wanted people to know about it. He hoped that his disease may help others take better care of themselves in health and life. This included loving others, and learning for yourself what you truly value in life, and pursuing those things with passion as he did. Russ and Amelia wanted to have kids, when he was diagnosed they had to pursue in vitro fertilization. We are hopeful that their child will be coming into this world sometime soon.
If you want to read more about Russ's cancer
Russ's Music
In January 2022 Russ completed the last part of his musical legacy, the album
Destiny's
Playground
The final album will contain original music by Russ and select cover tracks. The album was played for the first time at his celebration, and released thereafter.
A Huge thanks to those who helped manifest this album
Russell Tessier - Bass, Band Leader
Piano - Keaton Royer
Piano, Rhoades - Patrick Whitehead
Saxophone - Dan Bennett
Recording - Josef Deas
Mixing - Josef Deas, Russell Tessier, Patrick Whitehead
Drums - John Smillie
Drums - Jonathan Taylor
Destiny's Playground
This album includes original music by Russell Tessier (RussRhythm), and a cover of his favorite song by his favorite artist ("Three Views of a Secret" by Jaco Pastorius). It was recorded at Big Sky Studios in Ann Arbor, MI in January 2022 shortly before Russ died. His legacy lives on through his music which will continue to be curated by his wife and friends.
As part of Russ's memorial service, this album can be streamed/downloaded for free (or a donation price of your choice). As the details are finalized, the album will be promoted and made available for purchase digitally, on vinyl, and CD during 2022.
Download/stream from:
russrhythm1.bandcamp.com/album/destinys-playground
The Rick Burgess Trio
Russ was an accomplished electric and upright bass player. He played upright bass every weekend at the Earle restaurant downtown Ann Arbor in the Rick Burgess Trio (named for the original piano player and bandleader) from the time he was a teenager until he moved to Los Angeles. In 2020, the band including Russ (bass), Patrick Whitehead (piano), and Robert Warren (drums) reunited to record an album of jazz standards now available online.
Download/stream:
therickburgesstrio.bandcamp.com/releases
In 2008 Russ and a group of musicians won the Jazz Discovery Series competition at the Detroit Jazz festival for the performance of Russ's original music.
Russ has an Extensive Catalog of R&B/Rap/Pop & Jazz
Several of Russ's original R&B/Rap/Pop songs are available on his SoundCloud and Spotify under Russ Rhythm. Videos of him playing bass and singing are available on his Instagram (both below). Amelia and his amazingly talented and dedicated friends are working on curating more of Russ's music to make it available through these platforms in the future.
Instagram @RussRhythm
Forever Loved & Remembered
In lieu of gifts, please make your donation in Russ's name to one of the following organizations:
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Conquer Cancer
The American Clinical Oncology Society foundation
Their mission is to accelerate breakthroughs in lifesaving research and empower people to conquer cancer. Their Grants & Awards Program builds a pipeline of future leaders and encourages excellence in clinical and translational research in the field of oncology.
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the Community High School Jazz Program
Ann Arbor, MI
Russ was a member of the Community High Jazz band when he was a student at Community High School in the 1990s, at the time it was one of the best high school jazz programs in the country. His participation was a seminal experience that shaped him as a person and a musician.
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