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Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory: Far Side
by Hrayr Attarian
Roscoe Mitchell's Far Side, with its theatrical quality, could easily function as a soundtrack to a modernist play. The beginning of the first and longest piece, “Far Side/Cards/Far Side," is reminiscent of the works of 20th century composers like Alfred Schnitke and Arvo Pärt, in the ominous sea of notes pouring out of the dual pianos and basses that buoy Mitchell's breathy and urgent alto sound. As Mitchell's saxophone grows stronger and clearer, the strings give way ...
Continue ReadingRoscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory: Far Side
by John Kelman
It's been over a decade since reed and woodwind multi-instrumentalist Roscoe Mitchell--a veteran of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), which he helped establish in the mid-1960s, in addition to co-founding the groundbreaking Art Ensemble of Chicago, around the same time--released Nine to Get Ready (ECM, 1999), with his Note Factory group. Far Side, Mitchell's first Note Factory session since The Bad Guys (Around Jazz, 2003), pares the group back to a double-quartet, with six members from ...
Continue ReadingRoscoe Mitchell – David Wessel: Contact
by AAJ Italy Staff
Le sessioni del compositore David Wessel e del sassofonista Roscoe Mitchell contenute nel doppio CD-DVD “Contact" distano parecchio tempo (in termini musicali) l'una dall'altra: l'una ha avuto luogo presso l'IRCAM di Parigi come parte del festival Résonances il 20 ottobre 2004, l'altra al Center for New Music dell'UC di Berkeley il 13 e 14 ottobre 2002. Grazie soprattutto all'interessamento di Michel Bordon, che ha voluto registrare la sessione di Parigi inserendola in formato DVD nel catalogo della RogueArt, si può ...
Continue ReadingRoscoe Mitchell / David Wessel: Contact
by John Sharpe
While esteemed reedman Roscoe Mitchell has appeared in any number of challenging settings, this marks his first documented encounter with electronics. Not that this is a recent move, more that the fruits of his collaboration with David Wessel have not seen the light of day until now. They first met back in 1968 when Mitchell, along with other members of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, moved into the house next door to Wessel's California home. Over the years projects included ...
Continue ReadingRoscoe Mitchell: Nonaah
by Clifford Allen
Roscoe Mitchell Nonaah Nessa Records 2008
One of the significant things that set AACM music apart from its brethren in New York in the 1960s and early 1970s was its use of space, of opening up the music so that things could occur within broad, environmental relationships. That sense of space was very important. In an entirely different take on "energy" music, the challenge of discerning what could be perceived ... Continue ReadingRoscoe Mitchell / The Transatlantic Art Ensemble: Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3
by Budd Kopman
The distinction made between jazz and classical music is usually one of rhythm and artistic depth, of improvisation versus composition, of the player being the creator versus the player as interpreter. However, upon deeper reflection, the two musics both have composers and interpreters, with the difference being one of emphasis. Saxophonist and composer Roscoe Mitchell has long worked in the space where the composed and the improvised coexist and merge. Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 is ...
Continue ReadingPropelling Personality: The Roscoe Mitchell Trio at UMASS
by Lyn Horton
Roscoe Mitchell Trio University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts April 26, 2007
When Roscoe Mitchell joined with his fellow Chicago musicians in 1965 to create the AACM, his primary motivation was to unravel how music reflecting the integrity of sound-making from a set of individual instruments could best be expressed. Judging from the recent performance by his trio at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it's clear that Mitchell's motivation has remained constant. With bassist-cellist Harrison ...
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