Jorge Rossy

30 years ago today, on November 23, 1995, my sister Mercedes passed away at the age of 34. She died of cancer just a couple of months after being diagnosed.

Mercedes was 3 years older than me. She was fast, smart, unpretentious, and witty. She did front handsprings, played piano and accordion, and had perfect pitch. When I came home from school one afternoon at 11 years old, she showed me - with two spoons and a biscuit box - how much fun it could be to play drums over “It’s Been a Hard Day’s Night”. I haven’t stopped playing since. That’s just one of the many ways in which she shaped my life.

Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be published recordings of Mercedes playing but some of her compositions have been recorded by different musicians, including a tribute album I recorded with some of our friends and our brother Mario. I hope that more of her music – and hopefully some of her playing – will someday be published. She was a wonderful musician and wrote beautiful tunes.

Mercedes faced many challenges, as most young musicians do, and even more so as a female jazz pianist in the 80s and 90s. She didn’t have it easy, but her honesty, generosity, empathy, and sense of humor helped her greatly along the way - and helped others as well, according to the people I meet who knew her and still remember her so fondly.

Thinking about Mercedes’ legacy today, I am struck by how her music is a powerful legacy, but not the only one. Over the last 30 years, I have met so many people who knew Mercedes who have shared stories of how she inspired them: her positive energy, passion for music, and great sense of humor are common denominators in all the stories. So many people remember her with great affection and cherish their memories of her.

It’s easy to forget that we are always - consciously or, more often, not - modelling behavior for one another: the way we act, the choices we make, and our demeanor in interactions all have a great effect on other people’s lives. I continue to be deeply inspired by the big wave of love and humanity created by Mercedes’ presence in this world.

Can't wait to play with these guys again! Friday Oct. 24, 2025, at -- the Brahms Project! Me on drums with the great on guitar, on piano, and on bass, playing Jean-Paul's beautiful arrangements and reinterpretations of works by Brahms. ✨️✨️✨️