Sound (Roscoe Mitchell album)
Encyclopedia
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 CD reissue includes two takes of "Sound," which were edited together to form the original LP version, and an alternate take of "Ornette."
selected this album as part of its suggested Core Collection.
The Allmusic review by Steve Huey awarded the album 5 stars stating "Structurally, Sound heralded a whole new approach to free improvisation; where most previous free jazz prized an unrelenting fever pitch of emotion, Sound was full of wide-open spaces between instruments, an agreeably rambling pace in between the high-energy climaxes, and a more abstract quality to its solos. Steady rhythmic pulses were mostly discarded in favor of collective, spontaneous dialogues and novel textures (especially with the less orthodox instruments, which had tremendous potential for flat-out weird noises). Simply put, it's an exploration of pure sound. It didn't so much break the rules as ignore them and make up its own, allowing the musicians' imaginations to run wild (which is why it still sounds fresh today). Sounds concepts of texture, space, and interaction would shortly be expanded upon in classic recordings by Anthony Braxton
, Muhal Richard Abrams
, the Art Ensemble of Chicago
, and others; the repercussions from its expansion of free jazz's tonal and emotional palettes are still being felt".
The album was identified by Chris Kelsey in his Allmusic essay "Free Jazz: A Subjective History" as one of the 20 Essential Free Jazz Albums.
Side Two
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
saxophononist
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...
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell
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...
recorded in 1966 and released on the 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...
label. It features performances by 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:...
, Malachi Favors
Malachi Favors
Malachi Favors was a noted American jazz bassist best known for his work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
, Maurice McIntyre, Lester Lashley 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...
. The CD reissue includes two takes of "Sound," which were edited together to form the original LP version, and an alternate take of "Ornette."
Reception
The Penguin Guide to JazzThe Penguin Guide to Jazz
The Penguin Guide to Jazz is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which are currently available in Europe or the United States...
selected this album as part of its suggested Core Collection.
The Allmusic review by Steve Huey awarded the album 5 stars stating "Structurally, Sound heralded a whole new approach to free improvisation; where most previous free jazz prized an unrelenting fever pitch of emotion, Sound was full of wide-open spaces between instruments, an agreeably rambling pace in between the high-energy climaxes, and a more abstract quality to its solos. Steady rhythmic pulses were mostly discarded in favor of collective, spontaneous dialogues and novel textures (especially with the less orthodox instruments, which had tremendous potential for flat-out weird noises). Simply put, it's an exploration of pure sound. It didn't so much break the rules as ignore them and make up its own, allowing the musicians' imaginations to run wild (which is why it still sounds fresh today). Sounds concepts of texture, space, and interaction would shortly be expanded upon in classic recordings by 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...
, 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...
, 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....
, and others; the repercussions from its expansion of free jazz's tonal and emotional palettes are still being felt".
The album was identified by Chris Kelsey in his Allmusic essay "Free Jazz: A Subjective History" as one of the 20 Essential Free Jazz Albums.
Original LP
Side One- "Ornette - 5:22
- "The Little Suite" - 10:20
Side Two
- "Sound" - 21:30
CD Reissue
- "Ornette" [alternative take] - 5:44
- "Sound 1" - 26:36
- "The Little Suite" - 10:27
- "Ornette" - 5:29
- "Sound 2" - 19:24
- All compositions by Roscoe Mitchell
- Recorded at Sound Studios, Inc. August 10–26, 1966
Personnel
- Roscoe MitchellRoscoe MitchellRoscoe 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...
: alto saxophone, clarinet, flute, recorder - Lester BowieLester BowieLester 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, flugelhorn, harmonica - Malachi FavorsMalachi FavorsMalachi Favors was a noted American jazz bassist best known for his work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
: bass - Maurice McIntyre: tenor saxophone
- Lester Lashley: trombone, cello
- Alvin FielderAlvin FielderAlvin 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...
: percussion