Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Roscoe Mitchell & The Note Factory: Song For My sister
Roscoe Mitchell & The Note Factory: Song For My sister
For this recording, Mitchell has musicians that understand his ethos and work in developing it. Consequently, the music is imbued not only with the individuality of the players but with the attributes that the compositions call for.
The music has many moods. Spontaneous invention explodes in Sagitta with rolling piano, skitterish drums and spitting sax all lending beauty to chaos. In contrast comes the beautifully flowing this, peaceful in its unfolding as it brings out the hues of the composition, save toward the latter half when the rhythm section gets itchy. The baroque side of Mitchell gets its unfolding on Wind Change, an extended piece that is constantly alluring in its nuances and coloring.
The groove swings, pirouettes, whirls, and marches in martial splendour. The melody is captivating and all the musicians come together to realize the dynamics and elevate Step One, Two, Three into stellar territory. And there is the title tune filled with vignettes of sound from the cutting edge of the saxophone to the lyricism of the piano to the limber gait of the bass and on to the gentle swing of the guitar.
Funky, uppity, and rollicking in intense fervour, that’s the Count-Off for the band and the close-out to a vibrant, passionate album that, in totality, feeds and nourishes on the musical dimension carved by Mitchell.
Track Listing
Song for My Sister; Sagitta; this; When the Whistle Blows; The Megaplexian; Step One, Two, Three; The Inside of a Star; Wind Change; Count Off
Personnel
Roscoe Mitchell
saxophoneRoscoe Mitchell, reeds, percussion, bass recorder; Leon Dorsey, bass; Vijay Iyer, piano; Vincent Davis, drums; Gerald Cleaver, drums; Spenser Barefield, guitar; Jaribu Shahid, bass; Corey Wilkes, trumpet; Craig Taborn, piano
Album information
Title: Song for My Sister | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Pi Recordings
About Roscoe Mitchell
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
