Roscoe Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Roscoe Mitchell is an African American
composer
, jazz
instrumentalist
and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic
—saxophonist
." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde
jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past thirty years. He continues "to be a major figure." He has even been called a "super musician" and the New York Times has mentioned that he "qualifies as an iconoclast
."
at around age twelve. His family was always involved in music
with many different styles playing in the house when he was a child as well as having a secular music
background. His brother, Norman, in particular was the one who introduced Mitchell to jazz. While attending Englewood High School in Chicago, he furthered his study of the clarinet. In the 1950s, he joined the United States Army
, during which time he was stationed in Heidelberg
, Germany
and played in a band with fellow saxophonists Albert Ayler
and Rubin Cooper, the latter of which Mitchell commented "took me under his wing and taught me a lot of stuff." He also studied under the first clarinetist of the Heidelberg Symphony while in Germany. Mitchell returned to the United States
in the early 1960s, relocated to the Chicago area, and performed in a band with Wilson Junior College undergraduates Malachi Favors
(bass
), Joseph Jarman
, Henry Threadgill
, and Anthony Braxton
(all saxophonists). Mitchell also studied with Muhal Richard Abrams
and played in his band, the Muhal Richard Abrams' Experimental Band, starting in 1961.
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
(AACM) along with Jodie Christian
(piano
), Steve McCall
(drum
s), and Phil Cohran
(composer
). The following year Mitchell, Lester Bowie
(trumpet
), Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre
(tenor
saxophone), Favors, Lester Lashley (trombone
), and Alvin Fielder
(drums), recorded their first studio album
, Sound
. The album was "a departure from the more extroverted work of the New York-based free jazz players" due in part to the band recording with "unorthodox devices" such as toy
s and bicycle
horn
s.
From 1967 Mitchell, Bowie, Favors and, on occasion, Jarman performed as the Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble, then the Art Ensemble, and finally in 1969 were billed as the Art Ensemble of Chicago
. The group included Phillip Wilson
on drums for short span before he joined Paul Butterfield
's band. The group lived and performed in Europe
from 1969 to 1971, though they arrived without any percussionist after Wilson left. To fill the void, Mitchell commented that they "evolved into doing percussion ourselves." The band did eventually get a percussionist, Don Moye
, who Mitchell had played with before and was living in Europe at that time. For performances, the band often wore brilliant African costumes and painted their faces. The Art Ensemble of Chicago have been described as as becoming "possibly the most highly acclaimed jazz band" in the 1970s and 1980s.
and frequently used the facilities at Michigan State University. Mitchell also formed the Sound Ensemble in the early 1970s, an "outgrowth of the CAC" in his words, that consisted mainly of Mitchell, Hugh Ragin
, Jaribu Shahid, Tani Tabbal
, and Spencer Barefield.
In the 1990s, Mitchell started to experiment in classical music
with such composers/artists such as Pauline Oliveros
, Thomas Buckner
, and Borah Bergman
, the latter two of which formed a popular trio with Mitchell called Trio Space. Buckner was also part of another group with Mitchell and Gerald Oshita
called Space in the late 1990s. He then conceived the Note Factory in 1992 with various old and new collaborators as another evolution of the Sound Ensemble.
He lived in the area of Madison, Wisconsin
and performed with a re-assembled Art Ensemble of Chicago. In 1999, the band was hit hard with the death of Bowie, but Mitchell fought off the urge to recast his position in the group, stating simply "You can't do that" in an interview with Allaboutjazz.com editor-in-chief Fred Jung. The band continued on despite the loss.
Mitchell has made a point of working with younger musicians in various ensembles and combinations, many of whom weren't yet born when the first Art Ensemble recordings were made. Mainly from Chicago, these players include trumpeter Corey Wilkes, bassist Karl E. H. Seigfried
, and drummer Isaiah Spencer.
In 2007, Mitchell was named Darius Milhaud
Chair of Composition at Mills College
in Oakland, California
, where he currently lives.
, the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, and the California Institute of the Arts
. He currently teaches at Mills College in Oakland, California.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
instrumentalist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic
Idiosyncrasy
An idiosyncrasy is an unusual feature of a person . The term is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity. A synonym may be .-Etymology:...
—saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past thirty years. He continues "to be a major figure." He has even been called a "super musician" and the New York Times has mentioned that he "qualifies as an iconoclast
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
."
Early life
Mitchell grew up in the Chicago, Illinois area where he played saxophone and clarinetClarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
at around age twelve. His family was always involved in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
with many different styles playing in the house when he was a child as well as having a secular music
Secular music
Secular music is non-religious music. "Secular" means being separate from religion.In the West, secular music developed in the Medieval period and was used in the Renaissance. Swaying authority from the Church that focused more on Common Law influenced all aspects of Medieval life, including music...
background. His brother, Norman, in particular was the one who introduced Mitchell to jazz. While attending Englewood High School in Chicago, he furthered his study of the clarinet. In the 1950s, he joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, during which time he was stationed in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and played in a band with fellow saxophonists Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer.Ayler was among the most primal of the free jazz musicians of the 1960s; critic John Litweiler wrote that "never before or since has there been such naked aggression in jazz" He possessed a deep blistering tone—achieved...
and Rubin Cooper, the latter of which Mitchell commented "took me under his wing and taught me a lot of stuff." He also studied under the first clarinetist of the Heidelberg Symphony while in Germany. Mitchell returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early 1960s, relocated to the Chicago area, and performed in a band with Wilson Junior College undergraduates Malachi Favors
Malachi Favors
Malachi Favors was a noted American jazz bassist best known for his work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
(bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman , is a jazz musician, composer and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He is perhaps best known as one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Early life:Jarman grew up in Chicago, Illinois...
, Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres....
, and Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
(all saxophonists). Mitchell also studied with Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams is an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the Free jazz medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.- Biography :Abrams attended DuSable High School in Chicago...
and played in his band, the Muhal Richard Abrams' Experimental Band, starting in 1961.
AACM and the Art Ensemble of Chicago
In 1965, Mitchell was one of the first members of the non-profit organizationOrganization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is a non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran....
(AACM) along with Jodie Christian
Jodie Christian
Jodie Christian is an American jazz pianist, noted for bebop and free jazz. He is one of the co-founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians along with pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran...
(piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
), Steve McCall
Steve McCall (drummer)
Steve McCall was an American jazz drummer.McCall was born in Chicago and began his career there in the 1950s. One of his early gigs was playing behind blues singer Lucky Carmichael. McCall befriended Muhal Richard Abrams in 1961, and went on to be one of the founders of the AACM in 1965...
(drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s), and Phil Cohran
Phil Cohran
Kelan Phil Cohran is a jazz musician. He is known most for his trumpet contributions in the Sun Ra Arkestra in Chicago during 1959-1961 and for his involvement in the foundation of the AACM.-Biography:...
(composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
). The following year Mitchell, Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the AACM, and cofounded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
(trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
), Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre
Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre
Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre is an American free jazz tenor saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist.McIntyre was born in Clarksville, Arkansas but his family moved to Chicago when he was a child. He began playing drums at seven, then switched to saxophone...
(tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
saxophone), Favors, Lester Lashley (trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
), and Alvin Fielder
Alvin Fielder
Alvin Fielder is an American jazz drummer. He is a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Black Arts Music Society, Jackson, Mississippi, Improvisational Arts Trio/Quartet/Quintet and is a founding faculty member of the Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong Summer Jazz...
(drums), recorded their first studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Sound
Sound (Roscoe Mitchell album)
Sound is the debut album by free jazz saxophononist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1966 and released on the Delmark label. It features performances by Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, Maurice McIntyre, Lester Lashley and Alvin Fielder...
. The album was "a departure from the more extroverted work of the New York-based free jazz players" due in part to the band recording with "unorthodox devices" such as toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s and bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
horn
Horn (acoustic)
A horn is a tapered sound guide designed to provide an acoustic impedance match between a sound source and free air. This has the effect of maximizing the efficiency with which sound waves from the particular source are transferred to the air...
s.
From 1967 Mitchell, Bowie, Favors and, on occasion, Jarman performed as the Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble, then the Art Ensemble, and finally in 1969 were billed as the Art Ensemble of Chicago
Art Ensemble of Chicago
The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz ensemble that grew out of Chicago's AACM in the late 1960s. The group continues to tour and record through 2006, despite the deaths of two of the founding members....
. The group included Phillip Wilson
Phillip Wilson (drummer)
Phillip Wilson was an American jazz percussionist, known as a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and as a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.-Biography:...
on drums for short span before he joined Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield
Paul Butterfield was an American blues vocalist and harmonica player, who founded the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early 1960s and performed at the original Woodstock Festival...
's band. The group lived and performed in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from 1969 to 1971, though they arrived without any percussionist after Wilson left. To fill the void, Mitchell commented that they "evolved into doing percussion ourselves." The band did eventually get a percussionist, Don Moye
Don Moye
Famoudou Don Moye, is an American jazz percussionist and drummer. He is most known for his involvement with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and is noted for his mastery of African and Caribbean percussion instruments and rhythmic techniques.- Early life and Detroit Free Jazz :Moye was born in...
, who Mitchell had played with before and was living in Europe at that time. For performances, the band often wore brilliant African costumes and painted their faces. The Art Ensemble of Chicago have been described as as becoming "possibly the most highly acclaimed jazz band" in the 1970s and 1980s.
Creative Arts Collective and beyond
Mitchell and the others returned to the States in 1971. After having been back in Chicago for three years, Mitchell then established the Creative Arts Collective (CAC) in 1974 that had a similar musical aesthetic to the AACM. The group was based in East Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
and frequently used the facilities at Michigan State University. Mitchell also formed the Sound Ensemble in the early 1970s, an "outgrowth of the CAC" in his words, that consisted mainly of Mitchell, Hugh Ragin
Hugh Ragin
Hugh Ragin is an American jazz trumpeter.Ragin was raised in Houston and began on trumpet when he was in eighth grade. After playing in the Houston All-City High School Orchestra, which toured the UK, he took his bachelor's in music education at the University of Houston and his master's in trumpet...
, Jaribu Shahid, Tani Tabbal
Tani Tabbal
-Biography:By age fourteen Tabbal was playing professionally, performing with Oscar Brown Jr. In his teens he also performed with Phil Cohran and the Sun Ra Arkestra....
, and Spencer Barefield.
In the 1990s, Mitchell started to experiment in classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
with such composers/artists such as Pauline Oliveros
Pauline Oliveros
Pauline Oliveros is an American accordionist and composer who is a central figure in the development of post-war electronic art music....
, Thomas Buckner
Thomas Buckner
Thomas Buckner is an American baritone vocalist specializing in the performance of contemporary classical music and improvised music...
, and Borah Bergman
Borah Bergman
Borah Bergman is an American free jazz pianist.Bergman learned clarinet as a child, and did not commence studies on piano until adulthood. He developed his left hand playing to the point where he became essentially ambidextrous as a pianist, and can play equally fast in both hands...
, the latter two of which formed a popular trio with Mitchell called Trio Space. Buckner was also part of another group with Mitchell and Gerald Oshita
Gerald Oshita
Gerald Oshita was an American musician, composer, and sound recordist.Oshita, who was of Japanese ancestry, lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and specialized in unusual wind instruments, particularly those of especially low register...
called Space in the late 1990s. He then conceived the Note Factory in 1992 with various old and new collaborators as another evolution of the Sound Ensemble.
He lived in the area of Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
and performed with a re-assembled Art Ensemble of Chicago. In 1999, the band was hit hard with the death of Bowie, but Mitchell fought off the urge to recast his position in the group, stating simply "You can't do that" in an interview with Allaboutjazz.com editor-in-chief Fred Jung. The band continued on despite the loss.
Mitchell has made a point of working with younger musicians in various ensembles and combinations, many of whom weren't yet born when the first Art Ensemble recordings were made. Mainly from Chicago, these players include trumpeter Corey Wilkes, bassist Karl E. H. Seigfried
Karl E. H. Seigfried
Karl E. H. Seigfried is a German-American jazz, rock, and classical bassist, guitarist, composer, bandleader, writer and educator based in Chicago....
, and drummer Isaiah Spencer.
In 2007, Mitchell was named Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
Chair of Composition at Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, where he currently lives.
Recognition
The following are referenced from Mitchell's biography at the official AACM website.Awards
- The International Jazz Critics Poll
- Down Beat Magazine
- "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition"
- Best Jazz Group (Established) - Art Ensemble of Chicago
- Record of the Year – NonaahNonaahNonaah is a double album recorded in 1976-77 by Roscoe Mitchell. It was originally released on the Nessa label in 1977 and features solo, duo, trio and quartet performances by Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, Henry Threadgill, Joseph Jarman, and Wallace...
- Jazz Personality of the Year, City of Madison, Wisconsin
- "Madison Music Legend" ("Madison" magazine)
- Certificate of Appreciation (St. Louis Public Schools Role Model Experiences Program)
- Honorary Citizen of Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
- Outstanding Service to Jazz Education Award (National Association of Jazz Educators)
- Certificate of Appreciation, Art Ensemble of Chicago (Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
) - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Image Award
Grants
- National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
- Arts Midwest Jazz Masters
- John Cage Award for Music-Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, Inc.
- Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
matching grant - Minnesota Composer's Forum
- Meet the Composer, Cultural Series Grant, Center for International Performance and Exhibition, Chicago IL
- Comnicut Foundation
- Wisconsin Arts Board
- Institut de Recherche at Coordination Acoustique MusiqueIRCAMIRCAM is a European institute for science about music and sound and avant garde electro-acoustical art music. It is situated next to, and is organizationally linked with, the Centre Pompidou in Paris...
, Paris, France - Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission Project Grant, Madison Committee for the Arts
- Madison Festival of the Lakes Grant.
Teaching
Mitchell has taught at various institutions throughout the United States, including the University of IllinoisUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, and the California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
. He currently teaches at Mills College in Oakland, California.
with Art Ensemble of Chicago
| Title | Year | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound Sound (Roscoe Mitchell album) Sound is the debut album by free jazz saxophononist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1966 and released on the Delmark label. It features performances by Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, Maurice McIntyre, Lester Lashley and Alvin Fielder... - Roscoe Mitchell Sextet |
1966 | Delmark Delmark Records Delmark Records is an independent American jazz and blues record label, based in Chicago since 1958. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when owner Bob Koester released a recording of the Windy City Six, a traditional jazz group, under the "Delmar" imprint.-History:Born in 1932 in... |
||
| Old/Quartet Old/Quartet Old/Quartet is an album recorded in 1967 by Roscoe Mitchell's Art Ensemble which later became known as the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It was released on the Nessa label in 1975 and features performances by Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Phillip Wilson.-Reception:The Allmusic... - Roscoe Mitchell |
1967 | Nessa Nessa Records -Discography:*n-1 Lester Bowie - Numbers 1 & 2 *n-2 Roscoe Mitchell - Congliptious... |
||
| Numbers 1 & 2 Numbers 1 & 2 Numbers 1 & 2 is a 1967 album by Lester Bowie featuring a line-up which later became the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It was released on the Nessa label and features performances by Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors, and Joseph Jarman.-Reception:... - Lester Bowie |
1967 | Nessa | ||
| Congliptious Congliptious Congliptious is a 1968 album by Roscoe Mitchell's Art Ensemble which later became the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It was released on the Nessa label and features performances by Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, and Robert Crowder... - Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble |
1968 | Nessa | ||
| A Jackson in Your House A Jackson in Your House A Jackson in Your House is a 1969 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded for the French BYG Actuel label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Favors Maghostut... |
1969 | Actuel BYG Actuel BYG Actuel was a French record label specializing in free jazz. The label also released a small number of non-jazz recordings by artists such as Musica Elettronica Viva, Freedom and Gong.-History:... |
||
| Tutankhamun Tutankhamun (album) Tutankhamun is a 1969 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded for the Freedom label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Favors Maghostut... |
1969 | Freedom Freedom Records Freedom Records was a jazz record label linked with the producer Alan Bates, as with his Black Lion Records.Individual recordings were distributed via Polydor Records and Transatlantic Records during the early 1970s before the company was bought by Arista Records.-Discography:*1000 Albert Ayler &... |
||
| The Spiritual The Spiritual (album) The Spiritual is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in 1969 for the Freedom label as the same sesioons that produced Tutankhamun... |
1969 | Freedom | ||
| People in Sorrow People in Sorrow People in Sorrow is a 1969 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Boulogne for the French Pathé-Marconi label, later reissued in the US on Nessa Records... |
1969 | Pathé-Marconi Pathé Records Pathé Records was a France-based international record label and producer of phonographs, active from the 1890s through the 1930s.- Early years :... |
||
| Message to Our Folks Message to Our Folks Message to Our Folks is a 1969 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Paris for the French BYG Actuel label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Favors Maghostut.-Track listing:... |
1969 | Actuel | ||
| Reese and the Smooth Ones Reese and the Smooth Ones Reese and the Smooth Ones is a 1969 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Paris for the French BYG Actuel label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Favors Maghostut.-Reception:... |
1969 | Actuel | ||
| Eda Wobu Eda Wobu Eda Wobu is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Paris in 1969 and first released in 1991 by the Italian JMY label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Favors Maghostut.-Personnel:... |
1969 | JMY JMY Records JMY Records was an Italian record label that produced a number of albums of major jazz players in the 1990s, based on mainly live recordings from the 1960s and 1970s.-Artists:* Dave Brubeck* Sarah Vaughn* Miles Davis* Quincy Jones... |
||
| Certain Blacks Certain Blacks Certain Blacks is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Paris on February 10, 1970 and released on the America label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell , Malachi Favors Maghostut, Chicago Beau, Julio Finn and William A... |
1970 | America | ||
| Go Home Go Home (album) Go Home is a 1970 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Paris for the French Galloway label - first released in 1973. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Favors Maghostut along with Fontella Bass, Ivan Julien, Bernard Vitet, Ambrose... |
1970 | Galloway | ||
| Chi-Congo Chi-Congo Chi-Congo is a 1970 album recorded in Paris by the Art Ensemble of Chicago first released in 1972 on the Decca Records label, later reissued in the US by Paula... |
1970 | Paula | ||
| Les Stances a Sophie Les Stances a Sophie Les Stances a Sophie is a 1970 soundtrack album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Paris for a French film directed by Moshe Mizrahi and first released on the Pathé Marconi label in France and on Nessa Records in the U.S.. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe... |
1970 | Pathé-Marconi | ||
| Live in Paris Live in Paris (AECO album) Live in Paris is a double live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded at the Chateau Vallon and first released on the BYG Actuel label in Japan as two separate volumes in 1974... |
1970 | Freedom | ||
| Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass is a 1970 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Paris and first released on the America label... |
1970 | America | ||
| Phase One | 1971 | America | ||
| Live at Mandell Hall Live at Mandell Hall Live at Mandell Hall is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded at Mandell Hall on their return to Chicago from Europe in January 1972 and released on the Delmark label... |
1972 | Delmark Delmark Records Delmark Records is an independent American jazz and blues record label, based in Chicago since 1958. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when owner Bob Koester released a recording of the Windy City Six, a traditional jazz group, under the "Delmar" imprint.-History:Born in 1932 in... |
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| Bap-Tizum Bap-Tizum Bap-Tizum is a 1972 live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival held at the Otis Spann Memorial Field and first released on the Atlantic label in 1972. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut... |
1972 | Atlantic Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
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| Fanfare for the Warriors Fanfare for the Warriors Fanfare for the Warriors is a 1973 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago first released on the Atlantic label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye along with AACM leader Muhal Richard Abrams.-Reception:The Allmusic review by... |
1973 | Atlantic | ||
| Kabalaba Kabalaba Kabalaba is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974 and released on their AECO label in 1978... |
1974 | AECO AECO Records -Discography:*AECO 001: Famoudou Don Moye - Sun Percussion Volume One*AECO 002: Joseph Jarman - Sunbound Volume One*AECO 003: Brother Malachi Favors Magoustous - Natural And The Spiritua*AECO 004: Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Kabalaba... |
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| Nice Guys | 1978 | ECM | ||
| Live in Berlin Live in Berlin (AECO album) Live in Berlin is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in March 1979 and first released on the West Wind label in 1991. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye.... |
1979 | West Wind West Wind Records West Wind Records was a jazz record label, releasing albums by many notable musicians during the 1980s.Some of these albums were previously issued on labels such as Circle Records .-Discography:*001 Anthony Braxton - The Coventry Concert 1980... |
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| Full Force | 1980 | ECM | ||
| Urban Bushmen Urban Bushmen Urban Bushmen is a 1980 live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Munich and released on the ECM label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye.-Reception:... |
1980 | ECM | ||
| Among the People Among the People Among the People is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago originally released in 1981 as an LP on the Greek Praxis label, and rereleased on CD as Live in Milano on the Golden Years of New Jazz label... |
1980 | Praxis Praxis Records Praxis Records is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany, releasing primarily harsh experimental electronic music. The label was founded in 1992 by Christoph Fringeli, who has released music under numerous monikers such as Base Force One, Scaremonger and Metatron.-Roster:Praxis... |
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| The Complete Live in Japan The Complete Live in Japan The Complete Live in Japan is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago released in 1988 on the Japanese DIW label. It features a live performance by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye recorded in Gotanda, Japan in 1984... |
1984 | DIW DIW Records DIW Records is a Japanese record label. It is a subsidiary label of Disc Union and specializes in jazz and avant garde music. Kazunori Sugiyama was an executive producer for the label before starting Tzadik Records with John Zorn.-Discography:... |
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| The Third Decade The Third Decade The Third Decade is a 1984 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago released on the ECM label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye.-Reception:... |
1984 | ECM | ||
| Naked Naked (AECO album) Naked is a 1986 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago released on the Japanese DIW label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye.-Reception:... |
1986 | DIW | ||
| Ancient to the Future Ancient to the Future Ancient to the Future: Dreaming of the Masters Series Vol. 1 is a 1987 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago released on the Japanese DIW label... |
1987 | DIW | ||
| The Alternate Express The Alternate Express The Alternate Express is a 1989 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago released on the Japanese DIW label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye.-Reception:... |
1989 | DIW | ||
| Art Ensemble of Soweto Art Ensemble of Soweto Art Ensemble of Soweto is a 1990 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Amabutho Male Chorus released on the Japanese DIW label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut, and Don Moye with vocals by Elliot Ngubane, Kay Ngwazene,... |
1990 | DIW | ||
| America - South Africa America - South Africa America – South Africa is a 1991 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Amabutho Male Chorus released on the Japanese DIW label in association with Columbia Records... |
1990 | DIW | ||
| Thelonious Sphere Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (album) Thelonious Sphere Monk: Dreaming of the Masters Series Vol. 2 is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Cecil Taylor released on the Japanese DIW label... with Cecil Taylor Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and... |
1990 | DIW | ||
| Dreaming of the Masters Suite Dreaming of the Masters Suite Dreaming of the Masters Suite: Music Inspired by and Dedicated to John Coltrane is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago released on the Japanese DIW label... |
1990 | DIW | ||
| Live at the 6th Tokyo Music Joy Live at the 6th Tokyo Music Joy Live at the 6th Tokyo Music Joy is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy recorded in February 1990 for the Japanese DIW label... with Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy |
1991 | DIW | ||
| Fundamental Destiny Fundamental Destiny Fundamental Destiny is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Don Pullen recorded in June 1991 in Frankfurt, Germany and released in 2007 on the group's AECO label... with Don Pullen Don Pullen Don Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz... |
1991 | AECO | ||
| Salutes the Chicago Blues Tradition Salutes the Chicago Blues Tradition Salutes the Chicago Blues Tradition is a live album recorded on 7 July 1993 in Geneva, Switzerland by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and released on their own AECO label... |
1993 | AECO | ||
| Coming Home Jamaica Coming Home Jamaica Coming Home Jamaica is a 1998 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago originally released on the Atlantic label and reissued in 2002 on the Dreyfus label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye with Bahnamous Lee Bowie guesting on one track.... |
1996 | Atlantic | ||
| Urban Magic Urban Magic Urban Magic is a live album recorded on 4 June 1997 in Laroche-sur-Yon, France by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and originally released with the March 2003 issue of the Italian magazine Musica Jazz... |
1997 | Musica Jazz | ||
| Tribute to Lester Tribute to Lester Tribute to Lester is an album recorded in 2001 by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and released on ECM in 2003, their first release on the label since The Third Decade . It features performances by Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye... |
2001 | ECM | ||
| Reunion Reunion (AECO album) Reunion is a live album recorded at Centro Rai di Produzione Radiofonica in Rome in January 2003 by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and released on the Italian Around Jazz label. It marked the return of Joseph Jarman to the group and features performances by Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors... |
2003 | Around Jazz | ||
| The Meeting The Meeting (Art Ensemble of Chicago album) - Track listing :#"Hail We Now Sing Joy" — 4:56#"It's the Sign of the Times" — 18:44#"Tech Ritter and the Megabytes" — 4:22#"Wind and Drum" — 11:09#"The Meeting" — 6:49... |
2003 | Pi | ||
| Sirius Calling Sirius Calling Sirius Calling is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in April, 2003 in Madison, Wisconsin and released in 2004 on the Pi label. It features performances by Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell and Don Moye with Malachi Favors Maghostut on what would be the final album before his death. The... |
2004 | Pi | ||
| Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City: Live at the Iridium is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in April, 2004 at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City and released in 2006 on the Pi label... |
2006 | Pi |
Solo works and other ensembles
- 1973 Solo Saxophone Concerts — Sackville
- 1975 Quartet — Sackville
- 1976 NonaahNonaahNonaah is a double album recorded in 1976-77 by Roscoe Mitchell. It was originally released on the Nessa label in 1977 and features solo, duo, trio and quartet performances by Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, Henry Threadgill, Joseph Jarman, and Wallace...
— Nessa - 1977 Duets — Sackville
- 1979 Sketches From Bamboo — Moers
- 1980 Snurdy McGurdy and Her Dancin' Shoes — Nessa
- 1981 3 x 4 Eye3 x 4 Eye3 x 4 Eye is an album by jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell and the Sound Ensemble recorded in 1981 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:...
— Black SaintBlack Saint/Soul NoteBlack Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian jazz independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz.-History:... - 1983 Roscoe Mitchell and the Sound and Space EnsemblesRoscoe Mitchell and the Sound and Space EnsemblesRoscoe Mitchell and the Sound and Space Ensembles is an album by jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1983 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:...
— Black Saint - 1984 An Interesting Breakfast Conversation — 1750 Arch
- 1986 The Flow of ThingsThe Flow of ThingsThe Flow of Things is a live album by jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1986 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Stephen Cook awarded the album 3 stars stating "The Flow of Things is probably not the best entrée into Mitchell's work, but after a few Art...
— Black Saint - 1986 Live at the Muhle Hunziken — Cecma Records
- 1987 Live at the Knitting FactoryLive at the Knitting Factory (Roscoe Mitchell album)Live at the Knitting Factory is a live album by jazz saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell and the Sound Ensemble recorded in 1987 at the Knitting Factory for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:...
— Black Saint - 1988 Live in Detroit — Cecma
- 1989 After Fallen Leaves — Silkheart RecordsSilkheart Records- External links :* *...
- 1990 Duets & Solos — Black Saint
- 1990 Songs in the Wind — Victo Records
- 1992 This Dance Is for Steve McCall — Black Saint
- 1992 Four Compositions — Lovely Music
- 1994 Hey Donald — Delmark
- 1994 Sound Songs — Delmark
- 1994 First Meeting — Knitting Factory
- 1994 Pilgrimage — Lovely Music
- 1996 Day and the Night — Dizim
- 1998 More Cutouts — Cecma
- 1999 Nine to Get ReadyNine to Get ReadyNine to Get Ready is an album by jazz saxophonist and composer Roscoe Mitchell recorded in 1997 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars stating "The performances are mostly concise, emphasize ensembles and are sometimes surprisingly...
— ECMECM (record label)ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres... - 1999 In Walked Buckner — Delmark
- 2001 8 O'Clock: Two Improvisations — Mutable Music
- 2002 Song for My Sister — Pi Recordings
- 2004 Solo 3 — Mutable
- 2005 Chicago Duos — First Look/Southport
- 2005 Turn — Rogue Art
- 2006 No Side Effects — Rogue Art
- 2006 The Bad Guys — Around Jazz
- 2007 Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 is a live album by jazz saxophonist and composer Roscoe Mitchell recorded in Germany in 2004 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:...
with Evan Parker (ECM) - 2009 The Solo Concert - AECO
- 2009 Contact - Rogue Art
- 2010 Spectrum - Mutablemusic
- 2010 Far SideFar Side (album)Far Side is a live album by jazz saxophonist and composer Roscoe Mitchell and The Note Factory recorded in Germany in 2007 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:...
- with The Note Factory (ECM) - 2011 Numbers - Rogue Art
External links
- All About Jazz: Roscoe Mitchell: In Search of the Super Musician Posted: 2004-01-08
- Roscoe Mitchell interview by Jason Gross (May 1998)
- Lovely Music Artist: Roscoe Mitchell
- AACM: Roscoe Mitchell